Ereps Programme Signs Formal Arrangements with Ireland and Hungary

The 4^th annual International Standards Meeting in Budapest provided the appropriate setting for the completion of two agreements with the national registers of exercise professionals from Ireland and Hungary to join the European Register of Exercise Professionals (EREPS) Programme.

EREPS has members working in more than 30 different countries and is seen as a positive way of helping the understanding of fitness qualifications and to improve the mobility of trainers wanting to work in different countries. Dr Thomas Rieger Chairman of the EHFA Standards Council signed Memorandums of Understanding and Trust with the professional bodies of Ireland Active and the Hungarian Health and Fitness Association as the process of underpinning quality control and the application of agreed standards. Separate agreements are also in place to aid the two-way administration and supervision of fitness trainers who join the Registers and enter into the wider EREPS Programme.

Commenting on the progress of EREPS Harm Tegelaars, EHFA President said, “for over 10 years we have been working and developing the standards to support the professionalising of the fitness sector and implementing the EREPS Programme. We are taking very careful steps to ensure we are building permanent structures and the addition of these two national registers marks some very significant progress. Our Standards Council has done an incredible job in creating such a high-quality outcome through our sector qualification framework and the standards we now have available are the backbone of this progress as shown by the addition of the two registers.”

Mark McManus, the Registrar for REPS Ireland added “the constructive dialogue and cooperation between Ireland Active, EHFA, EREPS and the Irish Register has shown that together we can make real progress and we are looking forward to a positive relationship in our work together.” László Zopcsák for the Hungarian Health and Fitness Association said “we have been working very hard to establish the structures and to meet the requirements of operating the Hungarian Register (HUREPS) and we are very proud of this major move forward in helping our own national fitness industry.”

The two registers will have their own operating systems alongside EREPS and are all linked through the main EREPS website at www.ereps.eu. Members are listed on public directories and have certificates of registration which clearly identify their status of registration and relevant level of their qualification.

Note to Editors...

REPS Ireland - REPs Ireland has been established by Ireland Active to independently verify exercise professional qualifications when they fulfil 4 key criteria:

1. Achieve qualifications and awards that meet industry standards & have been independently Quality Assured 
2. Maintain professional standing by ongoing CPD
3. Maintain appropraite insurance cover
4. Adhere to a code of ethical practice

The industry standards used by REPs Ireland are based upon the European standards developed by the European Health & Fitness Association (EHFA). Click here for more details

REPs Ireland operates independently of all Education Providers and facilities.

For more information: www.repsireland.ie

Hungarian Register of Exercise Professionals  HUREPS - is governed by the Hungarian Health and Fitness Association and is based on the EHFA standards and operating principles of the EREPS Programme.

The industry standards used by HUREPS  are based upon the European standards developed by the European Health & Fitness Association (EHFA). Click here for more details

HUREPS operates independently of all Education Providers and facilities.

For more information: www.hureps.hu

About the European Health and Fitness Association (EHFA)

EHFA- The European health & fitness Association, with its origins in 1996 as a not-for-profit organization, represents the interests of the European health & fitness sector at the EU level.

With an office and staff in Brussels since 2007, EHFA has been recognized as the official representative body for the sector. Its objective is “More People, More Active, More Often”. EHFA is also a standards setting body and promotes best practices in instruction and training to help battle the inactivity and obesity challenges spreading across Europe.

EHFA has among its membership more than 10.000 facilities, 18 national associations, leading suppliers, education/training providers and individuals. EHFA represents the sector with the EU and has very good connections with DG Sanco and DG EAC, who have awarded operating grants and project grants to EHFA. Two projects were conducted with EU funding; “The Hub”, a research project on the effects of Physical Activity promotional campaigns and a study in 8 countries called “Fitness Against Doping”.

The association organizes several annual events for the sector, such as the Fitness Forum, International Standards Forum and the Executive Leadership Forum.

EHFA supports the development of the European Register of Exercise Professional, EREPS which it operates. EREPS is an independent process for the registering of qualified instructors, trainers and teachers working across Europe in the exercise and fitness industry, who meet European standards. These standards are developed for the sector under supervision and guidance from the EHFA Standards council.

For more information please visit: www.ehfa.eu or www.ereps.eu.com or www.fitnessconnexions.eu

Press Contact:

The Secretariat
The European Health & Fitness Association

Rue Washington 40
B-1050, Brussels, BRU
Belgium