‘Despite IT slowdown, high demand for GENAI courses’
Amidst a downturn in the information technology and services sector, education technology firm Simplilearn is witnessing robust demand from IT professionals seeking to learn new skills. Notably, there’s a growing interest in generative artificial intelligence courses.
The Blackstone-backed firm, which provides online upskilling, reported a 195 per cent Year-on-year increase in demand for GENAI courses in India in the first quarter of 2024. Simplilearn has seen over 300,000 professionals skilled in GENAI through the firm’s various programmes over the past year. Firms are rapidly adopting GENAI in areas like content writing, workflow and process automation, customer support, and data analysis. Given the large size of these teams within most companies, professionals in these domains must embrace GENAI to stay relevant and advance in their careers.
“Companies are tight on their technology spend. But there is a strong demand for learning. Everybody wants to learn GENAI and not fall behind the curve,” said Krishna Kumar, founder and chief executive officer, Simplilearn. “GENAI is impacting different aspects of the business. We are seeing a lot of inquiries and interest and have launched programmes for professionals in different areas.”
Kumar said this was the first time in the past 10 years that IT services companies are witnessing a slowdown at a large level. This is putting pressure on them to meet their revenue targets. “Employees now want more value out of their money. They are doing the courses only when they are sure that these would help them get a promotion or change their jobs,” said Kumar.
Growing interest
There is also rising demand for cybersecurity programmes. India contributes 72 per cent of learners, with high demand in the IT sector. As the world increasingly relies on digital transactions, Simplilearn said it remains committed to addressing the need for cybersecurity measures. It provides professionals with the skills necessary to navigate and mitigate cyber threats effectively.