A busy start to 2026 at core elements training

Core Elements Training has kicked off 2026 with a full calendar of accredited CPD short courses and diploma training, great news for Armed Forces service leavers looking to transition into hands-on health, fitness and rehabilitation careers.

With ELCAS accreditation in place, eligible personnel can use their Enhanced Learning Credits to fund approved learning at Level 3 and above, making a sports therapy pathway far more achievable during resettlement.

The team is now delivering training from its upgraded centre in Old Town, Swindon, just around the corner from the previous venue, but with more space and privacy in the main training room and clearer separation between the training area and the injury clinic. January began with a fully booked Dry Needling CPD course, introducing a wide mix of therapists, including sports massage therapists, physiotherapists, osteopaths and chiropractors, to how dry needling can support clinical injury treatment.

February brought more hands-on delivery, with Core Elements travelling to Liverpool to run its practical Myofascial Dry Cupping and Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilisation (IASTM) courses. Alongside this, the centre also launched its new Level 3 Sports Massage and combined Level 4 Sports Massage Diploma courses, an ideal entry route for those starting fresh in a civilian career. Students on these programmes are often at the beginning of their journey into Sports Massage Therapy, keen to build real-world skills that can lead to clinic work, mobile practice, or roles supporting sports teams and active communities.

What stands out is the variety of people choosing this route, career changers and practical, people-focused professionals who want a qualification that leads somewhere. The training weekends are intense, with long days, but by the end of the first weekend learners complete their first full Sports Maintenance Massage. It’s demanding work, but the payoff is immediate: high levels of hands-on practice, plenty of supervised treatment time, and a clear sense of progression.

Core Elements is now looking ahead to welcoming the Sports Massage group back to Swindon in March for their second training weekend, alongside delivery of its Joint Mobilisation short course in both Swindon and Liverpool, another strong option for service leavers who want to build additional clinical skills as part of their resettlement plan.