FITREC recently hit its eighth year since its launch in 2015.
Back then, we were in a unique position of being able to rebuild registration from the ground up. This gave us the opportunity to innovate and improve in many ways, leading to the development of a registration service that differs considerably from the incumbents. How different? Following are just some of the innovations that FITREC has brought to registration;
- Professional Profiles – FITREC profiles provide more background than any other provider
- The FITREC Rating – The only genuine benchmarking tool for our industry
- A job board – Specifically, the ability to apply using FITREC profiles – No need for a CV
- Team pages – Only FITREC allows employers to showcase registered team members
- A Team Hub – A tool to more easily manage the development of your team
- Raising the Bar – A free online magazine for the industry
- Traky – A free PT session tracking tool for registered professionals
- FITREC Circle – A dedicated social space for registered professionals
- Insurance discounts – FITREC passes all savings on to the professionals
- Honesty – FITREC is the only registrar to advocate rights surrounding registration
- Improve professional longevity – Our approach to registration has kept fitness professionals in the industry and made it possible for others to return to the industry
One of the more significant innovations has been the removal of the CEC/PDP system.
We are strong advocates for ongoing learning, but when rebuilding registration, CEC accumulation failed the sniff test. Eight years on, we can say that removing the points accumulation system has been a great thing for the industry, especially for professionals.
- Removing CEC accumulation has helped keep experienced talent in the industry. Many casual instructors were leaving because they were sick of (a) paying a significant portion of their earnings accumulating points, or (b) having to do the same learning over and over again because there was a finite number of things they were interested in.
- It’s also helped keep professionals registered, which is great for transparency. After all, when a professional does not renew registration because they haven’t accumulated enough points, it doesn’t mean they’re no longer working in fitness. It just means that they’re no longer accountable.
- Removing CEC accumulation has encouraged people back into the industry after an extended time away. Common examples include professionals coming back after injury or holidays, and women coming back after maternity leave. Welcoming these experienced people back into the industry is particularly important in the current recruitment environment.
- By turning away from the traditional system of selling points to educators, FITREC has been able to acknowledge a broader range of learning for the benefit of professionals. Much of it is from internationally based educators that would not be applying for (or paying for) CEC/PDP approval.
Innovations aside, a big win for the industry is choice!
That, and the fact that nothing gets better under a monopoly.
The launch of FITREC has helped to keep other registration providers more accountable and this, in turn, has forced improvement. Some may point out that there has always been more than one registration option. However, they all operated under the same rules, meaning there was no meaningful challenge to existing systems.
FITREC registration was designed specifically to better serve the needs of professionals and employers in the fitness industry. Reflecting on our first eight years, our commitment to deliver on this promise has been clearly demonstrated. Even better, it has been acknowledged by the industry – FITREC is already the second-largest registrar in the Southern Hemisphere. With our greatest innovations yet to come – including the development of AI to assist with career progression – it is our intention to become the registrar of choice for all fitness and allied health professionals over the coming years.