Fifteen young people have embarked on a new training programme which will give them automatic entry as REPs level 2 members.

The group are the first to take part in the brand-new Transforming a Generation (TAG) project which has been specially designed to help 18- to 24-year-olds who are not in employment, education or training and who have limited professional / career opportunities. It's hoped the scheme, which is the brainchild of Fred Turok, founder and chair of LA Fitness and chair of the Fitness Industry Association (FIA), will give the young people taking part the requisite skills and training to gain membership of the Register of Exercise Professionals (REPs) and to start their working lives within the industry.

TAG has been developed by a hand-picked team of senior training professionals and potential employers, who were chosen for their specialist professional capability, as well as their shared interest in helping young people. For them, the world is dictated by academic success and therefore, not having qualifications, undermines their sense of self value, as well as career prospects. "Society's obsession with academic qualifications is almost a form of professional apartheid," said Fred Turok.

"There are many young people, who for any number of reasons, are alienated from our education process at school and are therefore condemned to living in the shadows of society. Their only career prospects is either securing a series badly paid, unrewarding jobs, or seek an alternative 'career' on the wrong side of the law. "We wanted to develop a 'whole-life' solution, which would draw this community into our society, equip them to compete successfully for careers, not just jobs and help them understand that they have a vital and important role to play in the world.

The programme consists of an intensive six month programme combing business skills, academic work, practical training and two work placements in the UK and abroad. Students can join the initiative at no cost and will be supported financially throughout their journey. In addition each student will be assigned a personal mentor as well as a two-year Personal Development Plan (PDP) designed to help make the transition to qualified fitness professionals.

This first wave of training is part of a national pilot which will be rolled out over the next five years to enroll 6,000 disenfranchised young people at 100 TAG centres across the UK.