Empowering female personal trainers in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia is a country of beautiful rolling deserts and rich cultural history. It is also one of the wealthiest countries in the Middle East and is often cited as a global leader in the fields of technology and innovation.

Many commentators have however criticised the Kingdom's marginalised role for women within society as oppressive and out of date, and have also argued that if Saudi is to have the sustainable and prosperous future it seeks, all members of society must feel empowered to succeed.

Thankfully, Saudi does appear to be taking some significant strides forward with regard to gender equality and not without the help of Cara Standley and Empiric, one of the county’s only Fitness Education Providers.

As a recent article on Cara’s work in Saudi explains, Empiric is playing a vital role in building the Kingdom’s female health and fitness sector, essentially from the ground up, by educating women so that they can work as personal trainers.

In order to do this, Empiric are utilising YMCA Award’s internationally recognised qualifications, which are recognised by the Register of Exercise Professionals and provide for the first time the highest standard of qualifications that Saudi women can now use across the globe.

As a subsidiary organisation of Central YMCA, YMCA Awards is part of one of the UK’s leading health, fitness and well-being charities and as such, always strives to do what it can to enrich the lives of others and contribute towards making the world a healthier and happier place.

We are delighted to see Cara receive the media recognition she deserves and hope to be able to continue to assist Empiric with its crucial work empowering women in the Middle East for many years to come.