How business education promotes digital skills in India

Going back to school for an MBA or an EMBA has become more convenient in this day and age. Online offerings have become increasingly mainstream in the world of executive education, including in India – which serves as welcome news for those looking for a flexible way to upskill.

Digital skills are prized in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. An increasingly number of universities are adapting their  graduate business programmes or introducing new ones to ensure they remain relevant with the times. This includes offering specialised modules related to technology, equipping students with digital skills, to offering networking opportunities with industry experts.

Similar programmes are being offered in India. Noida-based Shiv Nadar University, Delhi NCR, and Jaro Education, for instance, have recently teamed up to offer two accessible programmes – the MBA (Executive) degree and a Certificate in Data Science and Analytics for Business (DSAB).

Speaking on the importance of accessible learning – and what sparked the initiative – Dr. Bibek Banerjee, Dean of Shiv Nadar University’s School of Management & Entrepreneurship and the Academy of Continuing Education, said: “The ongoing pandemic has hit the Ctrl+Alt+Reset for our lives in general, and the business world in particular. At the emergence of new business realities, the way learning is delivered needs to adapt and change as well.”

The university’s MBA (Executive) programme is approved by the University Grants Commission (UGC) and can be completed in two years. To cater to the needs of busy professionals, the programme is offered in a flexible, blended format. 

The programme sets out to polish up the leadership skills of its applicants by teaching them to master a firmer grasp of business fundamentals.

It also covers topics and concepts such as design thinking, blockchain, artificial intelligence, financial engineering and digital strategy, and much more.

Meanwhile, the DSAB can be completed in eight months, and culminates with an official certification. The programme provides 190+ hours of guided learning.

According to its page, professionals will get immersive, hands-on training on the most relevant analytics tools that businesses worldwide are using today to solve complex problems.

Studies will cover machine learning, advanced predictive modelling, big data, and business analytics – to name a few. Tools like Excel, SQL, Python, Anaconda, NumPy, and TensorFlow will also be explored.

Digital skills for India’s digital future

“Jaro Education’s collaboration with Shiv Nadar University Delhi-NCR comes at an opportune moment when organisations are gearing up for the post-COVID industry scenario,” says Ranjita Raman, CEO of Jaro Education. 

This is a view echoed by a report commissioned by Amazon Web Services that notes India will need nine times as many workers with digital skills by 2025. The research revealed that digitally skilled workers currently represent 12% of India’s workforce. Meanwhile, only five percent of the total workforce in India applies advanced digital skills. To meet the demand, 3.9 billion people must be trained.

Such reports suggest that professionals who fuse their business and digital skills stand to benefit in the long-run. Furthermore, professionals who opt to pursue future-focused executive education programmes can add value in a range of sectors. 

According to India’s information technology industry’s apex body, the National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM), technology service providers are witnessing a 30% growth in digital deals, an 80% jump in cloud spending and a 15% rise in customer experience spending since the coronavirus outbreak.

Experts across the globe have echoed these sentiments, making it evident that the future of business will be hyper-digital and increasingly contactless. To measure up, the right training is essential.