Leaving almost three-fourth of the world’s students out of school during the pandemic, the majority of educational institutions adopted a live lesson streaming procedure to ensure that learning never stops. Technology played a vital role by empowering teachers and learners with the concept of virtual learning through live and pre-recorded videos. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the digital transition. Today, meetings, social events, and other large gatherings are moving to online alternatives to practice social distancing and reduce the risk of spreading illness. An increased reach for learning is necessary to allow greater access to online resources for students who may not have any. A tech-driven company, DataTrained always believed that technology needs to be integrated into the curriculum instead of viewing it as an add-on. “We not only helped universities and colleges to empower their educators to take their delivery online but also launched multiple certification programs to make sure that the learners are job-ready even during these tough times,” adds Janardan Tiwari, Founder, and CEO, DataTrained.
DataTrained was founded in 2012 with a vision to open access to key knowledge, tools, and inspiration to everyone who wants to learn from wherever they are. They are focused more upon enriching the aspiration of the 2nd and 3rd Tier student community who have got limited access to resources and quality education. Creating a pool of Edupreneurs across the length and breadth of India, DataTrained aims to add a plethora of jobs in India and abroad in the next few years. Janardan shares, “We have been able to upskill thousands of students. Unlike other Higher Education Institutions, we are focusing more upon upskilling our youth in industries with higher employment opportunities. Our recent programs in Investment Banking, Ecommerce, Human Resource Management, and Job Linked Management programs are testimony to our vision and mission”.
Enabling Skill Development
The courses at DataTrained are designed to empower working professionals to develop relevant competencies and accelerate their career progression. They have programs in emerging technologies like Data Science, Analytics, Big Data, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Cloud Computing, DevOps, Digital Marketing, Engineering, Investment Banking, E-commerce, Operations Marketing, HR Management, and People Analytics, to name a few. DataTrained always believed in Project-Based learning, i.e., developing your skills through practical work and application. “We have partnered with multiple organizations that provide internships to our students. Workplace experience, whether paid or voluntary, is one of the most successful ways for current students to gain that fierce edge in the employment market; it imparts the proof that you have the skills, capabilities, and mindset the employer wants,” explains Janardan.
The content at DataTrained is created by some of the brightest minds in the country. Their courses are designed in such a way that the student never feels isolated. Focusing on building a strong community, DataTrained is cultivating more interaction between the trainers and the student and among the students themselves. “At the beginning of every module, we discuss the problem statement. Starting with a question helps students understand the reason why are they learning the specific concept and thus focus on the practical implications of the same. When clubbed with quizzes, tests, Group discussions, and many more interactive projects, the whole learning experience becomes state of the art,” says Janardan.
Strongly believing that the key to long-term success is treating everyone like family including employees and customers, DataTrained’s workspace has multiple generations working together, which brings a variety of working styles and motivators to the workplace. Their Contemporary engagement strategies include experience-based rewards, authentic career conversations, exploratory exit connects, and end-to-end plans that touch every crucial point of the employee lifecycle, and if there is one element that is emphasized throughout, it is the human element.
Bringing Knowledge and Skill Together
Companies don’t have time to wait for a fresh crop of students to graduate. As with any new skill that grows in relevance faster than graduates are leaving school with the right degrees, it leaves companies with a shortage of qualified candidates. It is quite evident that there is a huge gap between what companies want and what the current education system offers. DataTrained has always worked on bridging this gap. “We believe in creating a strong link between what happens in the classroom and outside the classroom. We are not competing with the colleges but working with them instead,” opines Janardan.
Delivering more than 100 online live sessions a week, DataTrained’s revenue has increased by more than 10x in the past year. As the economy picked up post lockdown, DataTrained aspirants successfully secured more than 300 job offers merely in the last quarter, with the highest package of 17 LPA in the Data Science and Artificial Intelligence domain, 14 LPA in Full Stack Development, 11.2 LPA in Blockchain, 9 LPA in Investment banking, 7.2 LPA in HR operations and 6.5 LPA in E-commerce Operations and Marketing. They have around 65000 active learners on their platform and a pool of 200+ trainers to support them.
Moving from the traditional face-to-face education provides better learning some believe digital learning is more interactive and, therefore, more engaging for students, DataTrained chose to adopt Blended Learning as they saw how the students would benefit from the best of both worlds. Datatrained has already partnered with multiple universities both in India and abroad to provide highly interactive elements both in classrooms and in remote settings. “The next 12 months are going to be very exciting for us. While the academic reputation and exposure to global opportunities are gaining importance, the opportunity cost associated with education remains huge. With India being the primary focus, we are also looking forward to expanding network in the US, Canada, UK, and APAC region as well,” concludes Janardan.