Thu, July 7, 2011 at 10:45 | Guest Blogger Continuing Education Incentives
By Shannon Fable
Shannon Fable, Fitness Industry ConsultantContinuing education is an absolute necessity for fitness professionals. It’s quite possible what was recommended last year could now be considered unsafe or ineffective in the fitness world. Unfortunately, many fitness professionals may not be getting enough updated quality education to continue to safely and effectively help a wide variety of clients. But, the reasons that education is falling by the way side may be easy to fix!
Cost
Even though the cost of some fitness conventions has come down over the past years and accessibility to affordable live events has increased, the earning potential of a group fitness instructor has not changed all that much. According to ACE’s 2010 Salary Survey Results, the average GX Instructor receives between $23.50 and $24.49 an hour while Personal Trainers are right around $25/hour.
At this rate, taking time off to attend continuing education (usually scheduled for the weekend, which could be a lucrative time for some), is challenging. Add on the price of the event, and it can take some instructors months to dig out of the hole. And, when you factor in that with increased level of education, pay rates only increases by about $3/hr for instructors and $6/hr for PT, in most cases, there is not a huge incentive to continue your education.
Many fitness pros try to save by banking up for ONE big event every two years to satisfy their CEC requirements. Clubs could help by incentivizing continuing education attendance on a more regular basis, helping offset costs or hosting more events to cut down on expense.
Content
It’s hard to justify juggling the expense of attending continuing ed if you’re not sure you’re going to like what you buy. Conferences are shifting to more ‘sponsored’ sessions that could potentially be a ‘teaser’ for the education that comes with the new product or new training program. Of course, not ALL sponsored sessions take this approach and there are reputable companies that ensure attendees walk away with valuable information regardless if they ‘buy into’ what they’re selling. But, it’s hard to tell from reading a brochure what you might get when you arrive. It only takes one bad experience for a fitness pro to say “sayonara” to attending live continuing ed.
Virtual learning is becoming a big hit as it can be done in the privacy of your own home. While this is a great option to hone your skills on a more frequent basis, nothing compares to hands on experience every once and a while. Explore magazine articles, online CEC quizzes, and webinars to stay fresh with your knowledge.
Clubs can help by bringing workshops to their facility where they choose content based on products and programs already offered. As well, managers can scout content at shows and events, then bring the information HOME to their staff in informal meetings.
Clubs, managers, and instructors should work together to find solutions to obtaining continuing education on a more regular basis. Think outside the box on how to get education and set the bar high for yourself and your team.
Shannon Fable is a 2006 ACE Group Fitness Instructor of the Year & 2009 Top 3 Finalist for IDEA Instructor of the Year, is the founder and CEO of Sunshine Fitness Resources and the owner of Balletone. Shannon is an international presenter, program developer and Master Trainer for several well known companies including the Schwinn Fitness, ACE, BOSU, and Power Systems. Additionally, Fable consults for fitness professionals on a wide variety of subjects covering career development in the fitness industry.
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