With the mid-term of the project past and the interim report accepted by the European Commission, the Blueprint project consortium is looking into its last year of activities. Blueprint’s project partner Spain Active kindly hosted the 4th full partners meeting on 11-12 September 2019 at the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos in Madrid.
The ability to adapt to future changes in the fitness industry provides sectoral leaders with a competitive advantage. Knowledge on the future shape of the fitness market is therefore ubiquitous in the media and provides valuable insider information. EuropeActive has as well joined the movement of foresight activities to provide its members – and particularly to operators, professionals and training providers – with the information they need to make informed decisions on developing their skills for future challenges.
EuropeActive presented its concept for the recognition of fitness qualifications at the recent meeting of the Expert Group on Skills and Human Resources in Lisbon, Portugal. In a presentation called “taking the long view” it was a summary of the work that EuropeActive has been doing for the past 18 years to develop a “harmonised” approach to fitness trainer certification and qualification.
EuropeActive’s director of programmes Cliff Collins and policy officer Elisabeth Thienemann met with the Director of the Ecole Nationale de l’Education Physique et des Sports (ENEPS), Charles Stelmes and his team 2 July 2019. ENEPS advises the Ministry of Sport of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and is responsible for introducing Sport and Active Leisure Qualifications on the LuxQF, the Luxembourgish National Qualifications Framework. It has been a very fruitful meeting to identify synergies of ENEPS and EuropeActive’s work in relation to standards setting and qualification development.
Representatives of the Sector Skills Alliance gathered in Brussels on Thursday 27th June 2019 to focus on the evolution and future trends of the European Active Leisure sector. The meeting was attended by representative employer and employee associations form the European Fitness and Outdoor Sector and representatives from DG EMPL, DG EAC and EACEA from the European Commission. The meeting was opened by chairperson Dr.
With the recent approval of the French Ministry of Sport a new Professional Qualification Certificate (CQP) for Fitness Instructor has been developed that will open new opportunities for the training and qualification of fitness professionals. The design of the CQP is based on EuropeActive standards and has been proposed by a consortium including France Active, Planet Fitness and the sport employers’ organisation COSMOS. The CQP can be considered to be a sector-led initiative that should become an alternative to the current brevet d’état system.
The BLUEPRINT project was recently represented at the 3rd Validation of Prior Learning (VPL) Biennale in Berlin. The event provided an opportunity share projects and experiences in how we are making informal and non-formal learning visible, and are valuing its worth.
The programme include Key Note speeches from policy makers leading the way in VPL, workshops providing more detail about existing projects, and the chance to evolve and commit to the Berlin Declaration on the Validation of Prior Learning.
