PRESS RELEASE: Queensland teacher on list of Global Education Influencers

Australian teacher named Global Education Influencer

Queensland teacher Damien Aldridge has been named on the list of Global Education Influencers, by Excelligent magazine. The list honours the world’s most influential teachers and educators. Mr Aldridge, Director of Brisbane STEM Education business, STEM Punks, says he’s “stunned and honoured” to be on such a prestigious list of the world’s best.

The list recognises successful educators across the world, their approach towards life, the challenges they came across, and the way they dealt with those challenges, plus their accomplishments throughout their career.

Mr Aldridge says, “This is excellent recognition for the hard work over the past few years, and especially the exponential growth we’ve experienced this year during COVID.”
STEM Punks is an education venture, founded in 2017. The business focuses on making science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education accessible to children, while supporting and upskilling educators, to make it fun to teach.
STEM Punks mission is to “Inspire Tomorrow’s Innovators” and teach kids 21st Century Skills by enabling a mindset of creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship. Programs are developed to inspire kids (and adults) to learn about STEM in a fun and interactive environment.
“Through our STEM Education programs we create confident creative thinkers who develop an innovative and entrepreneurial mindset to solve tomorrow’s problems, today.” Mr Aldridge says. CEO of STEM Punks, Michael Holmstrom, adds, “A global acknowledgement like this recognises the work STEM Punks is doing both nationally and internationally to promote STEM education for all.”
STEM Punks offers curriculum-aligned courses in STEM for students and teachers both in schools and online and is the leading STEM education provider in the world. “We’ve got the best educators in Australia, we’ve got the best teachers and students, and there’s some exciting growth opportunities for us across the globe. The power of education to change kids’ lives cannot be underestimated.” Mr Aldridge says.
“We’re part of the new wave of education. We’re at the forefront of Design Thinking, Problem Based Learning, and teaching kids 21st Century skills to create innovative solutions to world problems.”

A fundamental of all STEM Punks content is Design Thinking, which teaches kids to know their user, develop a solution, test the solution, and even market the solution. Courses in innovation and entrepreneurship are proving to be the most popular, with parents requesting this more than ever during the recent COVID lockdown.

Holmstrom says that parents were concerned about kids falling behind during COVID and are looking to external education providers to upskill their children for the future. “Kids these days are already tech-savvy, but we leverage that skillset and take it up a notch, giving them real skills they can apply to any job or industry. Problem Based Learning is something they can use whether they’re an engineer or a dancer, a mechanic, or an actor. There is much to be gained in their future jobs when they approach any problem with this mindset.”

Despite the uncertainty of this year, the success of the award-winning small business has gone from strength to strength, and Aldridge continues to look to the future, “Accolades like this cement our place as a world-leading brand and highlights our growth from when we first started. Only a couple of years ago we were a garage based EdTech, and now we’re a global leader in STEM Education, so the future looks bright.”

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MEDIA CONTACT: Michael Holmstrom, STEM Punks CEO
Mobile: 0400 600 729
Email: [email protected]