Instructor Training Endorsement

The benefits of training endorsement by EMD UK

Member organisations of EMD UK can apply for instructor training endorsement to enable them to progress their training ideas and plans for their business.

We have a range of products to help progress fitness brands; Accelerate membership, Pro membership, and Community Partner membership. Accelerate Members benefit from a range of services designed to support the operational set up and early business needs of an organisation.  At an appropriate time, usually after the first year, member organisations transfer to Pro membership which provides a range of services to support the ongoing business needs of an organisation.   Both memberships would incentivise trainees applying for endorsed courses as they would be eligible for our Open Bursary, which could give them a valuable contribution towards their training costs.

The endorsement process can take as little as 8 – 10 weeks, but many members benefit from the on-going support from our dedicated team to work through the process at their own pace and to fit in with busy lifestyles.

Once all of the endorsement criteria have been met, the member organisation will receive an electronic certificate and an EMD UK endorsed logo, valid for 12 months, for use on their website and in any training promotion.

Why endorse a product?

Endorsement is a mark of quality, giving trainee instructors peace of mind that they’re attending a recognised course. It also gives class participants confidence that they’re attending a session taught by an appropriately certified instructor.

So what does the endorsement process entail? 

Organisation members of EMD UK receive an endorsement criteria list to ensure they have all the training documentation and evidence to meet each point.

The membership team are available to talk through the criteria in more detail should there be any questions before the endorsement process begins.

Here are some of the elements we would expect to see as part of the endorsement process –

• General description of the training programme
• Pre-requisite information
• Workforce information
• Policies and procedures, such as safeguarding
• Learner and Trainer resources

The team works through the documents and completes the rigorous checks necessary to ensure the training programme(s) meet the high standards expected of our member organisations.  Our membership team are expert in their own fields and are also able to draw on the experience and expertise of colleagues within EMD UK to offer feedback  and support to help you on your journey to developing a thorough and enticing training programme.

Two of our member organisations who have benefited from the endorsement process are
Reelrobics and XO CIZE.

Christina from Reelrobics shared her story with us a while back, but it was great to hear how endorsement by EMD UK has benefitted her business.  As a former professional dancer with Riverdance, Christina knew that many other dancers, having danced for so many years, really missed the daily exercise. She was increasingly being asked by ex-professional dancers to train them to teach Reelrobics.  She started by writing down everything she knew and wanted to impart to others and found that getting in touch with our membership team really motivated her to translate what she loves into a formal training course.

Christina found the support she was given was so helpful and that there was nothing she felt she couldn’t ask.

XO CIZE is one of our newest endorsed member organisations. Founder of XO CIZE, Sarah, says exercise has always been a real anchor for her throughout her life.  After qualifying as an Exercise to Music instructor (now Group Training to Music) and years of teaching, Sarah embarked on creating her own style fitness brand that embraces traditional ETM. ‘I wanted to provide participants with an understanding of exercise to empower them within an exciting exercise experience. I also wanted to provide a great resource to help instructors combat some of the issues they can come up against when teaching large community groups’ Sarah tells us ‘I knew exactly what I wanted the course to offer but was completely lost in how to formulate it’.  With Pilates and Exercise Referral qualifications under her belt, Sarah gradually developed her new fitness business and found that the team at EMD UK and the endorsement process gave her the confidence and support to create the XO CIZE training programme.

Both Christina and Sarah agreed that the endorsement process enabled them to step outside the product, which had been hard as it was ‘their baby’.  The support from the team gave them reassurance as well as confidence and most importantly steered them in the right direction without influencing their original ideas.  The team can draw on their own and others’ experiences as many colleagues in EMD UK are also group exercise instructors and know what it takes to work in the industry as well as to train others.

Christina now has 15 instructors across the world in training or fully trained – from Ireland and the USA to Abu Dhabi and as far away as Australia. This has been possible by taking the Reelrobics training online during the pandemic.  Christina said that EMD UK is an organisation ‘that believes in you’ which has helped her create a community and run webinars for her instructors.  In the pipeline are plans for a virtual meet up to continue her ‘year of growth’ as she continues to hone her business skills.

Having only recently gained endorsement, Sarah is excited to take the next step in her new role as a training provider and is now busy recruiting new instructors for her training course while increasing her brand awareness.

Sarah and Christina were kind enough to share their top tips with us –

• Set yourself a timeframe (SMART goals)
• Continue your education, eg anatomy and physiology – there’s always something new to learn
• Believe in yourself, don’t get caught up with Imposter Syndrome
• Make time for yourself
• Reach out to others for help, not forgetting that the endorsement programme provides on-going help

For more information on the Endorsement process for member organisations – click on the link here

You can find out more about Organisation Membership here