eta was launched by Dr. Malcom Marrison in 1983 to meet the needs of the fast growing health and fitness industry.   In 1994 the two current directors; Linda Halliday and Stephen Harris took over from Malcom.  Over the next few years, eta became an accredited college offering courses all over South Africa.  In 2011 we launched eta in Dubai and in 2012, Mauritius and Lagos are on track to offer eta courses.    

At eta, we pride ourselves on our quality management systems which meet the quality assurance requirements of the Council for Higher Education (CHE) and the Culture, Arts, Tourism, Hospitality, Sport Sector Education and Training Authority (CATHSSETA) in South Africa.  We are also accredited by CYQ in the UK.  eta is therefore a registered as a private provider of higher education with the Department of Higher Education.

eta is now the leading provider in South Africa offering courses that lead to fitness, sport coaching and sport management qualifications.  Our programmes also address the capacity building and transformation needs of the South African society by providing scholarships to historically disadvantaged students coming from under served communities.  As well as scholarships, our Special Projects Department caters specifically for learnerships, skills programmes and work place training in sport, fitness and recreation.  

eta serves the sports, fitness, leisure and health promotion markets and as such,  also addresses the need for sporting excellence. Our occupational qualifications enable graduates to work immediately due to eta's brand recognition and the practical content of the eta programmes. eta staff and faculty are role models in the industry. We offer school presentations nationally and provide training to hundreds of school coaches. Our students also enjoy prominent exposure when they are doing their practical hours and spend time in under served communities as well as recognised sport and fitness facilities.