Yes. The UKSCA operates a continuing professional development (CPD) scheme whereby Accredited S&C Coaches, need to submit evidence of their CPD activities every 2 years. Full details of the requirements can be found under the Renew, re-accredit, upgrade page of this website.
Professional clubs and teams, Institutes of Sport as well as sports companies and training providers all recognise Accredited Strength and Conditioning Coaches (ASCC). The UKSCA was originally formed in 2004 by key employers in sport as they recognised the need for professional standards in this developing profession. Please visit the latest jobs page of the website showing the latest jobs available to our Accredited member. This is a free service we offer to employers in S&C.
The Foundations of S&C course will provide you with a great grounding in the theory and practice that you will quickly be able to apply to yourself. As our courses are practical in nature, a side-benefit is that you will also be receiving coaching on your own technique and skills from some of the top S&C coaches in the UK whose day job is working with professional and elite athletes.
On successful completion of the assessment process, you will be able to register as an Accredited Member of the UKSCA and use the letters ASCC (Accredited Strength & Conditioning Coach) after your name. It is not a qualification, but a professional standard of practice, that employers and the industry use when employing and developing their staff.
The UKSCA has worked with leading insurance broker James Hallam, to create the UK's only public liability and professional indemnity insurance scheme for Strength & Conditioning professionals. The policy is open to both Accredited and Associate members and extra activities/therapies can be added, including your work as a tutor. More details can be found on our Insurance page of the website.
No. Anyone with an interest in strength and conditioning can join the UKSCA as an Associate member and anyone who successfully demonstrates their competence though our assessment process can become an Accredited member.
The aim of the UKSCA is not to standardise routes into the profession or dictate which courses you must take - we are aware that practitioners come from a variety of educational and experience backgrounds and accrediting individuals through our assessment process ensures that all Accredited Members have met the required standards of practice. See the Membership and accreditation section of our website for more information.
Please keep an eye on the website and contact the office, particularly nearer the workshop date. We don't run formal waiting lists but we do get cancellations so places can become available.
Our workshops usually run from 0930-1730 on day 1 and 0900-1700 on day 2. Full detailed instructions will be sent to you when you book.
The UKSCA is an inclusive organisation. Please inform the office (as far in advance and at least 7 days before your assessment), if any special provision is required to cater for your needs.
You should also inform the Lead Assessor on the day. The assessment process is the same for all candidates unless a special provision has been planned and agreed ahead of time, with appropriate supporting evidence held on the candidate's records. If you are injured we recommend that you defer to a later date.
Please contact the office asap. Outside of 28 days you can cancel for a full refund, within 28 days we would require a doctors note or evidence in order to refund you. Without this, we do offer partial refunds.
As a registered Associate member of the UKSCA, you are entitled to apply for our insurance through the leading insurance broker James Hallam.
As part of your insurance application form, you will need to supply a letter of support from an Accredited member of the UKSCA, who ratifies your ability as an Associate member of the UKSCA under his/her guidance. The supporting Accredited member will be responsible for ensuring you, as the Associate, are aware of the UKSCA code of practice and will also be responsible for viewing any programmes you develop for clients. In addition, they must be available to answer questions and to provide advice.
Please note, 'supervision' does not mean that the supervisor has to be present while you, as the practitioner, are working. The UKSCA is not responsible for finding you an Accredited member to support your insurance application, you will need to make the contact with the Accredited member directly. More details are available on the Insurance page of the website.
There are many S&C Coaches in the UK who do not have a degree. Each employer will look for different qualities from the coach but as the profession is growing and becoming increasingly competitive, employers have a wider choice of candidates when advertising jobs and will therefore, over time, increase the level of criteria in their job specifications.
Different employers will value certain attributes higher than others so we advise you to look at the jobs on offer and that you aspire to and determine whether the skills, qualifications and experience you have are valued and what areas you need to develop in. Current vacancies are listed on the Latest jobs page of the website.
We have partnerships with UK universities and education partners, details of which can be found on the University and education partnerships page of the website. Degree or masters programmes which include the UKSCA S&C Trainer qualification are listed here.
Some S&C degrees will cover topics relating to the UKSCA assessment and they may help you prepare for your assessment during your degree. There are also a number of courses advertising that they will help you meet the UKSCA standards. 3rd party courses that we have assessed are listed on our website, so if your education partner claims to help you through the UKSCA Accreditation or suggests that it meets our standards, the most important question to ask is whether the lecturers/coaching staff on a course are UKSCA Accredited themselves and also which areas of the curriculum support which areas of the UKSCA Competency Document. The detailed answers you get to these questions should help you determine which course is best for you and your needs.
No, as we run a competency based assessment of S&C Coaches, having a degree does not make you exempt from completing the UKSCA’s accreditation process but of course the knowledge and skills you have obtained should support you in your assessment.
Where you begin on the pathway is up to you, based on your current skills and expertise. We would advise you to start by looking at the Learning pathways page on the website followed by assessment day guidelines and self-assess yourself against the criteria to decide what areas you need to develop in. You can also look at the various learning outcomes of each workshop to see if you can already do/know the things that are covered in each then work backwards through the learning outcomes of the workshops.
By working through the assessment competency document and viewing the learning outcomes of the various workshops you can then decide on the appropriate level of training. The Learn section of the website will explain in more detail.
No. The UKSCA workshops have been designed to offer a clear pathway into strength and conditioning at all levels. If becoming an Accredited S&C Coach is your ultimate aim, then you should start by self-assessing your existing skills and knowledge against the UKSCA Competency Document, as well as reading the guidelines for the assessment day. If you identify any gaps you have, then you can look at the workshops we offer (as well as training and education from 3rd parties), that will help you develop in these areas.
The MCQ element of the assessment covers certain topic areas of underpinning knowledge required to practice as an independent S&C coach and the pass mark is 65%.
As with all the areas identified in the UKSCA Competency Document, each candidate will need to self-assess to determine the areas of knowledge and skill in which they feel they need more training/education. To help members prepare, we now offer sample MCQ papers in the Shop which, along with the UKSCA Competency Document, will not only give you a feel for the types of questions covered, but also to what level of detail in these subject areas your knowledge will be tested. For example, there are 4 questions per paper, on section A1.4 of the UKSCA Competency Document - Skeletal structure responses to training stimuli. If this is an area you feel you need more knowledge in, or you simply need to brush up your knowledge, then you can pinpoint texts/education opportunities to help you prepare for this.
The S&C Trainer manual is a good place to start if you are looking to cover areas of knowledge required for the UKSCA assessment process however, at this point in time, we cannot recommend one book that comprehensively covers everything you need to know.
Email info@uksca.org.uk