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Gyanamite: A Regional Language Technology Platform to Support the Unemployed & Underemployed Students

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While many job seekers in India have an inhibition of English, they are not given the choice to learn skills in a language of their comfort. Today, most of the skilling content is available only in English. When regional language Internet users are on the rise, the lack of quality skilling content in vernacular languages leaves them at a disadvantage in a job interview. It is high time that quality skilling is made accessible to all, and that language stops getting in the way of learning.

Understanding this need of the hour, several startups started to deliver skilling content in vernacular languages. Amongst the few mind-boggling numbers of EdTech startups who added success stories to their name, Gyanamite is a name worth mentioning. Backed by a team of well-informed experts in the online education realm, the company ventured into the regional language skilling space and launched the website in 2019.

It is incubated by M by S² ­ a venture builder studio that focuses on education and sustainability. At a time when it is commonly believed that high proficiency in English can land job aspirants in a good job, Gyanamite believes that jobs of today value candidates' skills over English. Gyanamite is India's leading skilling and employability platform, born with a game-changing vision to make the Indian youth job-ready by delivering in-demand skills in regional languages.

Uniqueness
The Bangalore-based company started with a couple of recorded skilling videos in Tamil with experts from various industries. These videos helped them track user behaviour and assess the demand for regional language content. To date, Gyanamite has over 10 lakh learners on its website. On gaining enough website traction, the company launched its college-exclusive offering ­ Gyan-cast, in 2020. Despite the impact of the pandemic, over 50,000 hours of content was consumed by learners and more than 30 colleges have signed up for the premium Gyanamite membership.
Gyancast conducts skilling courses like Digital Marketing, Data Analytics, Tally, ERP, Python, and more for students in conversational Tamil. These courses are delivered live by industry specialists and are conducted over a series of live and interactive sessions to boost learner engagement. Students can attend sessions on courses of their interest and get certified on in-demand skills.

Gyanamite also works on the learner's feedback and monitors session analytics to improve the experience. "Students are encouraged to participate in activities, answer poll questions, and ask questions during the session. They ask an average of two questions and answer an average of five polls in every session. This level of engagement is unheard of in a conventional classroom, where students would have to raise their hands to ask a question or to answer once questioned by the faculty," affirms Ms.Hemalatha Srinivasan, Anchor Investor, Gyanamite.

Hemalatha Srinivasan,Anchor Investor

Gyanamite keeps its learners and faculties in sync with the changing market trends, therefore dedicates a week every month as `Industry Connect Week' and a monthly program for faculties called `Gyanam Series for Gurus'. Post-COVID, with the need for social distancing, Gyanamite moved into an online mode of delivery with students streaming sessions on their mobile devices. The company has interacted with over 20,000 students across 100+ colleges in Tamil Nadu. Gyanamite has tie-ups with recognized learning partners in the industry, including ASSOCHAM and SAP and looks to bring more partnerships.

Its portfolio company, Dexler Information Solutions, has delivered 10,00,000+ hours of learning content across 157 countries and has developed skilling content in 12 languages. Gyanamite is planning to open to retail customers and providing skills in their lo-cal language shortly. As part of the focus on being job-ready, deserving candidates will be offered internships to equip themselves with real industry expertise. This year, the company will expand its acquisitions into en-gineering colleges, including arts and science colleges. Adding content in four new languages and adding vari-ous hiring & learning partners for its learners are also on the cards.