Develop Your Core Fitness Knowledge
This course provides hands-on as well as some management oriented training for people wanting to work in the health and fitness or leisure industries in a technical or supervisory capacity. Graduates will have a broad understanding of human health together with specialised skills that will be developed through your choice of elective units.
Become a Highly Skilled Fitness Industry Professional
With the strong foundation gained through this course, you will be ready for a successful management career in the leisure industry. You'll develop a solid knowledge of the health sciences and the management skills to apply that knowledge and achieve career success.
This industry is changing faster than ever and business opportunities are everywhere, especially in self-employment and consultancy roles. This course will give you core knowledge in human health and fitness science, but also essential business skills such as marketing, financial management, HR management and administration. When you bring these skill sets together, you’ll be able to apply your health knowledge in a management role and forge a rewarding career in the Leisure industry.
Possible career paths include:
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Fitness Centres
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Community Centres
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Aged Care Industry
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Residential Estates
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Local Government Youth Leisure Programs
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State Government sports programs
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Marketing and Business roles
Credits are given for modules studied in either our Australian or UK schools.
What You Can Learn
Some of the modules included in the course or which you can choose from include:
Leisure Management I
Develop Marketing Skills for the Leisure Industry
During this course you will learn to develop strategies to market recreation facilities or services. The course shows you how to do things such as: Develop marketing and promotions to maintain or increase business; Manage the delivery of a service to ensure customer satisfaction; Monitor a membership database to ensure return business and Manage complaints.
Leisure Management II
(HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT FOR THE LEISURE INDUSTRY). Develops management strategies for human resources in a recreation or fitness service, or facility. People are a key resource for any business. This course develops an understanding of important human resource issues such as work schedules, developing a team approach, team performance, staff recruitment, evaluating staff performance, and communication between staff. Builds on Leisure Management I, but can stand alone.
Leisure Management III
(ADMINISTRATIVE AND FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT FOR THE LEISURE INDUSTRY) Develop management strategies for clerical and financial operations in a recreation or fitness environment. Keeping accurate and efficient financial records is paramount for successful business. During this course you will learn to develop strategies for managing clerical and financial aspects for a recreation facility or service. The course covers financial records, budgets, legal reporting, liaising, managing documents, forming a resource library, and using information technology.
Leisure Management IV
This module will enable the learner to develop management policy, procedural, and planning aspects of a recreation oriented service or facility. This course covers policy development and management, meeting operational procedures, planning process management, meeting and conference management as well as supervising reports.
Human Health & Fitness I
There are 8 lessons as follows:
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Introduction to Health & Fitness
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Exercise Physiology
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Exercise Principles & Cardiorespiratory Programming
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Biomechanics & Risk
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Fitness Program Design
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Delivering a Fitness Program
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Safety, Injury and General Wellbeing
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Fitness Programs for Special Groups
Human Biology I
There are 6 lessons as follows:
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Cells & Tissues -
Explains the human body at a microscopic level, including the structure and function of cells, tissues and membranes.
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The Skeleton -
Examines features of the human skeletal system.
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The Muscular System -
Describes the human muscular system, in terms of structure and basic function.
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The Nervous System –
Looks at the human nervous system, in terms of structure and basic functions.
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Digestion & Excretion -
Explains different physiological systems of digestion and excretion in the body.
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Physiological Systems –
Focuses on the different physiological systems of the body.
Leisure Facility Management I
This comprehensive introductory course focuses on the management and development of recreational facilities (eg. Leisure centres, Swim Centres, Sporting complexes, Gymnasiums, Health clubs etc.) Over 13 lessons, it deals with both day to day management as well as more broad based planning, development and redevelopment.
Leisure Facility Management II
Half of this course focuses on facility design and the other half on managing maintenance of a facility. Students are assumed to have some broad experience or knowledge in Leisure Facility Management (Managing daily use is covered in far more detail in the first course, but not in this one).
Business Studies
There are 8 lessons as follows:
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Establishment Procedures – aims to teach the student how to select appropriate procedures for the establishment of a small business
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Management Procedures – teaches the student how to select appropriate procedures for the management of a small business
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Communication in Business – how to develop procedures for communicating with suppliers and customers of a small business
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Problem Solving – how to develop procedures for addressing problems in a small business
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Staff Management – looks at how to plan the management of staff in a small business
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Productivity – learn how to develop strategies for managing production in a small business or department within a larger organisation.
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Financial Management – how to carry out different financial management tasks used in small business or department within a larger organisation
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Marketing Techniques – Evaluation of marketing techniques used in business
Biochemistry Plants
Biochemistry is the chemistry of living things. This introductory course concentrates on the chemistry of either animals or plants. Some secondary school chemistry will be helpful though it is not essential. Lessons cover biochemical substances and terms, carbohydrates, lipids, amino acids, proteins, metabolism, the nitrogen cycle, photosynthesis, respiration, transpiration, acidity and alkalinity, nutrition, hormones, chemical analysis and biochemical applications in the
industry.
Instructional Skills
There are 11 lessons with a written assignment to be submitted at the end of each lesson as follows:
1. Introduction to Training – Communication
2. Understanding Learning
3. Determining Training Requirements in The Workplace
4. Commencing Training
5. Developing a Lesson Plan
6. Assessment and Evaluation of Training Programs
7. Training Aids
8. One-To-One Training
9. Motivation Skills and Techniques
10. Promoting Training
11. Assessor Training
Workplace Health and Safety
An important subject area applicable to all industries. This course covers the following topics:
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Introduction to workplace health and safety, procedures, duty of care
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Legislation
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Handling chemicals, including pesticides, cleaning chemicals, explosives, petrol
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Handling equipment: tools and machinery
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Handling objects: lifting, manual handling
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Standards and rules: safety audits, codes of practice
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Signs and signals: communicating in the presence of noise, eye problems, hazardous chemicals
Modules
Note that each module in the Advanced Certificate in Fitness & Recreation is a short course in its own right, and may be studied separately.
Working in the Fitness Industry
The fitness industry has emerged from almost nothing a few decades ago, to become a significant and rapidly changing field in today’s world.
Fitness Leaders are the “coal face” workers of the industry, but this is not commonly a very well paid job.
Fitness leaders provide guidance to clients on development and maintenance of fitness (commonly dealing with a class or informal group using a gym).
Some people who start as a fitness leader, will apply some entrepreneurial flair and find ways to improve their earnings and standing in the industry, very fast. Many others leave the industry as fast as they entered it.
If you are hoping to earn well and advance yourself in this profession, it may be advisable to examine yourself, considering whether you wish to be a manager or entrepreneur, before starting down the route of training for a career in fitness.
Personal Trainers provide personal guidance on fitness (dealing with one individual only in a session). Personal trainers usually earn a lot more than fitness leaders, but they are commonly self employed, and need good business and marketing skills as well as expertise in fitness if they are to be successful.
Life Coaches provide guidance on many different things that affect well being. This may include fitness, career, money, general health, relationships etc. They also are commonly self employed, and require skills that are broader and deeper than a fitness leader
Opportunities
Fitness professionals find employment in small and large organisations, government and private enterprise, both self employed contractors and employed by others.
They may be employed in any of the following:
- Fitness leaders or instructors in Gymnasiums, health clubs or Leisure Centres
- Personal Trainers
- Life Coaches
- Sports Coaches
- Fitness Teacher or Specialist Instructor
- Facility managers
- Marketing (eg. Fitness or Sports equipment, Sales, PR, Advertising, etc)
- Event Managers
Fitness jobs range from relatively low paid part time or casual positions to highly paid professional careers that require a great deal of expertise and training.
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