Welcome to the second edition of the bulletin of the

eLearning Fitness (eLF) Project

In 2010, the EACEA, EU DG Education and Culture, financed the eLearningFitness Project (eLF), which is based on the EQF-Fitness standards, developed by EHFA.

The eLF project has two main goals:

1. To create a European e-learning training system in fitness (physical activity for health) to cover the minimum standards for both the theory (knowledge) and the instructor's practical skills and competencies based on the EQF Levels 3 and 4

2. To create a network of National Registers of Exercise Professionals, which will connect with other international registers such as EREPs (European Register of Exercise Professionals) and be affiliated to the ICREPs (International Confederation of Registers for Exercise Professionals)

Ambition:

The eLF system will contribute to creating a strong critical mass which is necessary to facilitate the growth and expansion of the fitness sector in Europe and worldwide. Indeed through the eLF e-learning training platform, the fitness and sports organisations / operators / instructors, will be able to adopt and use a modern, easy and economic system to educate, test, verify and evaluate the professional knowledge, skills and competences of the fitness for health trainers.

On behalf the project's consortium, let us take this opportunity to give a special thank you to all the contributors, from funders to partners, students to teachers, associates to supporters and ambassadors. They MADE IT HAPPEN by giving their fantastic support and enthusiasm. They have been the soul of this project and the voice of the fit for life movement.

Open Conference

Partner Business Meeting

All four eLF distance learning courses, available in 13 languages, have one common Module, named Core Knowledge which covers all the basic scientific information necessary to provide the students with the knowledge, competence and skills to operate as a Health Enhancing Physical Activity (HEPA) instructor.

Through the various eLF courses it is possible to obtain a professional certification in the following areas:

Group Exercise Instructor (Aerobics and Muscle Conditioning), EQF Level 3

AquaFitness instructor, EQF Level 3

Fitness instructor (weight room and cardio machines), EQF Level 3

Personal trainer, EQF Level 4,

(available to participants who have successfully completed the fitness instructor course)

Surveys in many countries indicate that there is an inadequacy between the offer and the demand for professional skills in Fitness for Health activities, facilitating the recruitment of incompetent staff with serious risk for the health and safety of the practitioners and clients.

The eLF processes will further consolidate the activities of the Health Fitness sector, stimulating the creation of new activities and promoting entrepreneurial development, for the benefit of the organisations, the operators, the technical staff and, most importantly, the safety and satisfaction of the customers.

The main function of the registers will be to guarantee transparency regarding the instructor's professional qualifications and to facilitate the search in the labour market of skilled professionals from the operators.

All students who successfully pass final examination for each course (theoretical and practical) will be entitled to registration on their National Register for exercise professionals.

The use of the eLF system will guarantee the efficacy of the training programmes and the transparency of a system that will give the health fitness community credibility and legitimacy through:

the consistency and sustainability of an e-learning platform based on the EQF (European Qualification Framework)

the functionality and transparency of the following processes and procedures: assessment, validation and certification of the knowledge, competence and skills of the graduates

The system that the eLF Partners, including the Associates, wish to create through this project, will give the European and International sport and fitness organisations, operators, employers and instructors, a useful and efficient skills monitoring tool.

The eLF network is confident that there is a need to expand and improve the knowledge and education of fitness and sports instructors considering that fitness is an essential part of all sports activities and strongly related to the public health.

Though partners are still working on the implementation of the future strategy, they considered the following encouraging signal as a green light for the sustainability of the project.

The IOC, which does not have a specific role in the fitness activities, has commented positively on the eLF Project and welcomes the development of standards and education for the promotion of physical activity for health in the sport sector, considering that physical activity is at the core of all sports disciplines. Together with the WHO, the IOC Medical and Scientific Department is developing a strategy for the promotion of physical activity and is considering a possible association with the eLF Project.

"CYQ is a leading specialist awarding organisation (exams board) and accreditation body for health, fitness and wellbeing qualifications in the UK and internationally. It is an organisation that is committed to raising standards within the health and fitness sector by working in partnership with a range of regulatory bodies, federations, employers and training providers to achieve the highest industry standards for health and fitness professionals.

CYQ offers a diverse suite of over 70 qualifications, ranging in levels from introductory (UK Level 1/EQF Level 2) to advanced (UK Level 4/EQF Level 5) and has been responsible for over a quarter of a million people launching or progressing their careers in the health and fitness sector. CYQ's qualifications give successful graduates' access to the Register of Exercise Professionals (REPs) in the UK, a quality mark of knowledge, skills, competence and professionalism.

As a core partner within the eLearning Fitness (eLF) project, CYQ has contributed its extensive experience and expertise as a well-respected and established independent accreditation and quality assurance organisation.

CYQ was the project coordinator for a previous Lifelong Learning European funded project entitled "European Accreditation - Fitness" (EA Fitness), which was a two year project that enabled health and fitness sector training providers and national associations across Europe to be accredited against the European Health and Fitness Association (EHFA) Standards for occupations that included fitness instructing, group fitness instructing, aqua fitness instructing and personal training.

The eLF project is now building on the work of this earlier European project by developing eLearning content aligned to the EHFA standards for fitness instructing, group fitness instructing, aqua fitness and personal training. Part of CYQ's role within the eLF project is, alongside other project partners, to ensure the alignment of eLF eLearning content to the EHFA standards and to lend its expertise in relation to the delivery of eLF content and assessment, to achieve standardisation and comparability across different European providers within the project.

The goal of the eLF project is to raise the professional level of fitness instruction and personal training throughout Europe to safeguard consumers. The use of eLearning methodology should help to overcome economic and geographical barriers in order to facilitate greater participation of individuals, thereby improving the professionalism of the sector and enhancing the employability prospects of instructors and personal trainers."

Jenny Patrickson, Head of CYQ