Founded in May 2014 by Jeff Hughes, Skill Samurai offers an innovative and novel approach to children’s after-school and holiday programs. Having started with just one location in New Brunswick Canada, today Skill Samurai has locations across Canada, the United States, and South America. Known for its STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) programs, it offers its students a competitive edge, and the skills they need to thrive in the world of cut-throat competition. Skill Samurai intends to bridge the gap between an individual’s ambitions and the specific skills employers look out for.
“Our mission is to prepare children for tomorrow’s workplace while helping build entrepreneurs a bright financial future,” says Jeff Hughes, CEO and Founder of Skill Samurai.
“We believe that children should have access to a fun and inspiring curriculum that prepares them for their future.”
Going beyond conventional education
It all started when Jeff, in his pursuit of success as a franchise manager and a coach, realized the need for being well versed with computers. Being into his adulthood, though at first, it was a bit awkward for him to learn computers, it made him think of how the future would look like if kids were not prepared for the ever-increasing tech demands of the future. This was a moment of realization and led him to establish Level UP which was later renamed Skill Samurai in 2020.
“We know that the world has changed, and traditional education hasn’t been able to keep up,” says Jeff. “To that end, we created a program that bridges the gap to ensure that students have skills that adapt to the changing needs of the marketplace. We believe that children should have access to a fun and inspiring curriculum that prepares them for their future.”
Having sensed the demand for advanced IT and programming in the future, Skill Samurai by focusing on real programming languages prepares its students for future career opportunities and related challenges. Skill Samurai’s industry-leading curriculum of over 150 different courses for young adults, aged seven to fifteen is specially designed to engage, inspire, and entertain children. These courses are a unique blend of education and fun that gives children practical experience with real-life STEM concepts and principles. The curriculum at Skill Samurai consists of key components customized to best suit its student’s learning goals and interests:
Elementary School – Foundations in Computer Science.
Middle School – Specialized Learning Paths.
High School – Prepare for College, Career, and Industry Certification.
With year-round programs, summer camps, and practical’s, Skill Samurai prepares students for higher education, internships, and careers in programming, game development, and Robotics. “At Skill Samurai, our STEM curriculum and face-to-face coding classes equip kids with life skills to help them thrive both now and in the future,” adds Jeff.
STEM, Coding, Robotics, and Artificial Intelligence are booming sectors and the top job generators of the coming future. Moreover, as technology keeps advancing, relying on just one technology is not going to suffice. Hence to broaden the horizon and provide its students access to a wide range of technologies, Skill Samurai is adding certifications from tech giants like Amazon, Microsoft, and Apple. “The name -Skill Samurai- allows us to emphasize that we teach more than coding classes for kids,” says Jeff. “Skills Samurai is a one-of-a-kind program that prepares students for their future and puts them on a path towards high-demand, high-wage careers.”
“We teach kids many things, these virtues are at our core. We’re looking for people who can get back up when knocked down, people who can lead by example and inspire our next generation.”
A special niche
Currently valued at US $131 billion, the global private tutoring industry and education market is projected to reach the whopping US $218 billion by 2027. Moreover, the Global Smart Learning market is also expected to grow at a CAGR of 17.5% by 2027. These figures being just a glimpse of the infinite growth potential future holds for the private tutoring industry. While the markets for birthday parties and summer camps are $25 billion and $2 billion, respectively. Skill Samurai offers a unique opportunity to capitalize on all three surging, recession-resistant markets.
Who can become a Skill Samurai franchise? Ideal Skill Samurai franchise will be honest individuals ready to align themself with the goals of the organization. “We teach kids many things, these virtues are at our core. We’re looking for people who can get back up when knocked down, people who can lead by example and inspire our next generation,” says Jeff. As technology is the main product, the franchisee must have a passion for computer science, IT, and other tech concepts and the hunger to evangelize it. As technology keeps getting better, the franchisee must show the willingness to upgrade their knowledge and skills accordingly. They must have proficiency in sales and marketing and an undying desire to make a difference in the lives of children, families, and their community.
Once someone signs up as a Skill Samurai franchise, they receive 80 hours of product training which enables them to get a hang of the technology they will be dealing with. On successful completion of the training, the franchisee receives the esteemed STEM.org certification. Franchisee partners also receive pre-launch support which prepares them for the challenges they might face towards achieving operational excellence. Furthermore, weekly coaching calls with a dedicated team, and Annual Regional conferences help them analyze the shortfalls and build a plan to overcome them. The franchise receives access to their business coach where they will learn best-practices and all the inputs which will help them in avoiding some crucial mistakes.
Game-changing business model
Jeff believes everyone deserves education and have the right to realize their dreams. Having tasted stupendous success, Skill Samurai, wants its franchisees to succeed too. Hence, to enable them, where other franchises offer either a mobile partnership or brick-and-mortar learning centers, Skill Samurai offers both. It allows its franchisees to run their business online, in temporary spaces, or build a brick-and-mortar campus. The company believes in giving its franchises every option, every tool which will propel them towards success. “Our locations can be operated with only 1-3 part-time employees, where other STEM education concepts require approximately 25. We also have a successful, proven model in place to hire university and college computer science students as teachers and coaches in order to ensure quality instruction,” says Jeff. “Also, the typical franchise operates after school, and holidays, it leaves you plenty of time to work ON your business. The way a franchise ought to be!”
A Skill Samurai Franchise Owner Simer shares, “It gave me the flexibility to be my own boss, to spend more time with my family, and still do what I needed to do during the day as the classes were in the evening. If you are looking for something easy flexible and fun, then this is the way to go. You not only do it for yourself; but also do it for the community by preparing kids for the future.”
Envisioning the future
The world today needs skilled professionals with the ability to solve problems and Skill Samurai is on a mission to create a tribe of skilled problem solvers and innovators of tomorrow. After 6 years of its launch and having achieved meaningful success, Skill Samurai is hungry for more. Planning to add 20 more locations this year, it intends to reach out to more people and add peace and certainty into their lives by grooming their kids for the future.
“Our vision is to be the largest provider of supplemental and enrichment education in the world,” says Jeff.
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