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Fitness Certificates (Cert III & Cert IV)

Service Skills Australia is an organisation funded by the Australian Government to support skills development. They oversee ten industry sectors, one of which is Sport, Fitness and Recreation. 

The Fitness Training Package includes nationally recognised units of competency that enable qualifications in; 

  • Certificate III in Fitness (Fitness Instructor)
  • Certificate IV in Fitness (Personal Trainer)

For students interested in a career as a Fitness Instructor or Personal Trainer, or seeking industry-specific employment during their university study, additional nationally recognised TAFE NSW level qualifications are offered to students by way of the Certificate III in Fitness (SIS30321 Fitness Instructor - includes Senior First aid) and Certificate IV in Fitness (SIS40221 Personal Trainer). 

These enable you to gain registration and insurance with AusActive and work in roles where these types of qualifications are advertised as essential or desirable. 

Since these qualifications are endorsed by the National Training Information Service (NTIS), UTS is unable to include these as part of your normal studies. 

However, we have created an opportunity for UTS students to complete an abbreviated Cert III and Cert IV through TAFE NSW at St Leonards and Northern Beaches Campuses. This takes into account knowledge gained from subjects studied in Sport and Exercise Science or Sport and Exercise Management. 

The recognition of prior learning reduces the cost of delivering the course when compared to external providers. 

The details of each course at UTS are as follows:

Certificate III in Fitness (SIS30321 - Fitness Instructor)

  • Offered to all students who have completed and passed at least their first semester of first year subjects in either the Sport and Exercise Science or Sport and Exercise Management. The enrolment for this course opens twice a year on the 1st of March and 1st of August. The enrolment for each intake is open for 8 weeks.
  • Theory content for the course is undertaken in the online platform which can be completed around university studies. A practical workshop is required to be undertaken where practical skills are assessed. These workshops will occur at either St Leonards or Northern Beaches TAFE campuses.
  • Since First Aid is a requirement of the Certificate III in Fitness course, there will be opportunities to undertake the first aid training at either of the TAFE campuses if the student requires. If a student holds a current first aid, they are able to apply for a Credit Transfer rather than undertaking the training again.

Certificate IV in Fitness (SIS40221 - Personal Trainer)

  • Offered to a student once they have completed all the requirements of the Certificate III in Fitness course. Students may enrol in this course at any time. 
  • Just like the Certificate III in Fitness, theory content for the course is undertaken in the online platform which can be completed around university studies. A practical workshop is required to be undertaken where practical skills are to be assessed. These workshops will occur at either St Leonards or Northern Beaches TAFE campuses.

Completing the Cert III and Cert IV is optional and does not count towards your University degree. UTS will advise students of the opportunity to undertake each of these courses via a core subject in each degree. 

Students unable to enrol in one or both of these courses may consider completing the Cert III and Cert IV utilising an external provider. However, this will not take into account your University studies and is likely to be significantly more expensive. 

The knowledge assumed from your University studies includes the following subjects;

  • 91429 - Physiological Bases of Human Movement (not SEM students)
  • 92512 - Biomechanics of Human Motion
  • 92511 - Structural Anatomy
  • 92521 - Functional Anatomy
  • 92523 - Strength and Conditioning
  • 92530 - Sport and Exercise Psychology
  • 92533 - Exercise Physiology
  • 92543 - Exercise Prescription
  • 92547 - Nutrition for Health and Physical Activity
  • 92553 - Complex Exercise Management (not SEM from 2026)
  • 92563 - Applied Exercise Physiology (not SEM students)
  • 92550 - Sport and Exercise Science Practicum OR 92551 Sport and Exercise Internship

Since Sport and Exercise Management students do not undertake all of these subjects, their online course will be slightly different to Sport and Exercise Science students.

The cost for each of these qualifications is determined by TAFE NSW. There are occasions when different offers are made available and UTS students will be informed if eligible. An information flyer is sent out twice a year to coincide with the start of the Certificate III, and made available for students via Canvas. This flyer includes information about the course, fees for the course and enrolment information. If there are any additional queries or questions, you can contact the TAFE staff at UniRPL@tafensw.edu.au

N.B. This offer is not available for international students

TAFE and University based qualifications

Whilst we encourage students to gain as much experience and training as possible, it's important to note the differences between TAFE based qualifications and University based qualifications in the Fitness Industry. Exercise and Sports Science Australia (ESSA) have summarised these differences (PDF, 0.257MB).