If the Government can effectively harness the power of the Internet here, the multi-billion dollar online learning industry, which includes particularly profitable IT training modules, will open up to educators in this country
The Narendra Modi Government’s Rs100 crore commitment towards establishing live Virtual Classrooms and Massive Online Open Courses is a testament to the potential that the concept holds. At a time when the Prime Minister’s call for ‘Make in India’ is resonating across the globe, lVCs presents the country with the opportunity to invite students from abroad to ‘study in India’ via the internet.
Given that the lVC set up is flexible and cost effective for students and employees abroad, abundant opportunities are waiting to be seized by Indian players who can impart training. While some Indian companies have made a foray in the field, their participation is just the tip of the iceberg. As per the 2013 State of the Industry Report by the Association for Talent Development, companies in the US spent $164 billion on employee learning and development in 2012 alone. Of this, six billion dollars was spent on information technology training. When IT training and certification market globally stands at $20 billion, the six billion dollar US chunk is a big pie for Indian IT training companies.
Till a decade ago, lVCs looked like a distant dream for IT training companies due to several bottlenecks. Poor Internet services was the biggest issue in delivering online training. However, in the last few years, there has been a turnaround in the Internet delivery system, as high-speed internet has gained much ground.
The emergence of high-speed Internet services enabled hitch-free video conferencing, make lVCs a reality for IT trainers looking to impart training overseas. Indian IT training firms can now deliver sophisticated training and cash-in on the cost advantage. The Government of India, recently approved a Digital India project, and plans to spend one lakh crore rupees. It also plans to introduce high-speed Internet in the rural areas. The Government aims to complete the project by 2019, thereby, providing a shot in the arm for players who aim to operate lVCs in far-flung areas.
There is minimal requirement of a computer and robust Internet service to cater to students and corporate employees who want to upgrade their IT skills. A two Mbps line is sufficient to support a video conference through which classes can be delivered. Today, someone siting in a remote corner of Nahan, in Himachal Pradesh, can successfully train corporate employees in the Silicon valley.
If such a model is replicated elsewhere in the country with the availability of basic resource for lVC training, it will become a panacea for India’s lingering problems of unemployment and people migrating to cities for want of opportunities in rural areas. Youngsters from rural and small Indian cities come scurrying for jobs to metropolitan cities. This happens as opportunities in rural areas either being scarce or they eke out meager amounts which is not enough to fulfill ones personal and social responsibilities.
Tutoring students abroad, especially in the US, through virtual classrooms is gaining currency in urban areas. Those who move to cities and deliver coaching from there will have greater opportunities in their small towns if the vision Digital India is realised. lVC can open new doors for people, creating innovative ways of becoming financially reliant.
The successful model of Bangalore-based TutorVista speaks volumes about the potential lVC channels hold. The company provides online tutoring services by connecting instructors in India with school and college students, mostly in North America. Coming back to IT learning, opportunities for IT training companies and individual IT trainers are enormous as the $20 billion global lVC market is still unexplored. For IT professionals, skill set updation is a continuous process to match the pace and requirement of the corporate IT world. When IT learning is an ongoing process, corporates spend a lot on honing skills of employees.
For corporates in the US and elsewhere, training their employees on shore is an expensive deal. Offshore training companies in India lend them cost advantage and allow the employees to get training at a time convenient to them. Corporates shell out $2,000 to $5,000 for one week of training via lVC which they find cost effective, as their employees are able to learn without taking off from their their work responsibilities and the price is comfortable for the companies to bear.
The IT curriculae of Microsoft, SAP, Oracle, Adobe, Cisco, among others, are global; training in these cases can be provided from any part of the world. Providing technology training via lVC has huge potential and India just needs to grab the opportunity to make the most of it. The time is ripe.
(The writer is founder and CEO of Koenig Solutions)