BOSTON—In March, the board of directors for the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) approved a revised resolution on third-party accreditation of personal training certification programs. The revisions occur in two areas: the effective implementation date and the approved accrediting agencies.

With regards to the effective implementation date, the resolution now states that: "IHRSA recommends that, beginning January 1, 2006, member clubs hire personal trainers holding at least one certification from an organization/agency that has begun third party accreditation of its certification procedures and protocols from an independent, experienced, and nationally recognized accrediting body.” Previously, the recommendation had given Dec. 31, 2005 as the deadline for a certifying agency to have accreditation. The revision allows each certifying agency more time because all that is required is that they have begun third-party accreditation of its certifying procedures. With regards to approved accrediting agencies, the resolution now states that: “IHRSA will recognize other, equivalent accrediting organizations contingent upon their status as an established accreditation body recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation and/or the United States Department of Education for the purposes of providing independent, third-party accreditation,” thus broadening the ways in which a certifying agency can be accredited.

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