Recognition and Accreditation in the Fitness Industry
I randomly posted this photo on my facebook page after realizing that my first fitness qualification as a Certified Fitness Trainer from International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA) was awarded on 30th August 2008, coincidentally, my Certified Personal Trainer from the Athletic Certification & Training Commision (ACT) was awarded on 30th August 2011. Same date, just different years. A few private message came later asking if ACT is recognized?
The main topic that I will be discussing on this post is in regards to the question - recognition and accreditation in the fitness industry. And I will be brutally honest about this topic.
Many are not aware that there is no formal recognition in the fitness industry because there is no regulating body in the fitness industry. This is not only happening in Malaysia, but even in the U.S.A. Because of this, there are over 400 fitness organizations offering fitness certification without us knowing the content quality of education that they are providing.
You might hear phrases like well-recognized in the fitness industry and well respected in the fitness industry. But the question is, recognized by who?
In the USA, most fitness organizations will pursue accreditation from the National Commission of Certifying Agencies (NCCA), a private organization accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) as a standards developer that accredit courses from various industry, including some fitness courses in the fitness industry ( click here to see the complete list of courses accredited by NCCA. ). That however doesn't really translate into recognition in anyway by any authority of the fitness industry. Take note that I mentioned accredit some fitness courses. The NCCA do not accredit institutions or educational programs, only examinations. Let's take one example. ABC organization offer various fitness courses, they might only get accreditation for one out of the many courses they are offering. That means ABC organization is not accredited by NCCA, just that NCCA accredit one particular course offered by ABC organization.
2 years ago, the organization that I'm currently certified with, the International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA) set a new trend by being accredited by the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC), a federally accredited agency by U.S. Department of Education (USDE) and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). In another word, the ISSA is recognized as an education institution by the U.S. government. I believe since then there are few other fitness organizations pursued DETC's accreditation. Despite being accredited by a government agency, this does not translate into recognition in anyway by any authority in the fitness industry.
If you notice what is written above, the NCCA is accredited by ANSI, while DETC is accredited by the USDE and CHEA. Yes, accrediting bodies itself is governed by another body. In this case, it's like the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA) that was established by the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) to monitor and oversee the quality of education provided by higher education institutions in Malaysia.
Although currently there is no governing body in the fitness industry's practice, fret not because there are organizations like the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), National Strength & Conditioning Association (NSCA), and International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA), all are well known within the fitness industry as organizations that are offering reputable fitness education.
I hope the explanation above gives you a better picture about the recognition and accreditation in the fitness industry.
On a side note, I personally do not need the ACT certification, but since it was free, I took it for fun without reading their textbook thoroughly. ACT has their own professional development and assessment protocol that is slightly different from ISSA, apart from that, they are all the same health, fitness and sports science knowledge that I've learned from ISSA.
The main topic that I will be discussing on this post is in regards to the question - recognition and accreditation in the fitness industry. And I will be brutally honest about this topic.
Many are not aware that there is no formal recognition in the fitness industry because there is no regulating body in the fitness industry. This is not only happening in Malaysia, but even in the U.S.A. Because of this, there are over 400 fitness organizations offering fitness certification without us knowing the content quality of education that they are providing.
You might hear phrases like well-recognized in the fitness industry and well respected in the fitness industry. But the question is, recognized by who?
In the USA, most fitness organizations will pursue accreditation from the National Commission of Certifying Agencies (NCCA), a private organization accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) as a standards developer that accredit courses from various industry, including some fitness courses in the fitness industry ( click here to see the complete list of courses accredited by NCCA. ). That however doesn't really translate into recognition in anyway by any authority of the fitness industry. Take note that I mentioned accredit some fitness courses. The NCCA do not accredit institutions or educational programs, only examinations. Let's take one example. ABC organization offer various fitness courses, they might only get accreditation for one out of the many courses they are offering. That means ABC organization is not accredited by NCCA, just that NCCA accredit one particular course offered by ABC organization.
2 years ago, the organization that I'm currently certified with, the International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA) set a new trend by being accredited by the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC), a federally accredited agency by U.S. Department of Education (USDE) and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). In another word, the ISSA is recognized as an education institution by the U.S. government. I believe since then there are few other fitness organizations pursued DETC's accreditation. Despite being accredited by a government agency, this does not translate into recognition in anyway by any authority in the fitness industry.
If you notice what is written above, the NCCA is accredited by ANSI, while DETC is accredited by the USDE and CHEA. Yes, accrediting bodies itself is governed by another body. In this case, it's like the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA) that was established by the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) to monitor and oversee the quality of education provided by higher education institutions in Malaysia.
Although currently there is no governing body in the fitness industry's practice, fret not because there are organizations like the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), National Strength & Conditioning Association (NSCA), and International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA), all are well known within the fitness industry as organizations that are offering reputable fitness education.
I hope the explanation above gives you a better picture about the recognition and accreditation in the fitness industry.
On a side note, I personally do not need the ACT certification, but since it was free, I took it for fun without reading their textbook thoroughly. ACT has their own professional development and assessment protocol that is slightly different from ISSA, apart from that, they are all the same health, fitness and sports science knowledge that I've learned from ISSA.
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