NEW DELHI, Feb 21 (IANS) – edtech platform upGrad announced plans to expand its product portfolio by translating popular Certs & Bootcamps into local languages using artificial intelligence. The initiative aims to cater to the growing demand from learners in Tier 2 cities and beyond, where regional languages are more prevalent compared to English.
The company has identified Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Bengali languages for the first phase of translation. This move is expected to enhance the learning experience and make it more accessible for freshers and working professionals.
Asheesh Sharma, President of Certifications and Bootcamps at upGrad, stated, “Presently over 40 per cent of upGrad’s learner base in India is from Tier 2 cities and beyond where regional languages are more prevalent compared to English.”
The company plans to combine teaching with human interventions in the form of counsellors and buddies who understand local languages. This approach is aimed at making the learning experience more personalized and effective for learners from diverse linguistic backgrounds.
The catalogue will include courses in Engineering, Data Science, AI, Cloud Computing, DevOps, UI/UX, and Agile Project Management in the first phase. Phase two will target Cybersecurity, Blockchain, Product Management, Business Analyst, and ITIL, with foreign languages like Spanish and Chinese also being included.
Sharma emphasized the transformative nature of online learning, stating, “Online is an incredible tool that has come a long way from being a VC tool vs. an interactive and immersive format that’s hands-on and accessible at any given point.”
upGrad has seen enrollment from more than five lakh learners, with the highest demand coming from Bengaluru, New Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Odisha, Pune, Chennai, and Kolkata among others. This move to translate courses into local languages is expected to further boost the platform’s reach and impact in the edtech space.
–IANS
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