edX partners with IL&FS to launch learning academy

 edX, the leading not-for-profit online learning destination, recently partnered with IL&FS Financial Services (IFIN) to launch online portal of IFIN  Academy using edX courses. Through this partnership, IFIN has created a customized catalog of edX courses and created a function specific, online learning path, for their employees. Through this portal, IFIN employees will have access to courses and programs provide high-quality skilling to help employees advance their skill set, or follow a path to an accelerated in house programs and development.

These courses are now available for discovery using edX Catalog API in a co-branded environment on the IFIN Academy Online Portal. To deploy this offering, IFIN is working with Work Better India – edX Channel Partner in India who provides learning and technology support for this integration.

An edX survey of online learners revealed a growing demand for a series of rich and rigorous courses, influenced by the demands of the job market. Learners want flexible, affordable, real-time knowledge and skills that enable and prepare them for a specific job or career that is currently the most sought after, such as Supply Chain Management – a field experiencing a worldwide talent shortage.

To address this need, edX launched the MicroMasters initiative, an educational innovation offering a new category of Master’s-level online education to bridge the knowledge gap between higher education and the workplace. MicroMasters programs offer in-demand knowledge and a cost-effective, flexible pathway to an accelerated on-campus program or to career advancement. Offered in subjects ranging from artificial intelligence (from ColumbiaX) to cybersecurity (from RITx), business management (from IIMBx) and supply chain management (from MITx),  MicroMasters courses are created by esteemed edX university partners, valued by top companies and linked to specific career outcomes.

In another step toward increase access to education that today’s global, connected learner demands, edX also launched Professional Certificate programs, which are a series of in-demand courses designed to build or advance critical skills for a specific career. Created by industry leaders and top universities, Professional Certificate programs help develop the skills and actionable knowledge needed for today’s top jobs through a flexible and affordable online learning experience.

“India has been the second largest market for edX, after the US, representing 1.2 Million learners from our 12 Million learner population worldwide. While our B2C learner base is growing exponentially every year in India, we are also expanding our B2B footprint with edX for Business services. We work closely with Corporates of all sizes to meet their upskilling and reskilling requirements in the most effective and robust manner. We're proud to have IL&FS Financial Services as our first enterprise customer in the BFSI domain in India. We look forward to strengthening this partnership further and train workforces to be future ready,” said Amit Goyal, Country Head- edX India. “These courses and programs provide the next level of innovation in learning by addressing the skills gap present in our industry to create a skillful, successful 21st-century workforce.”

“At IFIN, people are at the center of all activities. In keeping with trends today digitization of learning is the imperative action. I am very pleased that IFIN Academy has partnered with edX as a choice of excellence in the field of digitized learning. With this partnership, IFIN will be able to bring the best of global learning to its multinational employee base” commented Mr Ramesh C Bawa, MD & CEO, IL&FS Financial Services

As a response to the growing acceptance of MOOCs among Indian corporates, in the last year, edX has made significant corporate and strategic advancements in India, which makes up 11% of edX’s global learner base. Chief among them include the launch of edX for Business site in December of 2016. EdX for Business provides Corporate L&D solutions for the evolving workforce, offering access to thousands of in-demand courses from the world’s best universities and leading institutions by creating a flexible and convenient way to empower employees to gain deep knowledge in highly relevant fields like IT, business management, data analytics and more. With edX for Business, companies can develop the workforce they need through customized solutions that allow them to train, engage and benefit employees