Training Business For Startups
Indian training providers are leading in this sector across the world. Companies like Simplilearn, Unicomlearning, Benchmarksixsigma, EduComp and its subsidiary WizIQ, EduKart, TestBook, Meritnation and KnowledgeHut etc. are doing good in this sector.
I observed that good numbers of capital sources (Venture Capitalist, Angel Investors and Equity Firms) are taking interest in this area. The traditional classroom training still has its space but IES (Internet Enabled Services) training mode is becoming popular with the emergence of IoT(Internet of things) and now with IES mode training business can be consider as good subject for startup due it’s low-cost initial investment and broader reach.
Job market and required competencies: IT sector, project management and quality management are hot areas for professionals as these sectors offer ample of opportunities and lucrative salary packages. The nature of these sectors demands upgraded and skilled professionals. Thus fresher and experienced professionals require keeping themselves fast, smart and self motivated. They also need to stay informed about present needs and future demands of these sectors to plan their career accordingly. Nowadays there is no such thing as real job security. The real job security comes from keeping your knowledge and skills current and sharp.
Reputed institutions whether government or private definitely helps in a good start but their reach is very limited. Other professionals opt for distance education and open learning; their beginning is not that smooth but a recent study has revealed that most innovative employees at Google do not belong to top academic institutions.
Would like to share some of these popular training and certification programs which are now offered through IES mode and help professionals to lead in current scenario:
For Quality Management- Government and private both institutions offer international certification in this area.
Six Sigma-It’s a proven methodology for quality management and a set of techniques and tools for process improvement. Its trainings and certifications are divided into different levels, where each level signifies knowledge and experience in methodology.
White Belt – First level of six sigma certification. White belt understands basic Six Sigma concepts from an awareness perspective.
Yellow Belt- Generally in a project team yellow belts use to reviews process improvements that support the project.
Green Belt: Assists with data collection and analysis for Black Belt projects. Those who holds this leads Green Belt projects or teams.
Black Belt- Black Belts leads problem-solving projects. Trains and coaches project teams.
Master Black Belt: Trains and coaches Black Belts and Green Belts. Master Black belt functions more at the Six Sigma program level by developing key metrics and the strategic direction. Acts as an organization’s Six Sigma technologist and internal consultant.
Lean – The key focus of Lean is to identify and eliminate wasteful actions that do not add value to customers. Lean management training and certifications are highly valuable for anyone having interests in analyzing and improving process outcomes.
Lean management or Lean expert – These programs are required for people in improvement roles, helps in learning and applying lean thinking and tools at your workplace.
Besides this there are certification and trainings available in methodologies like Kaizen, Kanban and BPR etc. In India government institutions like ISI (India Statistical Institute) and some private institutes offer such training and certifications, moreover MNC companies also offer such certifications to their employees upon request.
For project management/Program management- Project management is the process and activity of planning, organizing, motivating, and controlling resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals in scientific or daily problems. There are a number of approaches for managing project activities including lean, iterative, incremental, and phased approaches.
The most popular institute which offers training and certification for traditional approach is PMI- Project Management Institute; it is the world’s leading not-for-profit professional membership association for the project, program and portfolio management profession. Its main certifications are:
PMI PMP- Project Management Professional credential is the most important industry-recognized certification for project managers. Globally recognized and demanded, the PMP demonstrates that you have the experience, education and competency to lead and direct projects. Besides this there are other certification exists specifically designed for Project and Program management professionals: PMI CAPM – Certified Associate in Project Management, PMI PgMP- Program Management Professional, PMI PfMP- Portfolio Management Professional
PRINCE2- PRINCE2 (an acronym for Projects IN Controlled Environments) is a de facto process-based method for effective project management. It is used extensively by the UK Government. It’s main certification are: PRINCE2 Foundation, PRINCE2 Practitioner. The official body who offers these certifications and trainings is APMG- International.
Agile project management- Agile project management approaches, based on the principles of human interaction management. Today a market opportunity comes and goes very quickly and agile project management has emerged as most effective approach particularly in the field of software development that is the reason why brands like yahoo and Microsoft are taking major steps towards agile implementation and getting rid of their age old waterfall model. Certification for this is:
PMI ACP- Agile Certified Practitioner
Scrum – It’s an agile software development framework. Main certifications and trainings for this are:
Certified Scrum Master, Certified Scrum Developer, Certified Scrum Product Owner, Certified Scrum Professional and Certified Scrum Coach.
For IT- software development- The leading brands like Microsoft, Oracle, SAS offers different technical certification which fresh graduates and working professional can earn, this helps in improving their professional profile and gives a perspective to look at the technical things in broad scenarios because question pattern of these certifications is designed based on real life development projects.
Microsoft- Microsoft certificates are divided into five main categories: Server, Desktop, Applications, Database and Developer. Main certifications are:
Microsoft Technology Associate, Microsoft Certified Solution Associate, Microsoft Certified Solution Expert, Microsoft Office Specialist, Microsoft Office Specialist Expert, Microsoft Office Specialist Master, Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist, Microsoft Certified Information Technology Professional, Microsoft Certified Solution Developer etc.
Oracle- Oracle offers wide range of products and there are certifications designed for each of them. Its most popular certifications are:
For Java/J2EE- Oracle Certified Professional Java SE 7 Programmer, Oracle Certified Associate Java SE 8 Programmer, Oracle Certified Professional Java EE 5 Web Component Developer, Oracle Certified Professional Java EE 5 Business Component Developer, Oracle Certified Expert Java EE 6 Enterprise JavaBeans Developer, Java EE 6 Web Services Developer, Oracle Certified Master, Java EE 6 Enterprise Architect etc.
For Oracle Database- Oracle Database 11g Administrator Certified Associate, Oracle Database 11g Administrator Certified Master, Oracle Database 11g Administrator Certified Professional, Oracle Database 11g Certified Implementation Specialist etc.
SAS (Statistical Analysis System) is a software suite developed by SAS Institute for advanced analytics, business intelligence, data management, and predictive analytics. SAS certifications are among the most globally recognized credentials in the industry.
Programming Certification- SAS Certified Base Programmer, SAS Certified Advanced Programmer, SAS Certified Clinical Trials Programmer
Advance Analytics Certification- SAS Certified Predictive Modeler Using SAS Enterprise Miner, SAS Certified Statistical Business Analyst Using SAS 9: Regression and Modeling
Besides this others are SAS Certified Platform Administrator, SAS Certified Data Integration Developer and SAS Certified BI Content Developer etc.
These are some of the tips which make individual shine in his career and help him becoming a better professional. Recently when somebody asked what is the relevance of these certifications Mr. Hans Forbrich, CEO, Forbrich Computing, provider of Oracle Certification replies: “If two people with roughly the same background and experience are vying for the same job, the certified person will usually get to the top of the HR pre-screening pile. Certification gives an employee the edge.”
These trainings and certifications help professionals to gain a competitive advantage by developing a skill set that’s in demand, worldwide.
Main investors in IES training business:
Helion Venture partners – Helion Ventures Partners is an Indian focused venture fund firm based in Mauritius. It invests in early to mid-stage companies in India in sectors such as outsourcing, internet, mobile, technology products, retail, education and financial Services. It is founded in 2006 and by 2015 it has over $600 million fund under management. Some notable brands partnered with hellion venture are: MakeMyTrip, redBus.in, YEPME, PubMatic, UnitedLex, TaxiForSure, Ezetap
Helion Venture Partners’s Portfolio
Some recent investments of this firm are:
- In the month of Feb’2015- Woolpr, a Bangalore-based startup focusing on hyper-local discovery of products has secured $5 million in funding by Helion Venture Partners.
- In Feb’2013, LifeCell International Pvt Ltd has secured an investment of Rs 35 crore from Helion Venture Partners.
- In Dec’2014 LivSpace, an ecommerce startup in the home design and decor space, has raised Rs 29 crore from Helion Venture Partners.
- In May’ 2014 Helion Venture Partners has invested Rs 27 crore in multi-specialty dental care chain Denty’s.
Kalaari Capital– Kalaari Capital has $350 million under management, with a strong advisory team in Bangalore, investing in early-stage, technology-oriented start-ups in India, they seek companies that are capturing new markets, providing innovative solutions and creating new wealth for India and beyond.
- Launched in July 2013, Grabhouse.com, a community-based online exchange for finding rented accommodation has raises $2.5 million from Kalaari Capital and Sequoia Capital.
- Feb’2015 Mr. Ratan Tata joins Kalaari capital’s advisory board.
WizIQ– WizIQ, an online education platform which provides virtual classroom software for teachers and trainers at school and university level has raised a $4 million by Kaizen, an Indian private equity firm focused on the education sector and from a German-based global media company, Bertelsmann.
Kaizen is a private equity firm which is established with an aim to making growth stage private equity investments in the Education sector in India.
EduKart.com launched in November’2011, is the largest higher education enrollment platform in India. EduKart.com has raised $500,000 in seed funding from a group of early-stage institutional and angel investors. These include French early-stage fund Kima Ventures, Amit and Arihant Patni (from Patni family), computer services firm AKM Systems, Vibhor Mehra (ex-partner at SAIF Partners) and Stanford University alumni.
TestBook.com, an online test preparation platform for competitive exams like GATE and CAT, has secured Rs 1.5 crore through LetsVenture, an online platform to connect startups with accredited investors and ah! Ventures the angel network of Club Ah!.
LetsVenture –LetsVenture connects Startups with Global Angels, VCs and Startup programs letsventure.com
Ah! Ventures- angel network- ahventures.in
Meritnation.com is an online education portal that provides interactive study material for student of classes 1st to 12th. In Dec’2013 MeritNation has raised Rs 10 crore investments from Info Edge (India).
Besides this other main investors are: Nexus Venture Partners, Nexus has so far invested in about 60 startup, apart from Nexus other home grown investors are IDG Ventures India, Blume Ventures, India Quotient, KAE Capital and Orios Venture.