Gold Coast’s Jump! Swim Schools wins Oscars of the international business world

SURFERS Paradise-based multinational company JUMP! Swim Schools has just won two ‘Oscars’.

Gold Coast-based multinational company JUMP! Swim Schools has tasted success in two categories of the world’s premier business awards. Pictured is founder and managing director Ian Campbell at the Bundall facility with little participants. Picture: Richard Gosling

SURFERS Paradise-based multinational company JUMP! Swim Schools has just won two Oscars.

The company picked up two categories of the world’s most prestigious business awards — the 2016 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, known as the Oscars of the international business community. JUMP! Swim Schools, Australia’s only national swim school, operates 23 boutique swimming

venues for babies and young children and has an annual turnover of more than $6 million.

Since launching in 2010, JUMP has secured 114 franchises across Australia and New Zealand,

and has a strong base for its upcoming expansion across South East Asia.

The first JUMP! Swim School opened in northern NSW, based on the idea that there was a real need for a specialised facility to teach babies and infants critical first skills in the water.

Previously babies and infants have learnt in aquatic centres along with squad swimmers, public swimmers and other members of the community. These facilities were often noisy and intimidating for little beginners, who need a calm and more personal environment to help them build confidence.

Its success soon saw the first JUMP! Swim Schools site expand to the Gold Coast, with the Miami facility used as a franchise model which was rolled out across the country.

There are also Jump! swim schools at Bundall, Nerang and Southport on the Coast.

With small class sizes to ensure personal attention, children are dubbed after aquatic creatures to add to the fun, with littlies named ducklings, goldfish and tadpoles through to turtles, crabs, frogs, stingrays and marlins as they get older.

JUMP! Swim Schools was awarded the Silver Stevie Winner for Innovation in Living, Learning and Working Environments; and the Bronze Stevie Winner for Excellence in Innovation in Consumer Product and Service Industries.

Founder and managing director Ian Campbell said the success of the business came from its innovation across customer service, product design and development and

research and development in the learn-to-swim industry.

“Swimming is a confidence-based skill and we saw the need for an intimate, purpose-built facility that delivers a very personalised experience for families,” Mr Campbell said.

“The JUMP! Swim Schools curriculum is a breakthrough in teaching babies the basic elements of swimming at a young age. We use the best practices from learn-to-swim programs across the

world and focus on the core elements of conditioning, buoyancy, breath control and mobility,

“Our family-friendly approach fosters close relationships with owners, teachers, children and

parents making for a familiar and safe environment, perfect for boosting the confidence in young

swimmers.”

Kat Hughes, who opened the Bundall franchise a year ago with her partner James Rice, said: “I treat everyone like they are my own children.

“It’s such a rewarding job and being a small, private, boutique facility we are able to build one-on-one relationships with the parents as well as the children.”