The three routes, compared.
1. Become an approved centre
You teach and assess
You apply to an awarding body (NCFE, Active IQ, Focus Awards and others) for centre approval, then deliver the Level 2 and Level 3 qualifications yourself. You need qualified tutors and assessors, an internal quality assurer, learning materials and a learner-support process, and you are inspected against the awarding body's standards.
Upside: Full control over the course and the price.
Catch: The most work and the biggest upfront cost. It suits training businesses more than gyms.
2. License or white-label a course you deliver
You teach; they supply the materials
A provider supplies the curriculum, platform or brand, and your staff deliver the teaching on-site, often in quiet hours. You usually pay a licence or per-learner fee, and your team carries the teaching load.
Upside: Your gym, your classroom, your learners.
Catch: Someone on your team has to teach, and quiet hours aren't always quiet.
3. Partner with a provider that delivers everything
They teach and assess; you promote
The provider builds an academy under your gym's name, then teaches, assesses and certifies every learner. Your job is to promote it to your members. You are paid a fee per learner instead of paying one.
Upside: No teaching, no admin, no upfront cost.
Catch: You don't set the course price, and learners study mostly online rather than in your classroom.
Most independent and commercial gyms don't want to become a training provider. They want the revenue and the trainers without the teaching. That's the gap the partnership route fills.
Why gyms add a PT academy.
Revenue from people already in your building. Every gym has members who have thought about becoming a PT. An academy with your name on it gives them a reason to do it with you rather than with a national provider they found online.
A pipeline of trainers. Finding good PTs is one of the hardest jobs in running a gym. Learners who qualify through your academy already know your floor, your members and your standards, and you get the first conversation with them.
A reason for members to stay. A member working towards a qualification in your gym has a goal tied to your gym.
What to check before you sign.
Whichever provider you talk to, get clear answers to these six questions.
Is the qualification Ofqual-regulated?
Ask for the awarding body and the qualification title, then look it up on the Ofqual register. If it isn't there, your members won't be able to get insured or hired with it, and it's your gym's name on it.
Who teaches, assesses and supports learners?
Get a straight answer on who your members will deal with when they're stuck, and how quickly they get feedback.
What exactly are you paid, and when?
Ask for the fee per learner in writing, when it is paid, and whether it can ever be clawed back if a learner pauses or drops out.
Is your area protected?
If the provider will sign the gym down the road on the same terms, your academy is competing with theirs for the same people.
What do you get to promote it?
A branded page, QR code, posters, screen content and ads make the difference between an academy that sells and one that sits on a page nobody visits.
What does the learner pay?
Your members will compare. Check the full price, any monthly option, and what's included after they qualify.
How the PT Launch Lab partnership works.
Your members get NCFE Level 2 Gym Instructing and Level 3 Personal Training, Ofqual-regulated, for £999.99 in full or 10 × £99.99, with our Mentorship Hub included. To them it is your gym's academy: your name, logo and colours on the landing page, poster, handout, screen video and ads.
We do the teaching, tutor support, assessment, quality assurance and certification. Your gym pays nothing to join.
Your gym is paid £400 for each learner who pays in full and £250 for each on the monthly plan. From your 4th learner in a calendar quarter, that rises to £500 and £300. All fees include VAT. Pay-in-full fees are paid 30 days after enrolment; monthly-plan fees when the learner's 5th payment clears. Nothing is clawed back once paid.
The arithmetic, not a forecast: if 5 members paid in full in one quarter, the first 3 would earn £400 each and the next 2 would earn £500 each, £2,200 in total. How many members enrol depends on your gym and how you promote it.
We take one partner gym per area, so your academy isn't competing with the gym down the road.
Common questions.
Can a gym run its own personal trainer course?
Yes. A gym can become an approved centre with an awarding body such as NCFE or Active IQ and deliver the qualification itself, license a course from a training provider, or partner with a provider that delivers the course under the gym's brand. The difference is who does the teaching and assessing, and who carries the cost.
Do I need qualified assessors to run a PT course in my gym?
Only if you deliver the course yourself. Approved centres need qualified tutors, assessors and internal quality assurers, and must meet the awarding body's quality checks. With a fully managed partnership, the provider supplies all of these.
How much can a gym earn from a PT academy?
It depends on the model and on how many members enrol. On the PT Launch Lab partnership, the gym is paid £400 per learner who pays in full and £250 per learner on the monthly plan, rising to £500 and £300 from the 4th learner in a calendar quarter (all inc. VAT).
Does a PT academy help gyms recruit personal trainers?
It can. Learners who qualify through your academy already know your gym, your members and your standards, so you get the first conversation with them when they qualify, instead of waiting for the right PT to apply.