Training provider Premier Training International (PTI) has reported a 48 per cent increase in the number of people that have applied to study for health and fitness qualifications.

The company, which offers NVQ courses at Levels Two and Three, has trained more than 5,000 people through entry level diplomas in the last two years, with a 95 per cent success rate over the past 12 months. According to PTI, the growth in applicants is due to the expansion of the sector's job market and an increase in the number of local authority and PFI fitness facilities now available.

PTI chief executive officer Debra Stuart said: "We put the increase in demand for our courses down to the fact that the health and fitness sector has proven to be virtually recession proof. "16-24 year olds make up the majority of our course applicants but there are older students too and those looking to retrain after either changing careers or exiting the armed forces or emergency services."