Ninety percent of parents want their children to study computer science according to Geekedu, yet the majority of schools don’t teach computing skills. While computing jobs are the top source of new wages in the U.S., there are more openings than qualified workers to fill them. By Sarah Lindauer
Ninety percent of parents want their children to study computer science according to Geekedu, yet the majority of schools don’t teach computing skills. While computing jobs are the top source of new wages in the U.S., there are more openings than qualified workers to fill them.
Vishal Bhasin and his wife, Venus, recognized this gap. After both working as technology executives in the IT industry, they were alarmed by the lack of STEAM – science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics – programs in schools and decided to shift their focus from the corporate world to the country’s youth.
Enter Wize Computing Academy
Now a leader in children’s enrichment education, Wize Computing Academy teaches young learners – 4 to 18 years old – designing, computer programming and robotics. Franchise owners work with local community spaces to host the programs and scale the business across a large territory, all from the comfort of home.
The flexibility that comes from this home-based model is a game-changer, according to Co-founders Vishal and Venus.
“You don’t have to decide between your family time and work time,” shared Vishal. “I can tell you personally that we’ve been able to spend so much time with our family. When I was in corporate as VP of technology, I didn’t have this much time with my kids.”
“As a mom, I feel I have a lot more satisfaction from a business like this,” added Venus.
The lack of brick-and-mortar space also equates to high profit margins from low entry fees and minimal ongoing costs. “We are a very lean, asset-like business with huge growth potential,” shared Vishal. This growth potential includes a 250,000-person territory and support in identifying target schools and host locations.
“The idea is that we can scale up without a whole lot of cost just by reaching out and creating those partnerships in the host locations,” said Vishal. Not to mention, the model is designed to support students for years, meaning franchise owners benefit from recurring revenue.
Then, there’s the world-class curriculum. Franchise owners don’t need a background in computer science, thanks to the robust program developed by Vishal and Venus and led by trained instructors.
“What we wanted to do was bring in all the learning we had from the tech world, in these leading multimillion-
dollar projects, and bring those best practices and experiences into the classroom, making it super easy for young learners to get going,” Vishal explained.
A tried-and-true curriculum, large territories, low franchise costs and ongoing support have earned Wize Computing Academy awards such as the FRAN-TASTIC 500. Not only are franchise owners empowering their community’s youth through education, but they’re also building a legacy business for their own families.
Venus summarized it best: “After venturing into Wize Computing Academy, I found a love and passion that I have for working with kids. Ever since, there’s no going back.”
Sarah Lindauer