ACE Tackles Fitness Industry Skills Gap With Career Starter Course 

​​The comprehensive certificate program empowers aspiring personal trainers with essential and practical knowledge

One major challenge fitness facility owners and managers are facing is a high employee turnover rate, which makes it difficult to retain knowledgeable, seasoned staff.  It takes significant time and money to build and manage a skilled personal training team – and then there’s the task of keeping them from leaving. Constant churn has a big impact on gym operations during a time when many are still finding their way out of COVID.

To address this pain point, the American Council on Exercise (ACE) has launched a new online certificate program, “Intro to Personal Training: A Career Starter Course,” aimed at addressing the skills gap in the fitness industry by equipping new fitness professionals with essential knowledge and practical skills. 

This self-paced course is designed to make participants job-ready in less than two weeks, a response to the industry’s need for qualified staff who can engage with gym members effectively, which may lead to improved retention.

Brian Greenlee, ACE’s director of business development, highlighted that the course directly responds to the challenges health clubs face during the onboarding process.

“ACE has listened to the concerns of health club managers, and this course offers a solution,” Greenlee says. “Health club owners and hiring teams can now bring in new staff and have them ready to engage with members.”

Post-COVID Hiring Woes

The fitness industry, like many others, has been facing a skills shortage, further exacerbated by high turnover rates and heightened demand for knowledgeable employees. According to Forbes, companies have struggled to find qualified candidates, a trend that remains prevalent across various sectors. 

“The hiring environment for many gyms and clubs has dramatically changed ever since the COVID-19 pandemic,” says Jon Baraglia, senior director of fitness at Fitness Formula Clubs. “In order to address staffing shortages, many clubs are hiring individuals with less experience, and clubs have revamped their employee onboarding, such as bringing newcomers up to speed in the industry with introductory courses.”

The ACE Intro to Personal Training: A Career Starter Course answers the call of employers by addressing the key skills development that best supports health and fitness clubs with the onboarding of new employees. These include sales, client retention, communication, program design, behavior-change coaching, and creating an inclusive environment. 

The program utilizes the ACE Integrated Fitness Training (ACE IFT) Model, the ACE Mover Method,  and the ACE ABC Approach, tools that enable trainers to develop individualized exercise programs and coach clients towards healthier lifestyles using behavior-change science principles.

Meeting Personal Trainers Where They Are (Or Will Be)

Lauren Shroyer, MS, ATC, and vice president of product and innovation at ACE, says the course is a precursor to the personal trainer study program and certification exam. 

“There is no prerequisite for the course,” Shroyer says. “In fact, it is a great course for any facility staff to improve their understanding of communication, sales and foundational exercise concepts so they can better serve members.” 

Shroyer adds that many clubs are hiring people who are not yet certified and then asking them to complete their certification within several months of hire. This course can act as an onboarding partner. 

“It allows new hires to, in collaboration with credentialed personal training staff, serve select club members and become a revenue-generating staff member even before they are certified,” she says. “Further, the course is a smaller time and financial investment than a full certification. Clubs expect a certain amount of turnover from newly hired staff members, and this course is a more modest investment in a new staff member.”

ACE, a nonprofit education and certification provider since 1985, has over 90,000 certified health coaches and exercise professionals who advocate for public policies to increase physical activity opportunities and support scientific research in exercise effectiveness.

This new course is part of ACE’s broader efforts to build healthier communities through education and advocacy. 

To learn more about the ACE Career Starter Course, visit here.