Guernsey College of Further Education sports student Adam Pace (picture far right) has taken second place out of 60 entries in the regional heat of the WorldSkills UK Fitness Trainer Competition (gym instructor category).
60 students entered the South East Regional heat, submitting written fitness plans and taking an online examination. Adam, a Level 2 BTEC Sports Diploma student, was then one of only five to be selected to go through to the second phase and attend the practical assessment, which took place in Queen Mary’s College in Basingstoke on 17 May and where he took second place.
From the five regional heats, the top 10 – based on the scores achieved – will go on to the national semi finals, which take place in Loughborough in July. Given Adam’s strong performance in the early stages, he has a great chance of progressing further. He is delighted with his achievements so far in the competition.
‘It was an honour to represent the College at the regional event and an amazing experience. It helped me to develop my confidence and I met lots of new people.
‘The preparation with my tutor was really helpful; you need to be able to instruct at a high standard so the opportunity to practise for this event alongside my studies has helped me further develop my gym instructing skills.’
College tutor, Stefan Fusenich, who entered Adam into the competition, has been teaching him fitness programme design as part of his course. He said:
‘We are extremely proud of Adam and of all the hard work he has put in to make it successfully through the regional heat. This experience will be something that he will always remember. It is fantastic to have a Guernsey sports student to have been so successful – a real achievement for Adam and the College.’
The WorldSkills UK Fitness Trainer Competition, managed by AoC Sport, is the only active leisure skills competition in the UK for students undertaking a sports qualification. The competition consists of two categories – gym and personal trainer – which test aspiring fitness professionals’ knowledge and skills.