From One Idea to 70 Schools: How Nitin Teckchandani Is Rethinking STEM Education

One of the biggest questions facing education right now is how we prepare children for a future that is changing faster than any curriculum can keep up with.

Jobs are evolving. AI is reshaping industries. New roles are emerging while others are disappearing, and the skills children will need are no longer limited to passing exams or remembering the right answer.

That is the challenge Nitin Teckchandani, founder of STEM Club is trying to solve.

STEM Club officially launched in March 2025 and is already working with around 60 to 70 schools across the UK. The business is also a triple finalist in The Class Business Awards 2026, shortlisted for New Business of the Year, Rising Star of the Year and Business Growth of the Year.

For such a young business, the growth has been incredible, but it sits within a much bigger mission.

Education Should Prepare Children for Life

Nitin’s belief is simple:

“Education should not just prepare children to pass exams, it should prepare them to succeed in life.”

Before moving into education, Nitin built a successful career in IT and cybersecurity after moving to the UK from Mumbai around 20 years ago.

Working with major organisations gave him a clear view of the skills shortages businesses were facing. While immigration can help fill immediate gaps, he believes the long-term solution must begin much earlier.

That means helping children develop:

• Curiosity, creativity and critical thinking
• Confidence, leadership and problem-solving skills
• The ability to adapt when there is no single correct answer

Nitin argues that low confidence, disengagement and unemployment do not suddenly appear when someone reaches 18.

They often begin years earlier.

A child who struggles in primary school may enter secondary education already believing they are not capable. That can affect their interest, their results and the choices available to them later.

“The sooner we start, the better it is.”

The Harry Potter Wand That Changed Everything

Nitin’s move into children’s education began with a surprisingly small moment.

As a huge Harry Potter fan, he bought his eight-year-old son a coding wand during a family trip to Florida. His son loved experimenting with it and proudly announced, “I love coding.”

Like many parents, Nitin signed him up for a coding class.

A few days later, his son came home and said he hated coding.

The difference was not the subject. It was the experience.

At home, coding had a purpose. He wanted to create spells and experiment with the wand. In class, the learning became theoretical and disconnected from the outcome he cared about.

That moment helped Nitin realise that children learn differently when they are given something practical to build, explore or solve.

“If you want to learn balancing, we don’t give you a book to read, we give you a bicycle.”

That idea led him to RoboThink, an international robotics and coding programme. Nitin originally wanted the product for his son, but when the company explained that it was looking for a UK business partner, he made a life-changing decision and secured the rights for the country.

From there, he began building a much wider pathway.

Building Skills From Childhood to Employment

Nitin has brought together several programmes designed to support children and young people at different stages of their development.

These include:

• RoboThink, STEM Club and Creative IQ
• Holiday programmes and school enrichment
• Future employability and enterprise pathways

The aim is to create a connected journey from early childhood through to adulthood, rather than treating education, employability and enterprise as separate problems.

STEM Club plays a central role in that mission.

Children are given robotics kits, science equipment and technology, then encouraged to build, break, test and try again.

There is no pressure to produce the perfect result immediately.

Instead, they learn how to ask questions, explore possibilities and build confidence through action.

“Every child is born with unlimited potential. It’s our responsibility to simply help unlock that potential.”

Growth Exposes Everything

Reaching 60 to 70 schools in just over a year is a huge achievement, but Nitin is open about the challenges rapid growth can create.

“When you are small, you can solve problems yourself. As you grow, you need systems, you need people, you need culture that delivers consistently.”

That is a lesson every growing class business will recognise.

Demand is only one part of growth. The real work is building the systems and team needed to deliver the same standard of experience repeatedly.

Nitin’s next goal is to take STEM Club into thousands of schools.

Rather than relying solely on his own instructors, he also wants to license the curriculum directly to schools, giving teachers access to ready-made resources and unlimited training.

The programme could then be delivered through breakfast clubs, lunchtime sessions, lessons or after-school provision, without teachers having to create an entirely new curriculum themselves.

Preparing Children to Think Differently

One of the most interesting parts of our conversation was Nitin’s view on divergent thinking.

Traditional education often teaches children that there is one right answer and one wrong answer.

The future world of work is different.

Problems may have several possible solutions, and the difference between people will increasingly come from how they see the world, the questions they ask and what they choose to create with the tools available to them.

That is why confidence, creativity and curiosity matter so much.

Nitin Teckchandani and STEM Club are finalists in three categories at The Class Business Awards 2026.

Watch the Full Interview with Nitin

Watch the full interview to hear more about Nitin’s journey from cybersecurity into education, the rapid growth of STEM Club and his vision for helping children become the thinkers, leaders and entrepreneurs of the future.

You can also join us on Saturday 10 October 2026 at the National Conference Centre in Solihull for The Class Business Live, followed by The Class Business Awards & Afterparty.

The Class Business Live runs from 9:00am to 3:00pm and brings finalists, judges and sponsors together for speakers, discussions and networking before the evening celebrations begin at 6:00pm.

Watch Nitin’s full interview here.

Book your place and join us for the full day here.