Health and Fitness Professionals AcademyHFPA

Health and Fitness Professionals Academy, known as HFPA, is a private education provider in South Africa. It specialises in fitness, personal training, coaching and sport science qualifications, and is a subsidiary of UXi Sport.

Registration and accreditation

HFPA is registered with the Department of Higher Education and Training as a private higher education institution under the Higher Education Act, 1997. Its registration certificate number is 2001/HE07/007, which covers its Sunninghill and Stellenbosch sites.

Under that registration, the Council on Higher Education accredits its Higher Certificate in Exercise Science and Advanced Certificate in Exercise Science at NQF level 5.

HFPA is also accredited by the Culture, Arts, Tourism, Hospitality and Sport Sector Education and Training Authority (CATHSSETA) to offer:

• National Diploma in Fitness
• National Certificate in Fitness
• National Certificate in Coaching Science
• National Certificate in Sport Management

The Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO) accredits it to offer an Occupational Certificate in Fitness, along with part qualifications in individual and group fitness instruction.

Ways to study

You can study full qualifications in three ways, and all three lead to the same qualification:

• Weekdays: two to four days a week, over one year per part
• Saturdays: every second Saturday, over six months per part
• Online: self-paced correspondence study, with optional practical workshops

In-person classes run at three campuses: Sunninghill in Johannesburg, Stellenbosch, and Gqeberha.

Short courses and CPD

HFPA also offers many short courses and skills programmes. Topics include personal training, group training, Pilates and spinning instruction, sports nutrition, sports massage, injury prevention and emergency first aid response. You can buy them one at a time or as bundles.

For practising teachers, it offers continuing professional development (CPD) courses endorsed by the South African Council for Educators (SACE). These cover areas such as physical education, athletics coaching, and inclusive and special-needs education.

Entry requirements

The standard minimum requirement is a National Senior Certificate at NQF level 4.

Recognition of prior learning (RPL) is available if you can show at least three years of relevant work experience. If you don't have matric or an equivalent qualification, you can take a bridging Fitness Instructor course first.

Funding

HFPA recommends that prospective students apply for study loans through commercial banks and education-loan providers. It says it will consider its own payment terms only in special circumstances.