New fitness registration service aims for greater transparency and accountability

Tapping into dissatisfaction with existing fitness registration initiatives, FITREC is aiming to bring greater transparency and accountability to the fitness registration space.

Founded in 2015, the fitness registration service is providing employers, clients and the allied health industry with greater insight into registered fitness professionals than has previously been available.

Each FITREC profile allows for the inclusion of all education, industry work experience, references, achievements, biography, image, and video with the first three of these components being used to create a unique FITREC rating.

FITREC is headed by Dennis Hosking (pictured below), who has been Managing Director of fitness recruitment specialists HealthyPeople since 2005.

When referring to the development of the FITREC profiles, Hosking acknowledges the influence of HealthyPeople. 

He explains "we wanted to provide a more detailed picture of an individual so that recruitment might be easier for employers and career progression easier for leading professionals."

One of the big benefits to making all learning visible, including the absence of learning, has been the ability to scrap the CEC/PDP accumulation model. 

Hosking adds "the fact that education has been reduced to a currency of points is not something we should be proud of.

"I’m passionate about getting learning for learning’s sake back on the agenda.”

“Furthermore, many great learning opportunities both in Australia and overseas, have no interest in paying for assessment and approval (so) why discourage these opportunities?"

Hosking acknowledges that there will always be professionals who choose not to pursue further learning. 

His argument is that "it's better they remain visible and accountable, rather than continuing to operate as an unregistered professional.”

Hoskings concludes “we consider this transparency far more beneficial than traditional options. It is not widely known, for example, that just 10% of the AusREPs directory is audited every two years, leaving many professionals able to claim Level 1, 2 or 3 registration status with no evidence of ongoing development.

“The transparency and accountability FITREC provides is a genuine opportunity for the industry to take ‘self-regulation’ to heart - to demonstrate that we’re all responsible for the standards we look for in others.”

FITREC has recently upgraded its professional development search tool so that those searching for learning opportunities can see courses sorted by those given the highest rating by fellow professionals, then by the number of FITREC professionals that have that course added to their profile. 

For more information go to www.fitrec.com.au

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