India is called the youth capital of the world as it has the largest pool in this segment; around 66 per cent of the total population is below the age of 35. The increasing internet penetration in the country put together with the demographic dividend has opened doors for a billion-dollar opportunity in India. Sectors like ecommerce and Ed-Tech have already made moves encashing on the opportunity.

The foundation of any successful nation rides on the back of technology, skilling and employment. The Ed-Tech industry understands this better than any other. Ed-Tech players have not only the dream but also the vision and means to move forward. Despite the road ahead is still long, the industry is inching towards the goal of building a future-ready India through the following three pillars:

Technology Matters

Prior to the dawn of the Ed-Tech industry, education in several parts of the nation was still a pipe dream. Even with the availability of education, it was based on more theoretical learning rather than experiential learning. The Ed-Tech industry in Pre-Covid times was waiting for disruption and the pandemic acted as a catalyst to revolutionize the educational landscape of the country. With e-learning becoming commonplace, Ed-Tech adoption witnessed a meteoric rise. School, colleges and every other form of learning that existed in Pre-Covid era, switched from traditional to online methods. The Ed-Tech industry showcased a wider outreach than the traditional system, and its few configurations, such as MOOCs, long/short videos, live sessions and the newly introduced cohort-based learning system made learning more interactive. Mentors and learners across India acknowledged technology-based education to be a superior method for learning. There is a bigger, a lot greater chance for India. Ed-Tech will evolve to provide AI-based recommendations to students/learners’ in identifying the gaps in their profile. Platforms will also match them with current and future relevant skills to help them become job-ready.

Skilling Economy

The current job market is a competitive field and having academic qualifications is just one aspect of it. With a constantly evolving world, it is near impossible for one to be at par with it riding on the mere back of education. Every year, millions of young Indians come out of college thinking they’re ready for a new job. Only to realize that they’re not prepared for the world of work, let alone the interview, or even worse, the rejection. Many are pressured to take a job they have no interest in. Others are less fortunate, left behind with no job at all through lack of choice, skills or motivation.

Successful careers are only built on the drive to constantly learn and persistently evolve. This is where the Ed-Tech industry has to evolve to also become skill-tech. There is an employability divide in India and the industry has to now aim to provide not only education but also the required skills to acquire a job. There is a need to build learning platforms that are CV to JD and can create personalized learning journeys and real results.

Creating Employment

A research report by the World Economic Forum reveals that 64% of young people in India between the ages of 15 and 30 are not currently in education or employment. This is because they face various challenges in finding desirable jobs including information asymmetries, lack of guidance in identifying suitable job opportunities and a lack of relevant and quality skill-development programmes. This shows that skilling and employment go hand in hand. Hence, platforms that are currently learning-oriented will also have to evolve into job-tech products.

As India becomes a skilled economy, there needs to be a renewed focus on bringing the best tech & non-tech jobs to the youth. Ed-tech platforms must leverage their growing digital infrastructure and the rise in internet access to skill the youth and also match them with better, higher-paying jobs.

*The author is Divya Jain, Co-founder, Seekho