REPs Magazine Fitness Matters Issue 9 | Page 24

James continues: “We focus on getting our students in face-to-face for the areas of the course which demand face-to-face interaction, so things like the practical unit (of delivering a personal training “ As a training provider we need to get out there and interact with the industry.” session), a gym induction, learning about training systems, training techniques, or effective teaching/instructing techniques. We believe all need to be done face-to-face. “Although our students are primed and prepared by online learning, the real value lies in the practical, and with an intense approach in our workshops where we cover a lot. It all gels together at that point.” 24 FM Study Active also offers its students individual coaching, if required, as James explains. “If a student has done a practical workshop and needed to improve or expand on certain areas, we do lots of one-to-one coaching, so it really is a true menu of options whether it is going to be eLearning, a webinar, a practical workshop or a one-to-one practical coaching session. “As it is all about assessment, the question we ask ourselves is ‘have we prepared our students for the assessment?’” With a guaranteed interview at a Bear Grylls’ BMF Bootcamp or another nationwide gym for every student as part of their learning with Study Active, it is all about collaboration with the sector. “As a training provider we need to get out there and interact with the industry,” says James. “A popular CPD product is kettlebell training and we give that to our students as a CPD unit at no extra cost, so we like to think that from linking with the gyms and finding out what they want from their staff when they come in, we can get our graduates ready for work. The fact that we can then refer students forward for an interview with the various gyms we work with, really is the icing on the cake.” Students’ development is clearly the key factor in the work of Study Active – a desire that is further strengthened with a promotion to its learners to become REPs members. As James explains: “It is a real value-added item and an opportunity to join REPs at a preferential rate. The industry www.exerciseregister.org built-in contact from a tutor (via a Skype tutorial, telephone call, or face-to-face). There must be ongoing support. We would never expect a learner to be left alone. We do have a dedicated support team open seven days a week who do nothing else other than support students. Even though students may be using some online resources, they are in constant contact with us all the way through their learning journey.” is demanding universal recognition of quality and REPs brings that and students are liking the fact that all their hard work of achieving the qualifications leads to professional recognition with REPs. Also, the benefits that REPs offers are a real value-add for all our graduates, and the various tool kits and incentives are only going to be good for our graduates and their future careers.”