EHFA Accreditation

Background, Process and Results

Jenny Patrickson

Director, CYQ

10th September 2010

Background

• EHFA Standards developed in 2005

• Accreditation unit established in January 2007

• Accreditation activity commenced in September 2007 with the accreditation of the European Institute of Fitness in Spain

• 8 training organisations accredited prior to the EA-Fitness project

• EA-Fitness Project commenced in September 2008

8 Early Accreditations

• European Institute of Fitness, Spain• PT School and Trainers Academy, Sweden • Institute of Technology, Tralee, Ireland• Waterford Institute of Technology, Ireland• National Training Centre, Dublin, Ireland• Cork Institute of Technology, Ireland• Institute of Technology, Sligo, Ireland• PT Academy, Australia (operating in Fitness

First, Europe)

Accreditation Process

Accreditation Process:

• Completion of accreditation application document

• Mapping (alignment) of training organisation’s qualifications to the EHFA Standards

• 2 day accreditation visit to sample practical assessment activity and to ensure effective mapping of qualifications to the EHFA Standards

• Action planning where required

• Ongoing monitoring visit every other year

Results –15 Project Accreditations

• EFAA, The Netherlands (June 09)• IWI, Hungary (July 09)• SIAF, Italy (October 09)• NCEF, Ireland (October 09)• SAFE, Sweden (November 09)• Club Med Gym, France (November 09)• ESDRM, Portugal (January 10)• CEF, Portugal (January 10)

Results –15 Project Accreditations

• Manz, Portugal (February 10)• Fit!vak, Netherlands (February 10)• Lyon University, France (May 10)• LAPE, Lithuania (May 10)• Amplius, Norway (June 10)• Holmes Place, Czech Republic (August 10)• Axelsons, Sweden (August 10)

Non-Project Accreditations

• Sprek og Blid, Norway

• AFPT, Norway

• Intercollege, Cyprus

Outcome = 26 successful accreditations to date

Translation of Documents

Accreditation process documents translated into:

• Dutch• French• German• Italian• Portuguese• Swedish

Team of European Verifiers12 European Verifiers, covering the following languages:

• Dutch• English• French• German• Italian• Portuguese• Spanish• Swedish

Ongoing Activity

Further accreditation applications are currently in progress, including training organisations in:

• Bulgaria• Canada• Finland• Ireland• Norway• Spain• Sweden

The Way Forward

It is anticipated that the future of the accreditation process will include:

•Formal quality assurance at national level, undertaken by independent quality assurance national organisations – in line with European Quality Assurance in Vocational Education and Training (EQAVET)

•Technical verification undertaken by exercise and fitness specific independent verification organisations from across Europe

The Way Forward

Further work is now required:

• EHFA Standards Council will need to develop tools to ensure the validity of accreditations carried out by a greater number of European exercise and fitness specific verification organisations

• Digital solutions will be considered by CYQ in order to reduce verification costs and to ‘cross borders’ more effectively

SummaryThe “European Accreditation – Fitness” project has achieved its aim of creating a critical mass of successful accreditations to encourage the continued adoption of the EHFA Standards across Europe.

The aim of promoting greater mobility of exercise and fitness instructors across Europe via the standardisation of assessment outcomes is now a reality.

Sustainability will be ensured via continued technical verification by CYQ and ultimately by a wider range of exercise and fitness specific independent verification organisations from across Europe.

EHFA Accreditation by CYQ

Jenny Patrickson

Director, Awarding

Tel: 0044 (0)207 343 1808

Email: j.patrickson@cyq.org.uk

Website: www.cyq.org.uk