The concept, created in the U.S. and supported by prominent figures such as Apple’s Tim Cook and former U.S. President Barack Obama, is a problem-based approach to studying those core subjects. The difference between this and a conventional education system is the emphasis on the application of this scientific or technological knowledge to real-life situations. Students are essentially given practical problems to solve that they may face in reality.

　　At a time when Chinese companies are seeking to push the boundaries and innovate, STEM education is creating a buzz in the world’s most populous nation. Some schools want to change an education system focused on grilling examinations to one that is about problem solving and project based.

　　For 28-year-old Sui Shaolong, this presents a huge business opportunity.

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　　Since 2015, Sui’s Beijing-based startup RoboTerra has been developing robot products and courses to teach students about computer coding and robotics. At $429, the RoboTerra toolkit comes with spare parts that can be built into dozens of different robots, along with access to a cloud-based platform where users can find courses designed for different age groups.

　　Multi-billion investment

　　And Sui’s future prospects look equally encouraging.

　　By 2020, Chinese schools will spend more than 10 billion yuan ($1.5 billion) on STEM-related courses, according to consultancy JMDedu. And this is being driven by eager parents like 31-year-old Elise Guo, who thinks that learning about drones and robots is a more practical step towards getting a decent job in China’s ultra-competitive job market, where a record 7.95 million college graduates will compete for work opportunities this year alone, according to a survey from Chinese job site Zhaopin.com.

　　“STEM allows children to get better at critical thinking and other practical abilities,” says Guo, who has a one-year-old son. “It would be just great if I could get him interested as a child, so he can get good jobs in the future.”

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　　The trend is also being encouraged by the Chinese government. Seeking to nurture more talent in fields such as technology, Beijing instructed schools nationwide to “actively explore” STEM in its latest policy blueprint, the 13th five-year plan published in 2015. And earlier this year, the country’s Ministry of Education made it mandatory for all elementary students to study STEM, according to its website.

　　“I couldn’t start my business at a better time,” says Sui. “After policy support, the market here will grow even quicker than in the U.S.”

　　Sui’s startup dates back to his time working in Silicon Valley. The Stanford graduate worked as an automation engineer at both Apple and Tesla, and still remembers the shortage of technology talent even those tech stalwarts grappled with. Apple, for example, used to rely on humans to install cameras onto the iPhone 6 smartphones because machines couldn’t fit the small parts as well, he says. At that time, Sui’s job was building a system that could install the cameras automatically.

　　“There is a huge gap between what students learn at school and what companies really need,” he adds. “Combining technology with education is something with great prospects.”

　　Sui left Apple in 2015 to start RoboTerra with partner Zhang Yao, whom he met in the U.S. They’ve received close to $4 million in initial funding from investors including Zhiping Capital. Within two months of starting the company, he moved it to China where he believed there to be a bigger demand for “robot lessons.”

　　Competition

　　But it’s not all plain sailing, with competition ratcheting up. Hundreds of startups, such as the Shenzhen-based Makeblock, are also eying this lucrative business, while global players including Sony and Lego are building partnerships with Chinese schools as well, offering toolkits together with tutorials to teachers.

　　Yet RoboTerra’s biggest advantages are more localized courses and easier-to-use toolkits, Sui says. Compared with the global companies, it understands Chinese students better, he adds. And its products, which can be visualized in 3D mode through the company’s software, allow students to build them quicker, even without coaching from teachers, according to Sui.

　　Sui sees plenty of space for growth. While STEM is very much a part of the system in Chinese metropolises such as Beijing and Shanghai, it is still a foreign concept for many schools in remoter areas, he says. There are thousands of potential clients, with future revenue streams to be generated from paid software and online lessons, according to Sui.

　　“Chinese schools are just beginning to familiarize themselves with STEM,” he said. “There will be huge demand in second- and third-tier cities.”