ACHPER Fitness Leader; Australian Fitness Network; Institute for Fitness Professionals; National College of Fitness; the Australian Institute of Fitness
The Australian Institute of Fitness (AIF) is a privately owned, registered training organisation, and one of the largest fitness training organisations in Australia.[1] Beginning operations as the Health Studio Attendants course in Perth in 1979, the Institute became Australia's first national fitness training provider in 2000, with the merger of five state-based fitness training programs.[2]
In 1979, sports educator and author Nigel Champion began running a Health Studio Attendants course in Perth, the first of its kind in Australia. In 1981, Champion partnered with Australian academic Dr Garry Egger to establish the ACHPER Fitness Leader group of courses in Sydney; before joining, in 1986, with fitness entrepreneur Greg Hurst to establish the Australian Fitness Network.[3] In 2000, Hurst & Champion together with Russell Creagh, Monty Dortkamp, Dr Grant Pavia and Kerry McEvoy, merged five existing fitness training programs – ACHPER Fitness Leader; Australian Fitness Network; Institute for Fitness Professionals; National College of Fitness; and the Australian Institute of Fitness – to create the national Australian Institute of Fitness (AIF).
Russell Creagh served as the first CEO of the consolidated AIF, from 2001 to 2006, followed by Greg Hurst (2006–2011) and Dyanne Ward (2011–2016). In December 2016, Steve Pettit, then CEO of AIF Queensland, was appointed as its National Chief Executive on the retirement of Dyanne Ward.[4]
Since its inception, the founding entities provided a variety of fitness industry-specific certification and training courses. Following the Federal Government's 1996 training reform agenda, these courses were incorporated into the Australian Qualifications Framework. Since 1996, AIF has delivered nationally recognised qualifications in fitness, massage and business, in compliance with the regulatory standards of the Australian Qualifications Framework.[5]
In early 2024, the AIF was acquired by Clean Health, the worlds trusted source of online education for fitness professionals which was Founded by fitness industry legend Daine McDonald, signalling a new era for the company as it transitions into a 100% online fitness education business. The full press release can be found here.
AIF is an Australian Registered Training Organisation (RTO) delivering vocational education and training (VET) courses at Certificate III, Certificate IV and Diploma level. Auditing and registration of Australian RTOs is managed by the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA), as such AIF's programs must meet guidelines set out by State and Federal Governments and associated training bodies.[5]
The Monty Dortkamp Scholarship Program awards one scholarship annually covering the tuition costs of a Master Trainer Program™ certification. The scholarship was established by AIF in memory of Monty Dortkamp, to assist people from disadvantaged backgrounds and communities.[6][7]
