Record numbers of adults retraining for a career in fitness and nutrition
With Adult Learners’ Week on 15-21 May, the UK is seeing a boom in the number of adults turning their backs on their original careers to retrain in fitness and nutrition. More than ever before, Lifetime has helped people facing redundancy or those looking for a new challenge to forge successful careers as fitness and studio instructors, personal trainers and exercise specialists.
“We are finding that more and more people of all ages are choosing fitness as their second or third career,” says Ben Jones, Teaching & Curriculum Manager at Lifetime, the number one national training provider in the leisure industry. “Whilst our core audience is people aged 25-35, we’ve even seen people in their sixties and seventies train through Lifetime. The beauty of this industry is that if you are passionate about fitness, enjoy working with people and are a great communicator then it’s a perfect profession for you.”
It’s never too late to retrain for a career in fitness and nutrition. People are becoming clearer on their priorities after years of working - they seek career happiness and an improved work-life balance over long hours and a large salary. Some have been made redundant and want to take advantage of the opportunity to consider careers where they can help improve other people’s fitness whilst gain new skills in this growing industry.
Ben adds: “There is an obesity epidemic so there is a need for a greater understanding of healthy eating and exercise. Our industry is becoming increasingly important in the bid to tackle the obesity crisis. The UK needs more personal trainers and fitness instructors – it’s therefore a great business opportunity for a problem that doesn't seem to be going away.”
A career for life is increasingly becoming a thing of the past. Adults tend to change careers up to three times in their lifetime and research from the Careers Advice Service found that nearly half of adults over 50 said they would still like to find their dream job.
Lifetime offers those facing redundancy or looking for an exciting career change the opportunity to complete a reputable fitness qualification in approximately two months, allowing individuals to put their new skills into place and start earning quickly. Lifetime also guarantees an interview with an employer on successful completion on one of its flexible training courses.
Ben adds: “Our courses allow great flexibility and can easily fit around family life and current job commitments. If you are currently working in a depleting sector, you might want to think about looking at a thriving industry like fitness and leisure. Adult Learners’ Week is a great time to start thinking about making a positive change.”
Lifetime offers the highest quality training for people looking to enter the active leisure sector, helping them become work-ready and increase their chances of securing a job in the industry. Delivering training to over 12,000 students per year, Lifetime is the training provider of choice for hundreds of leisure centres, health clubs and hotel fitness facilities across the country including LA fitness, Fitness First, DC Leisure, David Lloyd Leisure, SLM, Virgin Active and Hilton.
A new survey of 5,000 adults by the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education this week found 21 per cent were involved in learning, up from 18 per cent in 2009. Of those surveyed, 47 per cent expected to take up a course in the next three years.
Adult Learners’ Week is a national government campaign which aims to encourage thousands of adults, whatever their age and background, to give learning a go. It promotes the benefits of all kinds of learning, whether they want to launch a new career or simply learn for their own personal development and enjoyment. In fact, Adult Learners Week 2009 inspired 53 per cent of individuals who attended an event and 70 per cent of those who called the Careers Advice helpline to take up some kind of learning activity.
