ISSA Career Connect Named App of the Year Finalist at 2026 Beyond Activ Americas Awards

ISSA Career Connect, the career platform built into International Sports Sciences Association certification, was named a finalist for App of the Year in the 2026 Beyond Activ Americas Awards of Excellence. PR Newswire reported the recognition on November 13, 2026, following a year in which the platform tripled its membership to 15,000 students and graduates and grew its hiring partners from 116 to 317 employers.

ISSA Career Connect's Year of Growth

Finalists were recognized during Beyond Activ Americas in Dallas on November 12. ISSA launched Career Connect in April 2025 as an opt-in platform connecting certified fitness professionals with hiring employers. Of the more than one million students who have enrolled with ISSA since 1988, 15,000 have joined so far, and employers can reach them across more than 23,000 global partner locations.

Between October 2025 and October 2026, member growth ran from 5,000 to 15,000 opted-in students and graduates, hiring partners rose from 116 to 317 employers, and gym brands grew from 25 to 60. Reachable U.S. locations increased from 7,500 to 17,000, hiring hub pages rose from 85 to 160, and employer-led hiring sessions climbed from 4 to 27, including 13 live brand webinars and 14 branded sessions at the ISSA Global Summit. ISSA measured about 12 applicants per day through new applicant intent tracking.

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, and Equinox embeds ISSA in its Coaching Foundations Program. "Every certification is someone betting on themselves, and our job is to make sure that bet pays off," said Andrew Wyant, CEO of ISSA. "One of our graduates, Joe B., earned his CPT on October 2 and was training clients at a gym in his hometown 17 days later."

Beyond Activ's Awards and Network

Beyond Activ, the awards host, is a Singapore-based B2B events and networking platform for the health, fitness and wellness industry, according to akta.pro company records. The same records show Beyond Activ launched the Beyond Activ App in August 2026 as a year-round digital community for health, fitness and wellness executives, and that it runs five global events annually across four continents, including Americas in Dallas. Its Circle network includes 100 leading companies, and its Franchise Partners network includes 50 fast-growing brands.

Life Time's December Club Openings

Efonda Sproles, SVP, Chief Scout, Career Brand Ambassador at Life Time, said the company is "looking to open 4 more clubs in the month of December alone, bringing the total to 14 in 2026." ISSA students and graduates can join Career Connect through the platform's page on the ISSA website.