This Indian startup gains as students from Tier 2 and 3 cities opt for online digital courses

• According to upGrad, online learning platform for working professionals, data literacy is one of the key skills in the digital space.
  
• Data Science, Blockchain, Full Stack Development, Digital Marketing and Machine Learning are the most sought after courses among professionals, Mayank Kumar, Founder & MD of upGrad told Business Insider India in an interview.
  
• Almost half the learners on upGrad — over 350,000 — come from tier 2 and tier 3 cities.

Thanks to easy access to internet connectivity, Indians from tier 2 and tier 3 cities are now able to benefit from online learning. Over 350,000 of the learners on upGrad — an online learning platform — come from tier 2 and tier 3 cities. This accounts for almost half of its total learner base.

India is the second largest e-learning market with as many as 70 million learners. The user base of the online education industry is expected to hit 9.6 million by 2021, which was 1.6 million in 2016, as per a KPMG report.

According to upGrad, data literacy is a popular buzzword in the job market. Those who are seeking to enhance their digital skills are enrolling in technology and data science courses. Others include entrepreneurial skills and hobbies.

“However data science, blockchain, full stack development, digital marketing and machine learning are the most sought after courses among professionals. And the completion rate for such courses is as high as 85%,” Mayank Kumar, Founder & MD of upGrad told Business Insider India.

UpGrad is now planning to expand its services to first-time job seekers and college students. It also collaborated with premier Indian and foreign institutions including IIT Madras, MICA and University of Cambridge.

Companies spend up to Rs 1.5 lakh per fresher for hiring and training. Online upskilling programmes claim to reduce it by almost 60%. “We are now moving towards courses on software development as well like Android, Python, Java and IoT. We have a course on insurance sales for our job guarantee programme,” Kumar added.

upGrad claims to provide a human touch unlike other platforms.The startup focuses on customising the learning experience through personalised feedback from dedicated mentors. In addition to this, the platform provides an industry connect for professionals who want to transition from their existing job roles.

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