UpGrad joins Startup India programme as education partner

Online learning and education platform UpGrad is the official education partner for Centre's 'Start-up India' learning programme.

Upgrad, co-founded by Ronnie Screwvala, will offer a four week programme aimed at entrepreneurs looking to take the plunge or already 2-3 years into their journey, with the objective of exposing them to possible challenges in their entrepreneurial journey and also inform them of the key steps required to set up one's own venture, it said.

The goal set up by Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and the DIPP Secretary R Abhishek is to benefit 1 lakh entrepreneurs from this platform in the first year and over the period of next 2-3 years support the ecosystem of over 1 million new entrepreneurs, Upgrad said in a statement here.  "If India can create 1 million first generation entrepreneurs in the next five years and each of them create an average of 50 jobs - that is going to reverse the trend technology and automation is having on shrinking employment opportunities for the youth," Screwvala said.

Upgrad aims to be a significant facilitator for first generation entrepreneurs to contribute 25 per cent of the 200 million jobs that India will be required to create in the next 5-10 years. To ensure this initiative has impact beyond the metros, along with the initial launch in English and Hindi, the programme will be launched in multiple vernacular languages like Telugu, Tamil and Marathi, Upgrad said.