NETA's Personal Trainer and Group Exercise Certifications are accredited by the NCCA (National Commission for Certifying Agencies). NETA is one of only two certifying agencies in the fitness industry that offers NCCA accredited Group Exercise Instructor certification (NETA-CGEI) and Personal Trainer certification (NETA-CPT) programs.

Who and what is NCCA (National Commission for Certifying Agencies)?
The National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) is the accreditation body of the Institute for Credentialing Excellence (ICE). ICE, established in 1977, is the leader in setting quality standards for credentialing organizations. Through its annual conference, regional seminars, and publications, ICE serves its membership as a clearinghouse for information on the latest trends and issues of concern to practitioners and organizations focused on certification, licensure, and human resource development. Certification programs may apply and be accredited by the NCCA if they demonstrate compliance with each of the 21, rigorous accreditation standards. The standards are designed to assure that the certifying agency can accurately and fairly measure a certificant’s professional competence through standardized testing.

What are the goals of accreditation?
The answer is two-fold:

1. One critical goal of accreditation is to provide the general public with reasonable assurance that the personal trainer they employ is deemed competent and professional by a reputable, accredited, certifying organization.
2. IHRSA (International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association) has issued a “recommendation” that all clubs in their association only hire Personal Trainers who are certified by an NCCA accredited certifying agency as of January 1st, 2006. Although this is only a recommendation it carries strong (positive) implications for the fitness industry as a whole.

Why should I take a NETA exam versus other certification exams? As mentioned earlier, NETA is committed to providing the public with a superior product. Over the past 35 years NETA has provided over 130,000 fitness professionals with hands-on training, individualized attention, superior customer service and well designed certification exams. NETA has been the industry leader in training fitness professionals how to teach safe and effective exercise at our nationwide workshops. Now is the opportunity for all Fitness Certification Agencies to provide certification exams that are statistically valid and psychometrically sound. NETA is committed to that end.

What does NCCA accreditation standard mean to me as a fitness professional?

• Accreditation of a credentialing organization by the NCCA is the standard for a large majority of well-respected allied health care professionals and others professions (e.g., nursing, nutrition, athletic training, etc.).
• By earning an NCCA-accredited certification, fitness professionals demonstrate that they are qualified to take a legitimate place on the healthcare continuum based on what is usual and customary for healthcare and other professionals which is critical for developing an appropriate level of professional recognition which should also positively impact compensation levels for fitness professionals.

NETA is an education and training organization for fitness professionals. NETA is dedicated to offering cost effective certification programs and continuing education that teach concepts and theories of health and fitness. We emphasize practical application of these concepts as they relate to fitness leadership. We believe it is important to offer education, hands-on training and certification to all who are interested and in this way help improve the quality of fitness instruction to the public.