Amongst these is 31-year-old Ashish Thomas who’s enrolled in an information science and AI course after practically a decade as a customer support government. “Just a few years in the past, the thought of switching careers after 10-12 years in a single discipline would have sounded loopy. However now, everybody’s upskilling…it’s by no means too late,” says the Gurgaon resident.
These new learners are usually not simply trying to upskill in present roles however typically aiming to change industries altogether pushed by fears of redundancy on account of speedy technological evolution.
“About one in three learners on our platform are deliberately transitioning into fields like AI, cybersecurity, and digital applied sciences,” stated Shantanu Rooj, founder and CEO of TeamLease Edtech.
“There’s rising concern about sure roles turning into out of date.”
On-line studying platform Coursera additionally reported that 39% of its learners are profession switchers, drawn by the promise of higher development, pay, and job safety.
“AI is reshaping job obligations, so even staying in the identical position now means adapting,” Prashasti Rastogi, senior director of schooling and authorities at Coursera stated in an interplay.
That is triggering an increase in consumption for a number of studying platforms like Upgrad, Simplilearn, Coursera, TeamLease Edtech, and NextLeap.
Simplilearn says mid-career professionals now make up 50-55% of their complete learners. “These programmes are getting ready professionals for next-level roles, particularly as generative AI turns into a cross-sector crucial,” Krishna Kumar, founder and CEO of Simplilearn instructed ET. He identified that sectors like IT, BFSI (banking, monetary companies and insurance coverage), and healthcare are contributing considerably to this development.
This yr, Ronnie Screwvala-led Upgrad, has seen a 40% year-on-year bounce in enrolments from mid-career professionals for its university-led programmes in line with Anuj Vishwakarma, COO of certifications and institutional enterprise.
Over 1.6 lakh professionals signed up for Upgrad’s certification programs within the final fiscal yr.
Trendspotting
Job tendencies assist the truth that mid-career professionals are transitioning into new, extra tech-focused roles. In response to Naukri, roles in AI and machine studying grew by 38% lately, whilst conventional IT jobs like system administration and front-end growth noticed a decline.
This shift can be mirrored in enrolments at Bengaluru-based NextLeap, which has seen a pointy rise in sign-ups for bootcamps in product administration, knowledge analytics, and UX (person expertise) design.
“A lot of our learners come from non-tech features like gross sales and operations, or tech-adjacent roles like QA (high quality assurance) and design,” stated cofounder and CEO Arindam Mukherjee.
Rise of micro-credentials
Micro-credentials, that are short-term, skill-specific programs, are additionally rising as fashionable decisions for time-strapped professionals in search of fast, focused studying. These credentials are additionally gaining favour amongst employers.
“Employers like micro-credentials as a result of they reduce hiring prices and scale back onboarding time by as much as 20%,” stated Rooj of TeamLease. “On the learner facet, they pace up job transitions and sometimes result in a pay hike.”
TeamLease reported over 60% development in enrolments for micro-credential programs this yr, whereas Simplilearn famous rising demand from professionals of their 30s and 40s looking for area pivots or deeper specialisation.
“Micro-credentials are preferrred for many who wish to keep up to date however can’t decide to long-term programmes,” stated Kumar of Simplilearn, including that 97% of employers are keen to pay a premium for candidates with licensed expertise in rising areas like generative AI.
As business disruption accelerates, India’s mid-career workforce is responding with urgency – investing in steady studying to stay aggressive in a quickly evolving job market.
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