5 edtech startups that are upskilling India Inc’s tech talent pool

The demand for tech skills has increased tremendously during COVID-19. With the rapid adoption of technologies across industries such as BFSI (banking, financial services, and insurance), IT, ML, and AI, startups in these sectors are looking out for professionals who already have the required analytical and technical skills.

According to a report by global job site Indeed, job postings for tech jobs such as senior software engineer, software engineer, and full-stack developer witnessed a growth of 70 percent, 33 percent, and 10 percent respectively in 2021.

This job demand has prompted edtech startups to offer working professionals upskilling opportunities to keep up with the changing tech landscape. A report by consulting firm RedSeer Consulting states that the online higher education and lifelong learning market are expected to reach $5 billion by 2025.

Here are a few edtech platforms that are helping upskill India’s tech talent pool: 

BridgeLabz

Incepted in 2016 by Narayan Mahadevan, Mumbai-based BridgeLabz Solutions LLP is an IP-driven incubation lab focused on solving tech employability challenges.

BridgeLabz Solutions LLP was set up to bridge the impending skill gap amongst Indian engineers by making them job-ready through experiential learning and focused mentorship. So far, it has groomed more than 2,000 engineers and contributed to their placement across leading IT companies.

The platform is aimed at nurturing engineering talent and ideas emerging in the technology space.

Through its Maker Programme, which trains in industry-specific skills as per the needs of various partner companies, it identifies engineers and grooms them for specific software development jobs.

The startup claims to provide 100 percent guaranteed job placement to talent and employers with productive talent.

BridgeLabz has partnered with brands including Capgemini, LafargeHolcim, Urban Ladder, RBL Bank, JDA, Yatra, Meru Cabs, Fullerton India, among others.

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Imarticus Learning

Founded in 2012 by Nikhil Barshikar and Sonya Hooja, Mumbai-based Imarticus Learning is a professional education firm which is famed for its industry-first approach for bridging the gap between employment and academia. It provides a range of learning solutions in placement, training, and other solutions.

Working in alliance with world-renowned organisations and industry experts, the institute offers its learners professional certifications and job placement opportunities that sculpt the workforce of the future.

The startup claims to be on a mission to upgrade the quality of human skill capital to meet current and emerging employment demands.

Imarticus Learning’s teaching methodology includes immersive 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, mentorship by industry experts, and much more.

In August 2018, the startup raised $2 million in a Series B funding round from CBA Capital to expand national and international operations.

UpGrad

Founded by Ronnie Screwvala, Mayank Kumar, and Phalgun Kompalli in 2015, Mumbai-based upGrad is an online education startup that produces industry-relevant learning programmes.

UpGrad offers skills in digital marketing, data analytics, and product management. Its classes reach people in more than 100 cities and towns in India, including places where quality education is unavailable or unaffordable.

It offers courses in collaboration with global universities such as Michigan State University, Duke Corporate Education, Liverpool John Moores University, Swiss Schools of Business Management, IIM Kozhikode, and IIT Madras, among others.

In April 2021, UpGrad raised $120 million from Singapore-based Temasek to strengthen its team, boost its technology, and manage its operations and product capabilities.

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Simplilearn

Founded by Krishna Kumar and Kashyap Dalal in 2010, Bengaluru and San Francisco based Simplilearn allows users to upskill their education.

It helps early-to-mid career professionals acquire new-age digital skills.

The startup provides online training in disciplines such as cybersecurity, cloud computing, project management, digital marketing, and data science, among others.

Currently, Simplilearn is working with educational institutions including MIT Schwarzman College of Computing, Caltech CTME, IIT Kanpur, Jagdish Sheth School of Management, UMass Amherst, Purdue Online, the Isenberg School of Management, and companies such as Microsoft, IBM, KPMG, Facebook, and Amazon, among others.

The startup claims to have helped over three million professionals and companies across over 150 countries get trained, upskill their employees, and acquire certifications.

Corporate Gurukul

Founded in 2007 by Rajesh Panda, Singapore-based edtech platform Corporate Gurukul provides short-term upskilling courses and it targets students from top-tier educational institutions — IITs, NITs, or BITs — through partnerships with universities in Singapore.

Corporate Gurukul claims to have partnered with over 70 universities in India and more than 150 schools in 20 countries across Asia.

The startup ensures that students are prepared for a corporate career or simply upskilling to be equipped for higher studies.

Corporate Gurukul offers three types of courses such as research, internships, and certifications across machine learning (ML), Internet of Things (IoT), sustainable engineering, artificial intelligence (AI), deep learning, design thinking, entrepreneurship, etc.