Certificate III in Fitness

You have up to 12 months to complete your Certificate III in Fitness online if needed, commencing the course whenever it suits you.  That’s the bonus of flexible study.

Online learning includes access to all course materials, with student support services available if you have any queries or require assistance with your coursework. You can contact our student support team as often as you like.  Throughout your course, you complete practical work in fitness centres to perfect your skills and are assessed via the practical placements, case studies, written assessments and online quizzes.

Once you have enrolled and paid the initial deposit, you will receive an email and SMS confirming your login details for the Learner Management System and how to access it.

The Learner Management System will be your portal to all coursework, assessments, quizzes and student support. We’ll provide you with a schedule to help you plan your study time but there are no set dates in which modules need to be completed – this is completely self-managed. Be sure to keep your login details in a safe place!

The practical placement (work experience) is completed at an approved fitness centre under the supervision of a qualified mentor Personal Trainer.  Most students will be able to access an approved facility and mentor at a location convenient to them. Should you have any difficulties securing placement, AFA can utilise our industry partnerships to assist you to find a suitable facility and mentor.  

Point of reassurance:  If you need extra time to complete your Certificate III in Fitness, we can provide a 3-month extension to students for added convenience. There is an additional administrative fee for extensions – simply contact us to discuss.

Face-to-face study involves attending classes at our Melbourne campus. As with the online students, you also have access to our extensive online resources and our student support team for after-hours assistance. Studying face-to-face includes both theory and practical sessions at our fully equipped Training Centre. This course can be studied both full-time and part-time:

Full-time: Attendance 2 days per week, plus additional home study.

Part-time: Evening attendance 2 nights per week (6.15pm – 9.45pm), one day over the weekend plus additional home study.

Students will need a laptop, tablet or smartphone to complete their studies and should refer to the Student Handbook for a complete list of IT requirements.

Face-to-face Course Process

Once you have enrolled and paid the initial deposit, you will receive an email and SMS confirming your course timetable and login details for the Learner Management System.

As a part of your course requirements, students must also complete:

• 32 hours of placement for the Certificate III in Fitness

You can perform your placement at an approved fitness centre or Personal Training Studio under the supervision of a qualified mentor Personal Trainer.  Most students will be able to access an approved facility and mentor at a location convenient to them. Should you have any difficulties securing placement, AFA can utilise our industry partnerships to assist you to find a suitable facility and mentor.  

There are many benefits of completing practical placements in real facilities. You get access to real clients and are supervised by industry professionals who are currently working as personal trainers.  We also find that many of our students gain work in the fitness centres where they complete the placements.

Course fees are dependent on study mode and whether you are eligible for Government funding.

After this is paid, you set up a regular INTEREST-FREE direct debit to pay off the remainder of your course fee in instalments. The payment plan is arranged to suit you – it can be weekly or fortnightly payments on the day of your choice.  The minimum payment is $50 per week or $100 per fortnight until the end of the contract.

This means no debts, no interest paid and no deductions from your salary for years to come.

Please refer to the Student Handbook for the payment terms and conditions.

First aid is a unit within the Certificate III in Fitness.  The face to face course includes first aid as a timetabled class.  The online course does not include first aid.  Students studying the online Certificate III in Victoria can arrange to complete the first aid unit at AFA (additional cost is $165).

Alternatively, students can complete the first aid unit with another provider and supply a copy of the qualification to AFA to obtain a ‘credit’ for the unit.  The required unit is HLTAID003 Provide first aid.

Please contact us for more information.

There are some State Government initiatives available for eligible applicants to access funding to assist them to complete qualifications.  As these initiatives often change, it is recommended you contact our Careers Consultants on 1300 973 342 or by clicking here to obtain further information.

More information on eligibility requirements can be found here.

More information on the Queensland Certificate 3 Guarantee program can be found here.

Australian Fitness Academy’s RPL process offers prospective students a potentially quicker way to obtain the Certificate III and IV in Fitness qualifications. Undertaking the RPL process allows applicants to use their past qualifications and work related experience in order to match the current unit of competencies that make up a Certificate III in Fitness. Upon review of an RPL application, prospective students will be informed as to exactly what modules (if any) they need to complete in order to obtain their qualifications.

Download the Certificate III in Fitness RPL Application kit here.