PHOENIX -- November 13, 2026 -- ISSA Career Connect, the career platform of the International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA), tripled its membership from 5,000 to 15,000 students and graduates between October 2025 and October 2026, the company said. Over the same period the number of hiring partners rose from 116 to 317 employers, an increase of about 173% by our calculation.
The platform was named a finalist for App of the Year in the 2026 Beyond Activ Americas Awards of Excellence. Finalists were recognized at Beyond Activ Americas in Dallas on Nov. 12. The release does not say who won.
Employer growth trails member growth, while brand and location reach more than doubles
Membership grew 200% against 173% for employers. That lifts the ratio from about 43 members per employer (5,000 to 116) to about 47 (15,000 to 317).
- Gym brands: 25 to 60, up 140%
- Reachable U.S. locations: 7,500 to 17,000, up about 127%
- Hiring hub pages: 85 to 160, up 88%
- Employer-led hiring sessions: 4 to 27, about 6.8 times the prior level
The 27 sessions break down into 13 live brand webinars and 14 branded sessions at the ISSA Global Summit. The 17,000 U.S. locations equal no more than about 74% of ISSA's more than 23,000 global partner locations. ISSA also reports about 12 applicants per day, measured through new applicant intent tracking. The release gives no earlier figure for comparison.
Life Time, Equinox and VASA Fitness tie ISSA certification to their hiring
Three employers now build ISSA certification into hiring. Life Time guarantees an interview screening for eligible ISSA Certified Personal Trainers. VASA Fitness embeds ISSA in its Trainer in Training program. Equinox embeds it in its Coaching Foundations Program. ISSA says these commitments back its Job Guarantee for graduates. Partners also include 24 Hour Fitness.
Efonda Sproles, SVP, Chief Scout, Career Brand Ambassador at Life Time, said the company plans to open four more clubs in December, bringing its 2026 total to 14. By our calculation, that means 10 openings before December. Sproles said every new club needs trainers ready to coach from day one.
Members make up at most 1.5% of the million students ISSA has enrolled since 1988
ISSA launched Career Connect in April 2025 as an opt-in platform. The 15,000 members equal no more than about 1.5% of the more than one million students enrolled since 1988. The 5,000-member starting base of the reporting period was reached about six months after launch.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 7% employment growth for fitness trainers and instructors from 2025 to 2035, with about 68,000 openings each year, according to the release. The 15,000 members equal about 22% of that annual figure. Career Connect membership is not limited to U.S. job seekers.
ISSA did not disclose how many members have been hired through the platform.
CEO Andrew Wyant cited one graduate, identified as Joe B., who earned his personal trainer certification on Oct. 2 and was training clients at a gym in his hometown 17 days later. Members share role interest and location once, and partner employers then see opted-in candidates in their markets, according to ISSA.