It’s been decades in the making and will permanently bolster the fortunes of people and organisations working in all parts of the UK sector.

I’m talking about the launch of CIMSPA’s new programme of postnominals that will see thousands of industry employees in the UK eligible to have letters after their name.

Now people entering the market and viewing it as a lifelong career choice can see a clearer path as they move from being a Member of the institute – or MCIMSPA (for practitioners, managers, advanced practitioners and advanced general managers) – through all four levels to become Fellows, with an FCIMSPA after their name.

Such a change has huge significance for the sector as we seek to widen our scope and work more collaboratively in the corporate wellness, sport, longevity and recovery markets, as well as with health providers and insurance companies.

These days, accountability and liability are major factors driving decision-making and without professional recognition, many working in the sector struggle to be taken seriously by credentialled collaborators in other sectors, casting us as the poor relation and – in some cases – frustrating efforts to widen the reach of the sector.

Huge congratulations must go to Tara Dillon and her team at CIMSPA who have doggedly worked to bring the full postnominals scheme to fruition.

Dillon says: “As our sector evolves and builds trust with other sectors – such as our colleagues in healthcare – professional status will be a key that unlocks recognition, for not for individuals, but also for the whole sport and physical activity sector.”

The journey to this point has taken 50 years, with CIMSPA built from the ashes of the industry’s early representative organisations, ILAM and ISRM, which were themselves amalgamations of groups of other industry bodies. Many passionate believers in the sector played valuable roles in bringing CIMSPA into being, fighting to achieve its Chartered Status through the issuing of a Royal Charter by the Privy Council.

The journey of CIMSPA from its foundation to the current day sweetly mirrors the growing maturity of the sector and we must ensure we keep abreast of developing skills needs so we can continue the journey to fulfilling our potential to change lives for the better.

We hope this will act as a spur to organisations globally to continue to validate industry professionals, so we can work side-by-side with all other disciplines.