Fifteen years ago on June 27, 2003, Norman Basson started a business called Premier IQ (PIQ). He opened his doors with one qualification and two members of staff.

Fast forward to 2018 and that business is now known as Active IQ and today the organisation has grown to offer 103 qualifications and employ 54 staff.

“The physical activity sector has changed dramatically in the last 15 years," says Jenny Patrickson, Active IQ managing director. "The diversity of services has never been better, the demands on training providers have never been so great and the scrutiny of graduates has never been more intense.

“Active IQ is constantly evolving to meet the needs of the industry and our 360-degree vision takes in everyone from learners, trainers and training providers to employers," she says, "We're also fully committed to educating and supporting the physical activity industry, by offering far more than just qualifications.

"We're assessing and examining learners and training providers and driving forward initiatives such as the Skills Hub, End-point Assessment (EPA), Professional Recognition Service and our Professional Career Development Service," she explains.

Skills Hub
The Active IQ Skills Hub (activeiq.co.uk/skills-hub) offers a wealth of resources and comprehensive support to employers, approved centres and learners, allowing them to enhance their skills.

The Hub is divided into seven key areas for ease of navigation: qualification launch pad; continuing professional development; graduate tool kit; funding and policy; chief medical advisor; business and marketing tool kit and marketing tool kit. Each is a rich source of knowledge in the form of tip sheets, downloadable resources and links to webinars, videos, vlogs and blogs.

“The aim of our Skills Hub is to impart expert knowledge to support organisations and learners, and upskill around teaching, learning, funding, apprenticeships and traineeships,” says Patrickson. “Our senior management team shares its expertise alongside independent experts to create a wealth of knowledge that covers training, education, medical matters and marketing.”

End-point assessment
Active IQ is one of the first EPA organisations to be approved by the Register of End-point Assessment Organisations for the physical activity sector. Its team of EPA experts ensures focused support is given to employers, apprentices and training providers, while its unique apprentices’ toolkit and employers’ toolkit helps apprentices and employers navigate the changing landscape of apprenticeship delivery and assessment.

Professional recognition
The Active IQ Professional Recognition service enables organisations to display a professional kitemark for their own non-regulated training programmes.

It covers a wide range of training programmes of varying length with different content and delivery methods. Training providers and employers meeting the dual-kitemark standard are also recognised as CIMSPA skills development partners.

“New training concepts keep our industry fresh and challenging, but it’s essential that new programmes are scrutinised with care and supported where necessary to fine-tune their delivery,” says Patrickson. “Our Professional Recognition Service ensures all new products and programmes can be brought to market with complete confidence.”