Young people follow industry-leading training courses to become qualified fitness instructors and personal trainers.
The National Elite Professional certificate Level 3 and Level 4 are delivered on Campus in partnership with Image Fitness and funded by the Dormant Accounts Fund. These comprehensive programmes provide each participant with the knowledge and skills to become a certified fitness instructor or personal trainer.
The courses are demanding, but are very popular with young people at Oberstown. The fitness instructor course takes 12 weeks (140 hours) to complete. The personal trainer course takes a further 10 weeks (120 hours) for certification.
Young people engaging in these industry-leading programmes gain a thorough understanding of exercise science, nutrition and client assessment techniques. Participants learn advanced training methods, injury prevention and rehabilitation strategies and gain expertise in creating personalised fitness plans tailored to meet the unique needs of their clients. The programmes focus on developing effective communication and coaching skills to better support clients in achieving their fitness goals.
Completing these courses equips young people to pursue a career as a personal trainer or fitness instructor in various fitness settings. In 2023, 22 young people completed their Level 3 certificate and 8 young people went on to complete the Level 4 certificate.
Image Fitness offers each successful participant assistance in finding a position in the fitness industry once they leave Oberstown. In a key 2023 milestone, Image Fitness worked with Oberstown to arrange for two young people to gain work placements with national gym chain FLYEfit, which has agreed to continue the work placement programme.
