COVID-19: IIT-M Startup to Make Students ‘Job Ready’ With Free Online Courses

The Coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic has disrupted the life of vast swathes of the country’s population, particularly the thousands of students preparing for campus placements and the fast approaching final semester exams.

Since authorities have asked colleges and their respective placement cells/training centres to close down operations and in light of a nationwide shutdown on the horizon, GUVI, an IIT-Madras-incubated startup has stepped in to offer online IT-skilling courses to students preparing for campus placements free of cost till the end of this month.

Students can subscribe on their website to access the courses on the platform without having to pay anything.

“We need to ensure the safety of students through all possible measures while also ensuring that they have the requisite skills for bright job prospects. GUVI is contributing in a small but significant manner towards these goals, to ensure the students acquire the right skills and are employable. Our hiring partners have also been gracious in supporting us in this initiative,” says SP Balamurugan, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, GUVI in a conversation with The Better India (TBI).

“Till 31 March, we will offer free online courses across the board. If the epidemic goes beyond 31 March, however, we will absolutely continue these free courses till the time we can afford it. This is more than making just money. It’s about supporting and helping people till they recover from this epidemic,” he adds.

Incorporated in 2014, the startup, co-incubated by IIM-Ahmedabad, offers an online platform for students to pick up coding and programming skills in vernacular languages like Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Bengali, amongst others.

“Any IT-skilling course can be learnt and practiced on the GUVI platform, while we also help people get recruited as well. But these courses are also for whoever wants to learn programming or coding since these are necessary skills required to establish a career in any field. That’s how GUVI courses are designed. Moreover, for people not comfortable with English, it offers them a platform to enhance their coding skills. Even professionals who want to upgrade their programming skills apply for our courses. Our business model includes buying our courses, learning and practicing them, and getting hired,” he says.

In the time of COVID-19, their special courses will help upskill students and make them ‘job ready’ without having to leave their house. In addition, more than 100 technologists from top product companies have also volunteered to conduct 30-day free webinar sessions on the top IT Skills that the industry looks for, which the students can learn from home on GUVI’s platform free of charge. Online Mentors are also available to support the students to practice the concepts on their online coding platform ‘Code kata.’

GUVI as an integrated ed-tech platform in vernacular languages has established a real presence in India. They have a foothold in over 1,000 engineering colleges. It has already upskilled more than 2.2 lakh engineers in latest technology skills such as Python, Java and Machine Learning, among others and assisted them gain placement in IT firms.

Also Read: Nipah to Coronavirus: IAS Officer Explains Why Kerala Is Better Prepared Than Most

(Edited by Saiqua Sultan)

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