At ESHI do the teaching periods work in a similar way to that followed by the conventional academic world, that is, from September to June?
Eshi has three business units. Two of them are not seasonal. We train teams of companies that trust us as a partner for their corporate training, training plans and increasingly we intervene in the creation and dynamization of their Virtual Campuses for continuous training. All this, together with the HBX programs, we have training activity throughout the year.
The OnLine training programs, for people who individually train to specialize and enhance their CV, are also carried out throughout the year.
The only programs that start in September and end in July are the postgraduate programs that we carry out with Universities, with synchronous educational sessions.
It is also important to note that our accounting year does not end on December 31 but on June 30. In other words, our new financial year began on July 1 and will end on June 30, 2024.
The assessment we have of this course 22/23, is very high, very positive
What assessment would you make of this 2022-2023 academic year? What aspects of this academic year have been the ones that have obtained the best grades?
Although, as I have commented, we have almost no seasonality in our model, the assessment we have of this 22/23 academic year is very high, very positive. Eshi renews and updates its training proposal, contents and we increase our teaching team, with the speed that our environment does, the needs of companies, Fitness Clubs and the demands of users that partly mark the skills that professionals (everyone, from the mk teams, customer service and sales people, the different technicians, monitors and trainers as well as middle managers and managers). This means that, in practice, our contents are renewed annually, including new skills in sales and interpersonal communication, which improve the attitude and soft skills of Eshi students. All this favors that the valuation of our students by employers or themselves as entrepreneurs is very high.
What have been the ones that ‘need to improve?
We continue to want to improve communication skills and some technical skills, especially those that affect “new” ways of training, new ways of offering services to people, and we are just investing a lot of resources in the area of health-oriented exercise, as well as in the renewal of our entire Virtual Campus. The methodology based on the e-learning concept (especially evolved in the COVID period) is advancing very quickly. The training based on traditional PDF or video has become obsolete if it is not complemented or, if not, its methodological approach is changed. Likewise, the development in Europe and in our state of professional qualifications, the inclusion of new skills and new professional profiles, drives us to improve permanently.
The number of students who have passed Eshi this year has grown by 56%
How many students have passed through Eshi in the 2022-2023 academic year and what variation have these figures represented in relation to the previous academic year?
Between our three business units, 2,230 students have passed through Eshi this year. This has meant spectacular growth in relation to the previous year. It has been 56% more.
What have been the sports performance courses with the greatest participation?
In the area of “performance” it has been training in personal training, in the Strength Training Specialist Certification and MetCon as well as in the IronCast Certification in kettlebell training.
Training at HBX, together with which we offer 360 services to our official centers, has also grown spectacularly.
What have been the Health courses with the greatest participation?
Our Postgraduate Specialization in Physical Exercise and Health, the one we organize together with the Pontifical University of Salamanca, without a doubt.
The demand for professionals from the companies we work with is greater than the supply generated by the market
In October 2021, when gyms were still under restrictions, you stated that there was not a sufficient supply of specialized technicians. How is the situation right now? Have there been any changes now that gym activity has returned to normal?
No, the demand we have from the companies we work with is greater than the supply generated by the market in general and Eshi in particular.
What are the most demanded profiles?
Everyone, customer service people, versatile instructors, personal trainers and intermediate managers.
Are there any or some profiles that have become obsolete?
No, what is needed is that current profiles have more skills: new technology applied to their work, better communication skills that improve what many call “attitude” and the use of new materials or that they know how to function in “new” training zones (almost all linked to personalized group training or group Fitness activities).
It is useless to have a degree or a lot of knowledge if it does not fit the needs of the companies
The changes that gyms are undergoing as a result of the large influx of youth audiences in this new stage. Has it meant having to vary the training programs? In what sense?
Professionals must be able to train in those skills that I have talked about and they must be able to apply them immediately. It is useless to have a title or a lot of knowledge if it does not adjust to the needs of the companies and the wishes of the users, if that knowledge is not converted into new skills. And, this does not only affect those under 25 years of age. The traditional public, those who already attended the gym or people over 30 who have joined the sector for the first time, also value a new way of doing things, obtaining real, measurable results. People value obtaining these results over the price of the service (obviously there is still flexibility in demand). Users are hyper-connected and hyper-informed, they know what they want, how they want it and where to find it.
The traditional formula of offering everything, for one or two types of price, shows signs of exhaustion
From the observation vantage point provided by Eshi, how would you assess the evolution of the gyms during the first semester of this 2023? Has it been better, the same or worse than last year?
We think overall it has been better. We also see how the managers who did their homework during the pandemic now have better and more consistent results than those who expected everything to continue the same when the centers opened.
Another fact is to see the difference between the operator who has changed or expanded his proposal by working on the background in relation to those who ‘limit’ themselves to copying the form. Many operators are right now going with the flow, without stopping to think about who their client is and how to serve them. The traditional formula of offering everything, for one or two types of price, without reflection, shows signs of exhaustion. Wanting to live from the user who paid and did not come, too.
Gyms must offer the greatest possible value at each stage of the customer journey
In your opinion, what would be the main challenges that gyms will have to face in the second half of 2023?
Change your traditional mindsed. Know who your client is and above all, who is not. Target that core customer. Redefine your ‘customer journey’ and deliver the greatest value at every stage of the customer journey.
We have signed an agreement with ThePowerMBA, the team that founded and changed the paradigm of online training
What would be the main challenges that Eshi is considering for the new academic year 2023-2024? How do you plan to deal with them?
We have signed an agreement with the team that founded and changed the paradigm of OnLine training, ThePowerMBA team. We are partners with these executives and experts in the transformation of the traditional methodology in e-learning environments and face-to-face events. In October all our students will have a new Campus, even more evolved, an environment that generates a brutal experience and engagement.
We are expanding our teaching team and research professionals (all of them working on a day-to-day basis in what they are academically experts on). Most of them are doctors in fields such as biochemistry, exercise science, psychology, sports medicine, nutrition for performance and health, or professionals in new technologies and applied AI. All this, however, keeping our initial team, headed by Robert Usach PhD, Noemí Pena, Roberto Mora, Rodrigo Álvarez, Marc Rojas and Ernest Prades.
Lastly, we have incorporated new professionals into our marketing and communication department.
