NorthTec offers fees-free sports and exercise programme

A new sports programme being offered by NorthTec is perfect for people who want to gain the skills to work as a personal trainer. Photo / Michael Cunningham

A new fees-free sports programme which will allow people to study anywhere in Northland will be offered by NorthTec next semester.

The level 4 New Zealand Certificate in Exercise - which will be available through NorthTec in semester two and will start on July 27 - is delivered online with support from tutors and industry supervisors which means students can study from home and complete the 18-week programme from anywhere, as long as they have access to a suitable gym.

Dan Clark, pathway manager for Sport and Recreation, said the course was perfect for people who want to gain the skills to work as a personal trainer.

"It's a great way to get into the fitness industry and is a good qualification for people who coach sports teams.

"It's also suitable for people who want to increase their knowledge of health, fitness and nutrition."

The programme is designed to equip students with the know-how to get into the exercise industry; teaching what it means to be an exercise professional, what support is available and what is required to be an effective exercise professional helping clients.

The programme also requires students to spend 220 hours in the workplace.

Learners will be taught by tutors who deliver NorthTec's diplomas and degree programme in sport and recreation.

They will have access to NorthTec's high-performance sports lab at McKay Stadium in Kensington, and also to NorthTec's Red Barn Gym, which was recently opened on the Raumanga campus.

The programme will be available fees-free in 2020, as part of NorthTec's fees-free portfolio to assist the region's economic recovery during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Entry criteria for the programme is NCEA Level 2 or equivalent. For applicants over 20, no academic qualifications are required but learners must provide evidence of their ability to study at this level.

"The fact that much of the delivery is online means you don't need to be based in Whangārei, or travel frequently, to complete it. And being available fee-free is a huge bonus for students," Clark said.

Visit the NorthTec website for more information.