Simplilearn aims to be the 'go-to career' destination for professionals globally The online education platform has managed to spread its wings not only in India, but beyond the country's geographical boundaries also.

Today, when technology is ruling in every sector – whether it is financial, banking or any other – then how can education industry lack behind. With the changing trends in education sector, players dealing in online education are influencing education industry. India's e-learning market is estimated to be around $3 billion. Due to the new start-ups, internet and smartphone penetration, India's e-learning market is growing mainfold. The government's initiative to make digital learning available to students in every corner of the country is also aiding the sector.

Simplilearn is one such example which has come out with flying colors in e-learning market. Simplilearn is a leading provider of a suite of professional certification courses. They work with the leading companies and working professionals to address unique learning needs.

Taking the plunge

"After I sold my first venture Tech Unified, I took off and started blogging on project management through videos to help professionals crack PMP certification. In few months, I realized that I had trained more than 3,000 professionals on PMP and also understood the need of training bodies for working professionals to help them get certified. That is the time when the idea of Simplilearn came to my mind," recalls Krishna Kumar, Founder, Simplilearn – who have been an entrepreneur ever since he graduated from college. His first venture was Tech Unified, which was later acquired by a listed company in 2007.

In this world of competition, where everyday a new start-up is born, making an online education portal popular among the student is a tricky task. "Initially when we started, we faced some challenges. The model was not prudent as professional training was not an established category 4-5 years back. Another challenge was getting more employees on board. However as we grew, we have been successful in attracting the right kind of talent. Today, we are able to overcome these challenges with time and satisfy our customers with the courses overall," shares Kumar.

Spreading reach

Simplilearn offers 250 courses and has trained over 400,000 professionals worldwide across key categories like technology, business and marketing, with a team of more than 2,000 well-qualified trainers working towards the common goal of spreading knowledge in the professional certifications domain. Simplilearn has successfully managed to spread its wings not only in India, but beyond the country's geographical boundaries also.

"Having been providing courses in over 100 countries, Simplilearn have a major presence globally and we see 70 per cent of our users from US, Australia, UK and the Middle East, and about 30 per cent of users are from India. US and India continue to be our primary growth markets, contributing nearly 90 per cent of the firm's revenue," says Kumar.

A pioneer in professional certification courses

Simplilearn is one of the world's leading certification training providers. Being pioneer in online education and training for professional certification courses, which differentiates them from rest of the start-ups; the firm creates education programs, and develops exams and labs that aid in cracking the certification exams.

"Our uniqueness lies in the fact that we are focused towards providing short-term yet accredited training that will directly impact the career growth of professionals. We help individuals with their tangible goals, which lead to better job opportunities and higher pay packages," Kumar adds further.

Today, when more and more students are opting for the online platform for learning in comparison to the traditional learning, start-ups offering online education find huge growth opportunity in the e-learning market. "There is a huge market opportunity and the demand for professional certification training is increasing, as more individuals seek professional certifications to succeed in their career and we are confident that the momentum will continue," asserts Kumar.

Future plans

Although, Simplilearn has started offering corporate services, Kumar intends to continue to focus on individual customers. The company, which has its presence in US, UK and Australia, is planning to expand its global reach as well. "As we continue to strengthen our offerings in the market and invest in the most relevant technology, we want to be the go-to career destination for professionals globally across key sectors. We plan to scale to 600 courses by the end of this year," says an ambitious Kumar.