FULL STEAM AHEAD
Zebra Robotics For Zebra Robotics CEO and co-founder Satish Thiyagarajan, inspiration came from his own child. “It started because of my son. He’s not athletic or wanting to participate in sports, so we were looking for other options. We knew that he liked robotics. So, we gathered a group of friends and formed robotics classes,” Thiyagarajan says. “Next thing you know, their friends were telling their friends, and quickly we had to rent a space. It took off. We decided that we have to do this as a business!” Zebra Robotics was founded in 2014 and started franchising in 2019. It operates locations in Canada and the U.S., offering 25 courses, plus camps and competitions, for kids from grades 1 to 12. For younger learners, weekly classes over four to six months focus include Creative Coding from Scratch or Minecraft Adventures, while older students learn Game Developing with Unity or C Programming. A similar variety of courses are offered in robotics, with competitions to help keep kids motivated. Courses take 24-48 weeks to complete, and students have access to the franchise’s digital learning management platform, which also allows parents to monitor progress.
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The franchise provides management training as well as “coaches” (instructor) training, because, as Thiyagarajan points out, “it’s much more than just teaching them how to do robotics--you’re teaching them life skills.” Thiyagarajan looks for franchisees who are “passionate in making an impact to the community” and while coding experience isn’t a requirement, he often looks for a college or university degree, and a desire to educate the next generation. Thiyagarajan says he’s not surprised that STEM is growing in popularity, especially since coding is now a part of the Ontario middle and high school curriculum. He likens the skills to a new language with a strategic advantage. “Going forward, people are going to know a universal language, ‘coding language’ or not, and I think people who know coding are at an advantage, both in their logical reasoning and critical thinking. It’s becoming one of the critical skills for the future.”
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