Personal Trainer wins bronze in national WorldSkills UK competition

Talented athlete Harrison Fernandez has proved he is one of the best young personal trainers in the country – winning a bronze medal in the UK’s leading skills competition.

Harrison, 19, who trained at Cambridge Regional College, won the award after two days of rigorous testing in the finals of the Fitness Trainer competition at the Skills Show, the UK’s largest careers and skills event.

During the competition at the NEC in Birmingham he had to deliver a session with a client, demonstrate his fitness skills, run a gym class and produce a 12-week programme for three separate clients.

He even had an impromptu workout with former England footballer Tony Daley after meeting him at the event. “It was pretty amazing to train with a former England player,” he said.

Harrison, 19, who studied on a Level 3 Sport Studies course at CRC, followed by a six-month Personal Trainer course at the college, is a personal trainer at Haverhill gym Real Bodies and is a talented parkour and free-running practitioner.

“I was not expecting the award when they called my name out. I went up to the stage to receive it and it was amazing – I was incredibly happy,” he said.

“The personal trainer course at Cambridge Regional College was very good and the tutors encouraged me to enter for the competition. They did everything really well, and being taught by people who are passionate about what they are doing was fantastic.”

Harrison said he loved his job as a personal trainer.

“I like my clients. They are all fantastic and they have all made progress which is brilliant,” he said.

“The industry is always progressing and to be a good personal trainer you need to keep learning and keep an eye out for the next level course. You need to be confident in what you are doing and you have to listen to your client’s needs and wants. You need to enjoy what you are doing.”

Cathy Watts, who taught Harrison alongside fellow tutor Nicola Ashby, said she was absolutely delighted he had won a medal at the competition.

“Harrison was an outstanding student and is a very talented personal trainer. It is a fantastic achievement to win a bronze medal at the Skills Show, competing against the very best young trainers in the country,” she said.

“He is very good at inspiring people as a personal trainer, and it is great to see him putting everything he has learned into practice in his career. He has a great future ahead of him.”

Caption Haverhill Personal Trainer Harrison Fernandez with his bronze medal

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For more information, please contact Lynn O’Shea, Cambridge Regional College Press Officer, on 01223 418773 or email