THE ROADS WERE empty. The offices were padlocked. The parks were desolate and the sky was blue. As a restless race cooled its heels indoors, several screens flashed to life, providing a window to the world that was. As humankind hunkered down to deal with the pandemic, using technology as their tool to keep the world running, the screen became the lifeline to the rest of the world.
From meetings online to shopping, from attending schools online to remotely accessing office networks for important projects and, of course, for matters of entertainment, the screen became your constant companion. An added benefit was the abundance of time many office-goers had—thanks to the absence of commutes. As productivity increased, so did the need for skills in new-fangled fields such as digital marketing and data science. And the screen was the solution again. A portion of the workforce took to online courses with gusto, learning important skill sets to advance their careers. And these courses were offered not just by traditional institutes, but also by a bunch of up-and-coming edtech players.
“Regulations have made it easier to offer online courses, given the massive push for digital”
ASHWIN DAMERA Co-founder and CEO, Eruditus and Emeritus
“Within an edtech space, a CA, lawyer, and homemaker study under one roof ”
AKSHAY MUNJAL Founder and CEO, Hero Vired
“The average increment they [learners] get after the completion of a programme is 50-55 per cent”
MAYANK KUMAR Co-founder and MD, upGrad
For Divyashree Arumugam (name changed), a software engineer, this was a time for reflection. Having made the difficult decision to step away from her career to start a family, she. That worked out well. “Today, I live a well-balanced life where I manage home and kids along with a job,” she says.
