Education and skilling company NIIT which recently launched Talent Pipeline as a Service (TPaaS) is looking to train 100,000 candidates over the next three years to create job-ready talent. In an interaction with Moneycontrol, Sapnesh Lalla, Chief Executive Officer, NIIT Limited talked about the strategic plans. Excerpts:
Q: You operate in a space that has extreme volatility with a handful of players also facing a financial crisis. Is diversification a key to staying strong?
A: We have very specific plans and this is what we have done for the last 35 years. I think the difference is that the industry requirements have changed substantially. So we have also changed to meet their needs.
Unlike others, we have a diversified portfolio to ensure that we don't concentrate too much on one area. For us, corporate business is 65 percent, career education is 30 percent and schools business is 5 percent.
Q: Do you think the TPaaS initiative will drive growth from a revenue perspective?
A: Every organisation has to evolve to stay relevant. We are also evolving at a pace relevant for the industry. We believe that for NIIT, all the segments will grow.
Unemployment is going down and employability is increasing. Hence, through TPaaS we are ensuring that.
Q: How many partners have you tied up with for TPaaS?
A: We have 10 organisations as partners for the TPaaS programme. We will ensure that we work only with top brands.
Overall, we are looking at training 100,000 students over the next three years. In FY19, it will be 15,000. We are also trying out the ITeS sector apart from IT and ITeS.
Q: Is further expansion internationally on the anvil?
A: Our core markets continue to be India, China, Europe, Canada, and the US. We will continue to expand there.
Q: You recently entered into a tie-up with Pitney Bowes. Will you conduct all their training programmes?
A: They wanted us to take care of their talent. We will be doing 100 percent of talent development for them. We are making investments together to make it more effective.
Q: You have a subsidiary that provides tech-based learning to K12 schools. Do you see growth in this segment considering many companies have burnt their fingers in this space?
A: There is uncertainty in that space. The government and the boards have created some of that uncertainty. But I believe things will clear up and as they do, it will stabilise.
Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
Find the best of Al News in one place, specially curated for you every weekend.
Stay on top of the latest tech trends and biggest startup news.
