10th July 2019: Following a nine-week course delivered by Image Fitness Training on site at Oberstown Children Detention Campus in North Dublin, 5 young people and 4 members of Oberstown staff have successfully qualified as fitness instructors.
The course, delivered by Image Fitness who provide fitness courses across Ireland, was conducted using a blended teaching approach facilitated by the Oberstown school and activities team. This ensured that all of those taking part were supported and taught in a way which was specifically tailored for individual learning needs.
The EQF Level 4 Personal Trainer qualification comes with a guarantee from Image Fitness that all of the young people who successfully qualified will get a job interview for a role as a fitness instructor once they leave Oberstown.
Conor Whyte, Director, Image Fitness: “We were thrilled to partner with Oberstown to run this course. This is a career and it’s no different for the young people in Oberstown; if someone has committed to the course, then we will support them 100%. As we all become fitter and more health conscious there are great employment opportunities in this area which are now open to these young people.
The ability to offer the training on site at Oberstown was really important for us as it allowed us to adapt the course to offer additional support to the young people as needed. Should the young person not be successful with their fitness qualification exam first time around they can return to us when back in the community and take it again. At Image Fitness we are like a family, we stay in touch with people,
We were also delighted to be in a position to have upskilled four members of the Oberstown staff who are now in a position to deliver top quality fitness training to young people on campus.”
The course undertaken by the staff and young people included full practical fitness instruction, modules on nutrition, anatomy, physiology, as well as practical training methods. The examination to qualify as a fitness instructor took place on campus at Oberstown and included written and practical components.
Damien Hernon, Deputy Director of Oberstown: “At Oberstown we work extremely closely as a team with a young person from the moment they arrive on campus to design an individual care plan to prepare them for their return to their families and communities. Our young people need practical and professional skills to help them gain employment and this course delivered by Image Fitness provides those skills.
At Oberstown we offer both educational and vocational training. This programme, as well as others offered at Oberstown, gives young people the best possible chance to move on with their lives in a positive way once they leave the campus.
We were particularly pleased to run the course collaboratively between our fantastic Oberstown school and the campus activities team and this is a model we are keen to replicate in the future.”
No Repro Fee.
Pictured accepting their EQF Level 4 Personal Trainer certificates at Oberstown are L-R staff members James O Connor; Jason Munson; Peder Madsen; Mariana Browne; Simon Creedon of Image Fitness; Jason Kearney; Damien Hernon; and Conor Whyte of Image Fitness. Pic. Robbie Reynolds
No Repro Fee.
Damien Hernon, Deputy Director of Oberstown and Mariana Browne, Residential Social Worker, raise a barbell to Mariana’s new qualification as she graduates with an EQF Level 4 Personal Trainer certificate at Oberstown. Pic. Robbie Reynolds
