STRENGTHEN YOUR CAREER IN LEISURE AND FITNESS
- Develop the skills needed to establish and manage a successful Leisure Industry Service or Facility.
- An essential course for anyone already working in the leisure or fitness industries, those wanting to advance their career in these industries and those looking for that foot in the door.
- A course structure of Core and Elective Modules allows students to specialise in their areas of interest.
- Course duration: 600 hours.
Course Structure and Content
The course requires students to study and pass exams in 3 Core Modules plus a further 3 Elective Modules.
The Core Modules focus on Leisure facility management, leisure facility marketing and project management. Students will then go onto to study 3 Elective Modules which they select from an extensive range of options which include Fitness Risk Management, Leadership, Human Resources (Recreation Management), Aquafitness, Resistance and Gym Supervision, Leisure Facility Management II and more.
We believe that this strong and practical blend of subjects will give our students the edge.
Core Modules
The Core Modules provide foundation knowledge for the qualification - Certificate in Leisure Management.
The Core Modules and lesson structure are shown below; please click on the module title for further details.
Leisure Management I (Marketing) BRE103
This module has 10 lessons as outlined below:
- Introduction to Marketing
- Marketing Strategy
- Media Promotions
- Promotional Materials
- Complaints
- Managing Membership Levels
- Sponsorship & Fundraising
- Managing Events
- Managing Promotional Activities
- Delivering a market sensitive recreation service.
Leisure Facility Management I BRE205
This module has 13 lessons as outlined below:
- The Scope of Recreation Facility Management
- The Nature of Recreation Facility Management
- Legal Requirements for Construction
- Planning Construction Work
- Indoor Equipment
- Outdoor Equipment
- Safety Procedures
- Equipment Needs
- Purchasing
- Bookings
- Contingencies
- Insurance Issues
- Managing a Recreation Facility
Project Management BBS201
There are 9 lessons as follows:
- Introduction
- Project Identification
- Project Planning
- Project Implementation
- Project Completion & Evaluation
- Technical Project Management Skills
- Leadership Skills
- Common Project Problems -Improving Key Personnel Skills
- Major Assignment
Elective Modules
Elective modules give students the opportunity to specialise and focus on subject areas that are more related to their own interests or needs. Students will select any 3 modules from the following list - please click on the course title for further information.
Fitness Risk Management VRE104
Leadership BBS110
Leisure Management II - Human Resources BRE104
Aquafitness BRE207
Leisure Management III - Financial & Clerical BRE204
Resistance & Gym Supervision BRE206
Leisure Facility Management II BRE306
Leisure Management IV - Policies & Procedures BRE305
Note that each module in the Qualification - Certificate in Leisure Management is a short course in its own right, and may be studied separately.
Examinations
You are required to take examinations at the end of each of the 6 modules in the course.
Graduate Opportunities Depend on What you Learn plus a whole lot more!
If you enjoy sports and fitness, have managerial skills and like a challenge, working as a fitness or health centre manager may be for you.
Fitness or Health Centre Managers manage sports or leisure facilities. Fitness or health centre managers oversee the day-to-day operations of the facility. They are responsible for a broad range of operations, including managing staff, managing equipment, membership sales, marketing, providing fitness instruction, health and safety, and financial.
Different facilities will have different requirements of their managers. Larger organisations may have a team of managers that each specialise in a particular area, whereas managers of smaller organisations may manage all areas.
Some tasks a fitness or health centre manager may do include:
- Developing and implementing programmes to fulfill clients needs and generate revenue
- Manage marketing strategies
- Ensure the profitability of the centre
- Recruit, train, and manage staff – including they have relevant and up to date qualifications/training
- Ensure health and safety standards are met
- Prepare staff rosters and work schedules
- Manage equipment – ensuring they are in good condition, up to date and functioning
- Customer service
- May provide fitness instruction to clients
- Managing complaints and incidents
- Maintaining stock records, purchasing equipment and supplies as required
- Provide leadership
- Budgeting, managing cash and other financial management.
Opportunities
The health, fitness and leisure industry is dynamic and rapidly growing. There is an increasing number of fitness instructors and facilities being opened – therefore there is an increasing demand for managers. A health or fitness centre manager may work in:
- Swimming pools
- Gyms and fitness centres
- Spa, sauna or therapy centres
- Sports halls or sports
- Community sports centres
- Recreational facilities
- Hotel leisure centres
- School and University fitness centres
- Sports clubs
- Holiday resorts
Salaries will vary depending on experience and the types of employment and facility.
Risks and challenges
Managing a health and fitness centre can include unsocial hours, such as evenings, weekends and public holidays.
Managing an entire facility can be stressful at times. There will be significant responsibility to ensure the profitability of the centre, as well as general day to day stresses of managing a business.
As a manager you may also need to spend time in an office, which may be challenging for a fitness professional who prefers to be active.
A health and fitness manager will need to ensure they are up to date with relevant legislation, for example health and safety best practices, staff qualification requirements, first aid requirements, employment regulations etc.
How to become a Health or Fitness Centre Manager
Health or Fitness Centre Managers will generally come to the role from one of two pathways.
- They may begin by obtaining skills in fitness, sports, physical education or a related discipline, then after experience they develop their career into a more managerial role
or
- They may begin by studying management, gain experience as a manager in another field, then move into the fitness industry.
Depending on their specific role, the manager may or may not be actively training clients. If they are, they will need to have relevant fitness qualifications. If the manager is more involved in overseeing the business operations, rather than actively training the clients they may not need fitness qualifications, however knowledge of the fitness industry (even if just through personal experience) is important. In either scenario, the manager will need to make sure they are up to date with their first aid and CPR training.
Basic business, marketing, and management skills will also be valuable.
To be a successful manager, certain personal attributes will need to be developed, including good communication skills, the ability to motivate staff (and clients), time management skills and organisational skills.
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