World Youth Skills Day: These platforms will help you upskill in times of COVID-19

This year, the World Youth Skills Day will be celebrated amid the COVID-19 pandemic. During such unprecedented times, students have been widely affected by the closure of schools and universities, especially the technical and vocational training institutions.

The coronavirus outbreak has halted the continuity of skills development among youths. According to a survey conducted by the UNESCO, World Bank, and International Labour Organisation (ILO), about 70 percent of the global student population has been affected by school closures.

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The same survey also found that distant learning has become the most common way of imparting knowledge during the pandemic.

However, one of the drawbacks has been the increased unemployment rate which has pushed people to learn new skillsets for better career opportunities.

A recent survey by job search platform Naukri.com revealed that close to half of the job seekers in India utilised the lockdown period to enhance their skills for better jobs.

This year’s theme — ‘Skills for a Resilient Youth’ — resonates with the resilience and adaptability shown by the youths during the coronavirus pandemic. Here are five platforms that can help you upskill amid the lockdown.

upGrad

Started in early 2015 by Ronnie Screwvala, Mayank Kumar, Phalgun Kompalli, and Ravijot Chugh, upGrad offers online programmes for working professionals and claims to have over over 30,000 paid learners and impacted more than half-a-million individuals globally.

It provides online programmes in the areas of data science, technology, management, and law to college students, working professionals, and enterprises.

In June, the edtech startup announced its collaboration with Jamia Hamdard University to offer an online-offline blended BBA (Bachelor of Business Administration) and BCA (Bachelor of Computer Application) degrees to school pass-outs. The subsequent Master's for these programmes, MBA and MCA, have been launched.

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In the same month, it also partnered with the OP Jindal Global University for two Master's programmes — a one-year LLM in Corporate and Financial Law, and a two-year MBA in Digital Finance and Banking.

BridgeLabz

Launched in 2015 by serial entrepreneur Narayan Mahadevan, Mumbai-based BridgeLabz Solutions LLP helps fill the impending skill gap among the existing talent pool of Indian engineers, by making them job-ready through experiential learning and focussed mentorship.

In a recent survey conducted by the incubator, where over 1,500 fresh tech graduates and working professionals participated, it found that about 85 percent of the total respondents are trying to learn the latest technologies to stay relevant in the tech space.

Through its Maker programme, BridgeLabz hires engineers from top institutes, and provides them with hands-on training in industry-specific skills, as per the needs of its various partner companies. 

The IP-driven incubation lab has recently launched BLUE-BridgeLabz Lateral Upskilling and Enhancement programme, that aims to refine the tech skills of the employees at the behest of their organisation. The concept is a step forward in ensuring the employability and growth of the engineering workforce amidst the global economic slowdown. 

Currently, BridgeLabz has over 800 learners undergoing its online boot camp to upskill their coding skills, of which 45 percent are women engineers.

Imarticus Learning

Imarticus Learning is a professional education firm known for its industry-first approach to bridging the gap between employment and academia.

Founded by Nikhil Barshikar, Imarticus Learning provides a range of learning and reskilling solutions for corporates in the training, placement, and other departments. 

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Working in alliance with world-renowned organisations and industry experts, the institute offers its learners professional certifications and job placement opportunities as well.

Its mission is to upgrade the quality of human skill capital to meet the current and emerging employment demands. The firm provides live lectures (both classroom and online), peer-to-peer discussions, industry-oriented seminars and guest lectures, rigorous training exercises and projects, soft skill improvement sessions, and mentorship by industry experts, among others.

Simplilearn

Founded by IIT-Kharagpur alumnus Krishna Kumar, Simplilearn caters to the growing demand for professional certification. The edtech startup offers a blended learning model and focusses on working professionals looking to upgrade themselves.

The startup provides online training in disciplines such as cybersecurity, cloud computing, project management, digital marketing, and data science, among others, where technologies and best practices are changing rapidly, and demand for qualified candidates significantly exceeds supply.

The startup has synchronous interactions for students with market experts. It hires faculty from universities or industry practitioners, and interactions are based on the curriculum.

The interactions are focussed well on theory, as well as real-world applications. Users can visit an online lab application integrated with the learning environment and practise their skills.

Simplilearn claims to have helped more than one million professionals and 1,000 companies across 150 countries get trained, acquire certifications, and reach their business and career goals.

IntelliPaat

Bengaluru-based IntelliPaat  has tied up with top industry professionals, working at leading technology companies to deliver online instructor-led courses and self-paced videos on the latest technologies, enabling students to connect with instructors at a different location.

The website aims to bridge the gap that prevents professionals from learning new technologies and make the transition to new careers. All the instructors training on IntelliPaat’s platform are subject matter experts, working in top MNCs.

“IntelliPaat’s courses are designed to make students employable. They have been designed after taking substantial inputs from hiring managers. We help professionals master new technologies, and find the job they deserve. We also train students on high-end skill sets that employers demand,” says Diwakar Chittora, Founder of IntelliPaat.

He adds that the courses provide students with rigorous training which includes assignments, hands-on exercises, and projects to train them to become at par with the professionals in the field.