Boom in online courses: How Edu-tech Cos are spurring the market

With educational institutions shut for the last five months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a huge demand for online education. All schools and institutions across the country have been conducting classes online. With no let-down in the number of COVID-19 cases in the country, online classes will continue in the foreseeable future.

Along with schools and colleges, professional education has also shifted to the online space. The current volatile situation has made professionals jittery about the job scenario, hence there is growing demand for professional courses for upskilling. Approximately 51 per cent of the population works in corporates. Currently, there are around 16-20 skill-based learning platforms and edu-tech players catering to the professionals.

Also read: Understanding the burgeoning world of online education

Edu-tech companies like LinkedIn Learning, Harappa and Udemy have seen a lot of traction in recent times. Udemy, an online learning and teaching marketplace, claims have seen a 200 per cent growth in overall enrolments for their courses in India, whereas Harappa, an online education portal catering to professional education for building workplace skills, has witnessed a whopping 472 per cent increase in their active learner base and a 314 per cent increase in learners logging on to the Harappa platform each month since March 2020.

Shreyasi Singh, Founder & CEO, Harappa Education, informed, “37 per cent of the courses (one or more courses, activated by one or more users) are completed within a day of the course being started. We’re also thrilled to see an unprecedented increase of 603 per cent course starts and a 288 per cent increase in course completions since the start of the lockdown.”

LinkedIn learning, which caters to business, technology skills and creative aspects, has seen an increase of 176 per cent in time spent on learning on their platform. Their content has also seen the biggest surge from managers, students and senior professionals. According to LinkedIn Workforce Confidence Index, online learning continues to see a steady rise in demand as 67 per cent professionals (compared to 64 per cent professionals from last fortnight) will increase their time spent in online learning, while 37 per cent of Indian companies (compared to 31 per cent from last fortnight) will offer online resources to professionals in India. “Interestingly, LinkedIn has seen the biggest uptick coming from first-time managers and senior leadership, who are not only figuring out how to operate in the new normal, but also helping their teams do the same. Also, in India, LinkedIn Learning data shows that viewing content on LinkedIn Learning grew by 252 per cent for all managers, 242 per cent for first-time managers, 226 per cent by students, 211 per cent by senior leaders, and 194 per cent by Baby Boomers,” remarked Ruchee Anand, Director, Talent Solutions and Learning Solutions. 

Remote working and productivity courses are the top pick for Indians as per Linkedin Learning Data. To help their members in these challenging times, Linkedin learning is serving over 440 courses with 7 different languages for free. Anand noted, “This suggests that Indians want to learn how they can present their achievements, evolve as professionals, and manage stress efficiently in these uncertain times. Findings further suggest that Indians are fortifying their technical skills as LinkedIn Learning data also features ‘Learning Python’ and ‘Excel Essential Training (Office 365)’ in the top 10 list of most viewed courses on LinkedIn Learning in India. ‘Writing a Resume’ ranks at #11, and suggests the growing importance of a strong resume to help you stand out amongst other job-seekers in the coming months.”

Udemy has witnessed high demand for courses in India related to communication skills, Financial Analysis, Business fundamentals ART and Coding for kids. In terms of new courses office productivity, health and fitness, IT & software, and personality development have been in more demand due to the ongoing situation. “Based on the feedback of users, there is also an increase in course creation as experts around the world are looking to share their knowledge as well as supplement their income through online teaching. When looking at our instructor base, we have seen a 125 per cent year-over-year increase in new instructors creating courses on our platform,” claimed Siddharth Bakshi, Head of Marketing, Udemy India.

The professional workforce has been adaptive and positive towards online learning, as because of the pandemic crisis all traditional forms are out of option and learning and reskilling has become a necessity due to the evolving technologies and innovations. Across March, April and May, learners watched 2.4x the number of hours (or 140 per cent more hours) of LinkedIn Learning content than they did the previous 3 months, that is, the pre-COVID-91 period. In May, learners watched nearly 5x the amount consumed in May 2019, according to the global stats.

Learning and understanding differs from person to person, hence one needs proper guidance and support in their journey. According to Bakshi, “Technical problems are one of the main stumbling blocks of reskilling online. That’s why we operate our business as a marketplace – anyone can come on Udemy and create a course. Additionally, students are concerned about being able to apply their new knowledge right away, which sometimes could be hard.” Technology skills evolve so fast that employees feel pressured and to be technically smart has become very important and an competitive advantage. “The professional workforce is concerned about their competitive advantage, time investment, the value of certification, and the relevance of course content for their needs. We ensure that our courses are 4-5 hours long on an average, they are available on-demand and are entirely self-paced,” said Harappa’s Singh.

Winning the marketing game

Given the boom in the market, the edu-tech players are upping their marketing and communications strategy. Udemy has committed to invest further in India. They recently launched their ad campaign, ‘Learning made easy’, in India. Meanwhile, Harappa has launched a few digital campaigns – ‘Beat2020’, ‘Harappa Habit Heroes’, ‘#Makeyourselfheard’. “Besides our digital campaigns and initiatives, we have also entered into strategic tie-ups with brands like Swiggy, CRED, LBB (Little Black Book) and DailyHunt to open up our offering to more and more ambitious young professionals, who will benefit from doing our courses,” said Singh.

“On our corporate learning platform, Udemy for Business, we have witnessed an increase of 80 per cent,” claimed Bakshi.

Another global edu-tech company catering to professionals is Yangpoo Executive Education, which represents leading universities like NMIMS, WeSchool, and IESE Business School among others. Samir Karkhanis, CEO, Yangpoo Executive Education, commented, “Employers very much value online programs in specific domains like Business Analytics, Digital Marketing, MS finance, and online MBA degree programs. The lockdown has turned out to be the best time for online edu-tech players as employees need to upgrade themselves to stay relevant in this ever changing and digitally transforming workplace.”

Harappa had launched B2B offerings in mid-2019. Their curriculum helps to enhance employability by addressing the challenges, needs, and aspirations of modern workplaces. “We have corporate customers that include leading brands across IT services, FMCG and financial services, as well as university partners; including a top 10 engineering campus, two top 10 management institutions and several fellowships for young changemakers. Even under the current circumstances, we have won over 20 corporate and university accounts,” claimed Singh.