Case Studies
- From foster care to Fitness Instructor: James Jackson
Recovering from a difficult childhood wasn’t an easy feat for James Jackson, a recent graduate of the Active IQ accredited Sport and Recreation Diploma at North West Kent College.
But after being placed with a supportive and stable foster family, James shrugged off the past and reclaimed his future by enrolling on the Sport and Recreation Diploma at his local college and is now on his way to a lifetime of success.
James says: "I suffered quite an unstable childhood and moved over to the UK when I was seven years old, which was extremely difficult. I lacked confidence and was underachieving at school for years due to the language barriers. After moving from foster family to foster family I was finally placed with an amazing family who encouraged me to attend college and pursue my education."
Within two weeks of completing his Diploma and graduating from college in June 2010, James landed himself a job as a Fitness Instructor and is now also studying for a BTEC National Diploma in Sport.
James continues: "I had always wanted to work as a fitness instructor. I enjoyed the course and gained a lot from every aspect of the Active IQ Sport and Recreation Diploma. I hope that by gaining further qualifications I can progress my career in the health and fitness industry and carry on doing the job I love."
- Why I gave up my 9 to 5 job to become a Personal Trainer; Lisa Kent
Following numerous attempts to get fit, Lisa Kent found that she was bored of mundane gym workouts and began looking for another way to get fit, eventually she found a kickboxing gym ten minutes away. She joined the beginners’ course and realised that she was far from a natural, but fell in love with the sport straight away.
After seeing a massive improvement through regular training, Lisa was offered the chance to help teach classes in the evening; this was all while she was working full time. "I found that I was wishing the day away so that I could get to the gym in the evening. It got to the point where I decided that life was too short to be doing a job I wasn’t happy in."
After 15 years of working at a bank in the City, Lisa decided that enough was enough. She was fed up of the long hours and stresses and strains of a pressurised job. So she turned her back on her old life and gave up the career she had worked hard to progress in, to enrol on a Active IQ accredited Diploma in Personal Training course with Premier Training International in London. Lisa says: "After working in the commodities department of various trading houses and investment banks and not being happy, I knew this was the right move for me."
Her friends, family and colleagues were much less enthusiastic and told her: "You’re very brave". They were worried that she was trading financial and job security to enter an industry which she had little knowledge of. However, Lisa and her careers advisers at Premier Training International were far more optimistic, she says: "After doing some research I chose to do an Active IQ accredited course because of how highly regarded their qualifications are in the health and fitness industry. The qualification followed a clear career pathway; the training was in depth and practical, and once I had completed it I felt confident and well prepared for a career as a Personal Trainer."
Graduating from with an Active IQ Diploma in Personal Training in 2009, Lisa set up LK Personal Training within two weeks of graduating and now has a number of loyal clients across London. She specialises in boxing and kickboxing and has won a number of awards and medals herself including the Bronze Medal at the British WAKO Kickboxing Championships in 2009. She says: "Even though my family were reluctant at first, they are really proud of me for taking such a big risk and making a success out of the business and they can see how much happier and fulfilled I am."
Lisa believes that everyone has a right to look and feel their best, she says: "Having worked in the City for so many years, I am well aware of the effect that long hours, a stressful job and constant deadlines can have on your body and mind. I also know how hard it can be to find the time for exercise when you have a full time job; the support a personal trainer provides you with is invaluable, they make sure that your precious time is focussed on achieving exactly the results that you want. We train in the rain, snow or sunshine – I have never cancelled a session due to the weather."
If you would like more information about Active IQ’s range of qualifications please contact info@activeiq.co.uk