Why is upskilling necessary for students?

Meet Rahul Kashyap, the Co-founder of Skillslash, an Edtech company based in Bengaluru. He started the company to assist the students with real work experience so that they get hired in top MNCs.

Speaking to Young Hans, he talks about how upskilling courses in India for tech and nontech professionals are creating a bridge to reduce the skill gap and create better opportunities for aspiring professionals in the industry.

Excerpts from an interview with Rahul Kashyap

How upskilling makes students future-ready?

The courses have not been incorporated in the curriculum of our traditional colleges and universities. Hence, upskilling platforms are teaching these courses along with interactive sessions with experts. We are also providing real-time industry experience to the learners which is making them job ready.

Do you think a robust economy needs women in the tech workforce?

Women have always remained significantly underrepresented in the tech industry. Gender equality is a major issue in this sector. But, with the passage of time more and more have shifted in the technology and IT industry. Though the percentage of women in the tech workforce is still low, it is growing exponentially. Today, around 30 per cent of women are employed in the technology sector. By nature, men and women think differently. Their ideas can be integrated to come up with unique solutions which can be fruitful for a company's growth. A company with high gender diversity has the potential to generate more revenue and give better results.

How upskilling is helping non-engineering students secure a job in the tech field?

Nowadays, companies are offering jobs to the applicants on the basis of their skills without considering their educational backgrounds. So, upskilling is helping people who are willing to work in the tech sector but they do not have the necessary skills. There are many cases where students from non-engineering backgrounds have bagged technical jobs in big tech firms such as Amazon, Infosys, Microsoft, etc. Upskilling has played a major role in these cases.

How Ed-tech platforms have revolutionised the learning system in the past few years?

Ed-tech platforms have made a mark in revolutionising the learning system especially during the pandemic. The Ed-tech market has witnessed a tremendous rise in the past couple of years. Ed-tech platforms have transformed the traditional education model by incorporating the latest technologies and tools in their teaching methods. Also, the ed-tech platforms are actively providing critical support to various colleges and universities in transitioning to the virtual world. Furthermore, the Ed-tech platforms have played a crucial role in lowering the skill gap in the tech industry.

How its bridging the skill gap in the tech industry?

India creates around a million engineering graduates every year. But, very few of them have the required skill sets to join the tech industry. This is because the syllabus of engineering colleges and universities are very old. Also, there are numerous engineering colleges in the country which have reduced the quality of the brain of our country. So, upskilling is providing aid to such students by offering various upskilling courses in diverse sectors. The educational content provided by the upskilling platforms are modified and up-to-date which help students to grasp the knowledge efficiently. Many upskilling platforms offer placement opportunities to their learners, thus helpful in bridging the skill gap in the tech industry.