Physical Activity and Fitness in Wales 'Climbing Higher' (Welsh Assembly Government, 2005) is the first ever strategy in Wales for sport and active recreation and it has set key targets to improve the physical activity of adults undertaking the level recommended for health. Over the next 20 years the aim is to achieve an annual increase of at least one percentage point per annum in adult participation in moderate intensity physical activity. However, only a third of Welsh adults currently undertake enough physical exercise to meet these recommended guidelines (Sport Council Wales, 2005). A third of adults currently hold a club/centre membership (Sports Council Wales, 2005) and activities within these places often include gym instruction, group exercise classes, self-led groups and GP Exercise on Referral schemes. Fitness activities have a major part to play in enabling the nation to become more active and the appeal of health-related activities is evident with participation data demonstrating that the gym, aerobics and circuit training featured within the 10 most popular sports/activities in Wales (Sports Council Wales, 2005). In order to meet the demands of the ambitious physical activity targets, the number of fitness activities needs to expand across Wales and this requires an increase in a qualified, professional workforce to support their delivery. The Health and Fitness Workforce in Wales As part of their Sector Skills Agreement, SkillsActive commissioned Experian to research the Active Leisure and Learning workforce in Wales and this indicated that there were approximately 1610 employees within the Health and Fitness sub sector. This workforce accounted for approximately 6% of the total Active Leisure and Learning sector in Wales and included roles such as exercise instructors, managers, receptionists etc (SkillsActive Skills Needs Assessment, 2006). The number of exercise professionals currently operating across Wales is an estimated figure since research has not been conducted across the private, self-employed and public sector. The Register of Exercise Professionals (REPs) is a wholly owned subsidiary of SkillsActive and is a system of self-regulation where instructors are registered based on the achievement of appropriate qualifications and experience. The advent of the REPs Register Officer for Wales has further promoted this quality assurance mechanism across Wales and currently, over 1080 Welsh exercise professionals have registered onto REPs, with 747 current members (REPs Skills Analysis, 2006); this is set to increase with a target of 1000 current members by 2007. Continued registration will improve the labour market intelligence that is collected regarding exercise professionals in Wales. Identifying and improving gaps in skills and training for exercise professionals will have an important role to play in assisting the nation to become more active in line with Climbing Higher targets.