New Zealand Certificate in Exercise (Level 4) (programme version 1)

Programme structure

• Course 1 – All content in course 1 is theory, delivered online. There are four written assignments.
• Course 2 – Is a combination of theory and practical assessments conducted in a gym. There are two written assignments and one practical assessment.
• Course 3 – A combination of theory and practical content. There are two written assignments and one practical assessment.

Access to a gym/fitness facility to complete the course

You will need access to a suitable exercise facility to complete your practicum work in EXE402 and EXE403. We work with our learners to set up their practicum placement. Being a member of a gym may help with setting up the practicum.

Enrolling without a practicum organised

You can enrol in Course 1 without confirmation of your practicum. However, it must be confirmed before course 2 starts.

If you belong to a gym or have a gym in mind where you would like to do your practicum let us know and we’ll see if this can be arranged.

Practicum requirements

A gym needs to meet the appropriate workplace requirements in terms of having modern and safe equipment and access to a range of exercise participants (males and females of different ages).

The gym must also have an appropriately qualified staff member who will work as your technical mentor.

Practicum set up

Our practical delivery partner will work with you to support the provision of practicum placement, and the support and assessment activities that accompany the practicum learning.

If you already have access to a suitable exercise facility, then you may wish to establish arrangements with the facility yourself. If you don’t have access to an exercise facility, then Open Polytechnic will work with our industry stakeholders and partners to establish suitable arrangements for you.

A qualified technical mentor is assigned to every student for the duration of their practicum placement to provide a safe and enjoyable learning experience and successful completion of all practical assessments.

Arrangements for practicum placement are subject to the availability of suitable gym facilities.

When are the practicums?

The practical learning and assessments are part of Course 2 - Delivering Exercise Programmes and Course 3 - Becoming an Exercise Professional.

Working with a clients

• Clients may be people you already know (family and friends) or can be recruited in collaboration with your gym support staff.
• You must work with male and female clients from a range of age groups.
• In Course 2 you will test four clients, and then design and deliver a personalised exercise programme for each of them.
• In Course 3 you will re-test two clients, adapt their programme and deliver the updated programme.

Where you can study this programme

Although it’s the intention of Open Polytechnic to have the programme available nationwide, you may need to travel to the main centres to access your gym placements.

Cross crediting from another institution

We consider cross-credits on a case-by-case basis.

If you have already passed some relevant fitness/exercise courses with another tertiary provider that you think could exempt you from having to do some parts of this qualification, you can apply for cross-credit or credit transfer after you have enrolled. You can obtain advice about likely cross-credits before enrolling.

You will need to provide evidence that you have met the learning outcomes of the course you want credit for. You can apply for cross-credit or credit transfer when your enrolment is accepted. You will need to provide your academic transcript and you may need to provide your course outlines.

No cross credit from NC1318 and OP4270

Unfortunately you are unable to cross credit from past fitness qualifications offered by Open Polytechnic.

Contact us with information on what courses you want to cross credit and we will talk to the Academic Staff Member Exercise about your options:

•  Freephone 0508 650 200
• customerservices@openpolytechnic.ac.nz

Fitness requirements

It is not necessary to have a certain level of fitness, but being able to actively participate in practicum work is a requirement.