What you need to open a coding and robotics centre
Opening a coding and robotics centre requires six elements:
- A curriculum — the course material, lesson plans and progression framework for each age group and skill level
- A delivery platform — software that manages class delivery, student progress tracking and coach tools
- Trained coaches — people qualified to deliver the curriculum and manage a classroom of young learners
- A venue — a physical space with appropriate workstations, power and, for robotics, room for hands-on activities
- Student acquisition — a plan to enrol students and retain them month to month
- Business administration — local registration, insurance, billing, and the ongoing operational management of a small business
Building all six independently is possible, but it takes time. Licensing one of these elements shortens the path to launch considerably. Licensing all six — curriculum, platform, training, brand, territory and the operational framework — is what a CIY.Club Physical Learning Centre licence offers.
Build it yourself or licence it?
| Aspect | Licence | Franchise |
|---|---|---|
| What is granted | Rights to use curriculum, brand, systems and territory | Rights to operate under a brand with prescribed methods and standards |
| Operating control | Licensee retains significant operating discretion within agreed terms | Franchisor typically prescribes operations, suppliers, fit-out and procedures in detail |
| Ongoing fees | Typically a royalty or platform fee; structure confirmed by licensor | Royalty plus often a marketing fund contribution; structure disclosed in franchise agreement |
| Territory rights | Territory defined in the licence agreement; varies by licensor | Territory or protected area typically defined; subject to franchise agreement |
| Legal registration / disclosure | Generally not subject to mandatory franchise disclosure laws; varies by country | Subject to mandatory disclosure documents (e.g. FDD in the USA, franchise code in Australia) in many countries |
| Exit / transfer | Subject to licence agreement terms; typically requires licensor consent | Subject to franchise agreement; transfer fees and conditions apply |
| Typical entry cost range | Varies widely; online-only licences can start from US$9,500 | Varies widely; established education franchises can run into hundreds of thousands |
Both routes are legitimate. Licensing is not right for every operator. The table above shows where the trade-offs sit — licensing removes development work but adds fees and operating constraints. Independent operation gives full autonomy but requires building every element from scratch.
For operators who are evaluating a licensed model, the key questions to ask are: what exactly is covered by the licence fee, what is not covered, what does the ongoing fee structure look like, and what control do you retain over day-to-day operations?
What the CIY.Club centre licence provides
The CIY.Club Physical Learning Centre licence provides:
- Curriculum from ScopeIT Education, Australia, accredited by STEM.org (USA)
- Learning management system for class delivery and student progress tracking
- Structured coach training framework through the CIY.Club LMS
- Brand and territory rights for the licensed location and catchment
- Competition programme — national and international events for students
- Ongoing relationship with the CIY.Club licensor
The licence does not cover venue costs, fit-out, hardware (computers, robotics kits), local staffing costs or local marketing. These are the operator’s responsibility and vary significantly by market.
Choosing a location and territory
Territory rights are set out in the licence agreement. Before signing, confirm what your territory covers — is it a postcode, a suburb, a city, or something else? Also confirm whether the territory is exclusive, and what happens if a new partner opens near the boundary.
Location selection within your territory is your decision. A coding centre benefits from proximity to schools, residential neighbourhoods with young families, and good transport access. Avoid locations where direct competitors already dominate the local market.
Recruiting and training coaches
The CIY.Club structured coach training framework is designed so that coaches do not need a programming background before starting. Training is delivered through the CIY.Club LMS and follows a structured pathway.
As your centre grows, you will need to recruit additional coaches. The quality of your coaching team directly affects student retention and word-of-mouth referrals, so hiring and training coaches is one of the most important ongoing management tasks for a centre operator.
Investment levels
| Licence Track | Who It Suits | Starting Investment Level | Physical Premises |
|---|---|---|---|
| Online Coaching Partner Licence | Individual educators and entrepreneurs starting a virtual academy | from US$9,500 | No — fully online |
| Physical CIY.Club Learning Centre | Establishing a dedicated local technology education presence | varies by territory | Yes |
| Premium Centre / Regional Business Opportunity | Experienced operators scaling across multiple locations or a region | varies by region | Yes |
| Country / Master Licensing Opportunity | Investors seeking national rights and a sub-licence network | varies by country | Varies |
The Physical CIY.Club Learning Centre investment level varies by territory and is confirmed by CIY.Club during the qualification process. The figures above represent the licence component only.
Additional costs that sit outside the licence fee include venue lease or purchase, interior fit-out, workstations and hardware (computers, monitors, any robotics equipment), local business registration and ongoing staffing. These costs vary significantly by country and city and cannot be estimated without knowing the specific market.
Typical timeline
The process from first contact to opening typically moves through these stages:
- Complete the qualification form on the CIY.Club business site
- Discussion with the CIY.Club team about territory and licence track
- Review and sign the licence agreement (allow time for independent legal review)
- Onboarding: coach training via the LMS; platform access; brand materials
- Venue preparation and fit-out (if physical centre)
- Soft launch and first student enrolments
The specific durations for each stage are not confirmed by CIY.Club and are logged as a question in BUILD-NOTES.md. Ask during your qualification discussion.
Revenue is generated as recurring monthly student subscriptions — the same model whether you are online or in a physical centre.