Training Provider Forum 2022 – Forum for Training Providers 2022 EuropeActive

EuropeActive hosted its third Live Forum for training providers on 7 April 2022 during FIBO 2022 in Cologne. The event was themed ‘Accreditation post-pandemic – taking a balanced view’ and served as an open forum for the exchange of thoughts and ideas on the ongoing accreditation policy. The COVID-19 pandemic had a direct impact on the ability of training providers to deliver and evaluate their education programmes. Providers were forced to be innovative in order to meet the restrictions imposed. EuropeActive also had to be flexible by allowing adapted practices among its accredited education providers.  

 The Director of EuropeActive’s Education Services Department, Julian Berriman, informed the group of the ongoing work to establish a Sector Skills Pathway, in which EuropeActive’s accreditation service will play a key role, as well as the potential to extend this function to European certification of learners within a certification organization. This, he said, is a goal for EuropeActive’s Horizon 2025 manifesto. Following this introduction the group formulated the post-pandemic vision for education services led by Accreditation Manager Charlie Heywood.  

 Among the topics discussed with the group was an agreement on the requirements for the number of observations of teachers in the delivery and assessment of courses to ensure consistent practice across all education teams. The group also agreed on the acceptance of video transmission as a standard practice for the assessment of practical exercises in the gym, and on the number of training hours to be delivered in virtual classrooms in real time. It was also agreed that theory exams such as oral questioning and exam questions, including multiple choice theory questions, can be conducted live by a tutor in a virtual classroom.  

 In conclusion, EuropeActive announced that the 2022 EuropeActive International Standardization Meeting will be held in Prague on 3-4 November.