The new course will begin this Fall;
students will be eligible to be certified in just two semesters.

May 22, 2018 / Jersey City, NJ – As more individuals adopt healthy lifestyles that include physical fitness, career opportunities for Personal Fitness Trainers are growing. Businesses, government agencies, and insurance companies recognize the benefits of fitness programs and provide employees with incentives to join gyms. As a result, the jobs outlook for Personal Fitness Trainers is projected to grow 10 percent from now through 2026, with 30,100 jobs to be added nationally. In New Jersey, average wages in 2017 were $52,770 annually or $25.37 hourly for Personal Fitness Trainers, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Starting this September, Hudson County Community College (HCCC) will offer a Personal Fitness Training certificate program in which students will be ready to sit for a certification exam that can lead to entry-level positions in commercial and clinical settings such as health clubs, recreation or corporate fitness centers, personal training sessions, health promotion, program management, and personal coaching. In completing the coursework, students may also seamlessly transfer into the College’s Associate Degree in Science (A.S.) in Exercise Science.

The HCCC Personal Fitness Training Certificate program provides students with a knowledge base in scientific principles and requires the development of basic skills in exercise assessment. Students will learn about prescriptions and programming for healthy populations, performance enhancement, nutritional principles applied to exercise and sports, patient/client interpersonal relations, and professional ethics and behavior within a safe practice format. After completing the program – which may include an internship – students may take a national certification exam in Personal Training from any of the following agencies: American College of Sports Medicine, National Academy of Sports Medicine, National Strength and Conditioning Association, and American Council on Exercise. Additional certificates in First Aid and CPR are available through the coursework.

To be admitted into the Personal Fitness Training program at HCCC, students must have successfully completed Basic English and received medical clearance. A criminal background check and immunizations may be needed, depending upon students’ internship placement.

Further information on the new HCCC Personal Fitness Training Certificate program may be obtained by contacting Catherine Sirangelo, Associate Dean of Nursing and Health Sciences, at 201-360-4261 or csirangelo@hccc.edu .

Information on enrolling for this and other courses at Hudson County Community College is available at www.hccc.edu .