With only a few weeks to go, it’s time for a programme update for one of our most notable events: the International Standards Meeting (ISM) on 15 and 16 November in Warsaw, Poland. This event brings together key stakeholders from the industry, including employers, training providers and representatives of national registers. Delegates from Brazil to Finland and from Greece to the United States have already signed up.
Polish-French physicist and chemist Marie Curie is our inspiration for the event, that focusses on the importance of securing the quality of the fitness industry workforce: "You cannot hope to build a better world without improving the individuals. To that end, each of us must work for his own improvement, and, at the same time, share a general responsibility for all humanity."
Delegate participation will be more important than ever this year. After an official welcome and get-to-know-each other session on day 1, we hope to ‘set the table’ for group discussions on three central themes:
Deciding on a common assessment strategy of EuropeActive accredited providers
This discussion focuses on the fact that EuropeActive training providers currently design and manage the assessment of their accredited training course themselves. There will be many examples of excellent practice within these assessments, however, as we continue to professionalise our sector we will need to exercise greater consistency and transparency in our assessments. A common assessment strategy is one way to achieve this. We want to know your thoughts on the necessity and feasibility of such a strategy.
Creating an Internal and External Verification Strategy; how to assure quality?
The second discussion zooms in on the importance of an established internal verification team, a crew every professional and effective training company should have. While this team will be responsible for auditing and refining the practices within the company, the internal team needs to be subject to the scrutiny of an independent external verification team. Join us in examining current practice in this area and learn about the operational mechanics and benefits of establishing a comprehensive verification strategy.
The European standards: future directions and implications?
Third in line: this discussion will take a broad view across EuropeActive’s educational standards and ask some fundamental questions in relation to the best development of these standards to bridge existing skills gaps and meet the future employment needs of the industry. These discussions will include how best to meet employer feedback on the quality of fitness professionals in their clubs and the future direction of occupational roles beyond Level 4!
As you can see, this event is a unique opportunity to meet with a select team of experts in an open and inspirational environment. Would you like to know more about the programme or do you want to be a part of it too?