Outcome-Based Learning

Who would’ve thought the pandemic could make us rethink our way of life! Staying home and being connected is the new normal. People all over the world want to move forward together while being socially distant. The exponentially changing technology landscape has made this transition smoother. And to keep abreast with this disruptive technology, companies and jobs have to adapt to newer ways of learning without further ado. Many companies believe that reskilling and upskilling the existing staff is the way forward and have already put together a robust learning program. But Often, talent development is linked to ROI. And when you have to achieve agile results at scale, it often proves challenging. It’s time we recognise that learning on the go is expected as flexibility becomes the new normal.   Online Learning: Temporary or Permanent? COVID-19 crisis has forced us to take the learning experience online. The EdTech space has witnessed a phenomenal spike in the past few months. And this is reflected in google trends report as well. Everyone is grappling to find answers on how to keep the workforce updated in times like these and most of them have found solace in online learning.  But will this continue even after the crisis? Or is this just a temporary phase? Zoom and other digital communication tools are seeing a spike in both usage and stock price. According to some experts, this is a radical shift and could outlast the COVID-19 outbreak. We can learn from this and start implementing smart, agile, collaborative learning experiences. Companies will embrace this digital switch to achieve high-impact learning at scale for years to come.  Learn with upGrad Live As technology evolves, online learning will evolve too. Today we are building them as an active learning experience, where one goes through a series of modules, does certain tasks/exercises to move ahead in the course.   In the near future, AR and VR could have a massive impact on the online learning experience. Educators would be able to optimize their lessons by recreating places or transforming objects they are talking about. This approach would essentially amplify our current reality and create opportunities to communicate complex concepts in a manner that can be easily understood. But the fact remains that to keep up with the rapidly changing technology landscape, we will need a permanent (tried and tested) solution to transform the workforce at scale.  Adoption and learning curve  Sure, the adoption is slow and it’s a learning curve for all of us. Although some companies had already embraced digital learning, our survey (High-Impact Learning at Scale) suggests that the pandemic has forced many more to consider the option. Here’s why and how online learning can really help you keep up with the changing times.  1. It’s in line with the online generation and business models To be honest, technology is ruling our lives. The fact that this learning model is technology-based makes it universally accepted. Cell phones, tabs, computers and much more, people have made technological devices a part of their everyday lives. Rather, they are highly dependent on it whether personal life or work life. So it makes sense to leverage technology in their training.  2. It gives quantifiable results and reporting To keep abreast with the changing business landscape many companies offer training to their employees. Rigorous training, life coaching courses, self-development programs, skill improvement and much more is offered to employees to increase effectiveness. But all this training is futile if it’s not reflected in attaining business goals. With an online training model, measuring and evaluating the program effectiveness is faster and easier. Online platform gives you data like rates of course completion, forum commitment, examination grades, and course completion timeframe can be collected as reports right from the Learning Management System (LMS). This can give you a clear picture of the employee commitment, their upskilling needs and their development path within the company. 3. Instant feedback and recognition helps employees stay committed to the learning experience  Digital learning enhances the learning experience while not losing the conventional interactive experience. In fact, it’s a step ahead as it offers instant grades, performance assessment and feedback. This allows learners to measure how well they are performing, and what parts of the learning resource they should revise before moving on. Digital platform makes is more graphical with badges, leaderboards, gamification features and certificates offer employees a sense of recognition and accomplishment that inspires them to learn. 4. An outcome-oriented learning experience that gives the best ROI Digital learning is focused and result-oriented. The recollection rate is higher in concept-based learning since its more structured and defines the relationship between topics, establishing a solid network of knowledge instead of disconnected pieces of information. Online learning offers the flexibility and autonomy to select what to learn next, when to learn and where to learn from. This helps learners to focus on the outcome.  5. Up-to-date skills on demand Online platforms are constantly monitoring the latest trends, emerging technologies. This helps them realign their courses and deliver best-in-class programs on-demand, often before that particular skillset is in-demand.  Cultural change inside out  Though many companies are shifting focus to digital learning, there are still some rooted deeply in the traditional ways of training. The bigger the organisation, the bigger the roadblock. To consider the vertical hierarchy, horizontally spread branches and departments, it is a hard task to bring everyone on the same page. It’s a top-down strategy and will need a complete inside out cultural change in terms of how you look at talent development. However, the pandemic has forced companies to speed up this process. As #WFM becomes a new normal, companies have come to realise that the only way to keep abreast of the change is to remain prepared and ready to adapt culturally to this new normal.  Our own survey for the whitepaper ‘High-Impact Learning at Scale’ suggests that the L&D budget commitments moved from 40% to 80% post COVIOD-19, within a span of just one month. A promising growth of EdTech worldwide suggests that online learning is already getting a nod from many companies and they’ve already begun the journey of this inside out cultural change.  Together we can create a new online learning paradigm  At upGrad, we look forward to charting your business graph. We start with you, understand your problems and create solutions that are bespoke to your needs. We understand the changing market landscape, your business mission that changes with it and we revolutionise learning to build new capabilities and help you stay relevant. We work with enterprises to shape world-class professionals by creating an immersive experience using the latest technology, pedagogy, and services.  To date, over 500,000 learners have successfully upskilled and reskilled themselves via upGrad at industry-defying rates of over 85%. Our cutting edge curricula and collaboration with the leading global faculty and industry experts makes us the pioneers in helping enterprises create a workforce that is ready to conquer tomorrow, today.  Still need convincing? Download our whitepaper. Or Reach out to us on enterprise@upgrad.com

As the markets start to reopen, enterprises around the world are looking at a rapid recovery mode to overcome the muted economy. Businesses are now preparing for the decade of the never-normal, an era of isolated workforce driving combined business growth. And tech companies are the torchbearers, some of them making plans to have a permanent remote working staff in the near future.  But how do you efficiently drive full-scale digital transformations with remote IT teams?  Enterprises know that while remote working has become the new normal, the expectation of collaborative IT teams to deliver swift operations is not new at all. This is where the increased need and demand for the full stack workforce comes in. Embracing full stack allows enterprises to be nimble with a lean, self-sufficient team by fully utilizing the resource to code both front-end and back-end, as well as everything in between like system administration and server maintenance.  Full-stack developers break down siloed disciplines by unifying technology, processes, and people. This DevOps culture improves collaboration and coordination. This helps enterprises with the agility they need with smaller teams. Here are a few full-stack advantages that can give you a competitive edge The Technical Advantage Continuous software delivery Complete ownership of the entire software lifecycle means, code changes reach production—and new value reaches the customer—as soon as possible. Less complexity to manage Full stacker’s ability to move from one operation to another and a collaborative approach with different disciplines helps businesses streamline processes and fast-track development. Faster resolution of problems Full stackers understand all the layers of programming, allowing them to quickly identify and resolve problems on the fly.   Read: Full Stack Developers Demand in India: Hottest Profession The Cultural Advantage Happier, more productive teams When a full-stack developer takes on a project, the overall productivity of the team gets a boost. He/She acts as a bridge between the front end and back end, fostering greater collaboration and sync. Their natural ability to lead by example, help them motivate and inspire their teams. Higher employee engagement A full-stack developer is an inspiration for everyone, especially the newly employed individuals. Their knowledge of both front-end and back-end technologies makes them great mentors, helping juniors see the big picture and seniors see the benefits of greater collaboration. Greater professional development opportunities Going full-stack naturally opens doors for traditional roles to move towards DevOp roles. It creates a professional development path for all your existing functions, from front-end to backend to QA/QC teams to delivery teams, helping you curb the employee attrition problem.   The Business Advantage Faster delivery of features to give you the competitive advantage More stable operating environments to work smarter and more efficiently   Improved communication and collaboration for increased productivity More time to innovate rather than spending time on fixing and maintaining Full-stack value chain to add value to your business  Customers are now expecting enterprises to go from concept to prototype within weeks while maintaining focus on the bigger picture. They are expecting Agile product delivery FSD culture allows you to deliver products in a more agile way, frequently. This allows you to go from concept to beta test to the final release earlier than planned saving businesses time, money, and resources.  Ability to change With a full stacker on board, the team can constantly refine and reprioritize the overall product backlog, whilst delivering on the agreed subset of features during each iteration. This allows the team to introduce changes within weeks by planning the changed backlog items in the next iteration.  Not just product, business value delivered By getting the client involved in deciding the feature priority, the team understands both the business focus and customer needs, in turn allowing the team to deliver features that add value to the business.  This has naturally evolved a few traditional roles into full-stack roles to keep up with the requirements of continuous development, integration, and delivery with efficiency. Isolated developers to FSD – Pockets of expertise to end-to-end solutions  QA/BA/QE to FSE – From a business analyst or a tester to full-stack engineers to maintain quality and ensure the responsiveness of applications by reading and tracing code to build test automation.  Support Engineer SRE – Technical Operations to Site Reliability Engineer (SRE) to drive a higher level of automation in application deployment. Delivery Manager – who can gather unarticulated needs, create ROI, envision solutions, understand modern architecture, and manage the engineering team to deliver with small agile teams.  From Architect Digital to Solutions Architect – Design the overall architecture of the web application from concept to cloud implementation.  Learn about: Full Stack Developer Salary in India 2020’s most in-demand skill is not available on demand  It’s not a surprise that the tech world is now ruled by Full Stack Developers. HackerRank Developer Skills Report suggests that across company sizes, full-stack developers are top priority: 38% of hiring managers say it’s the #1 role to fill in 2020.  Source While Full Stack Developers are most in-demand, there’s a critical gap between wanting to hire Full Stack Developers and the available talent pool in India. With over 1,20,000 full stack developer positions open in India and just 1/3rd available expert talent pool, it’s becoming harder for companies to find the right talent pool.  Start-ups are setting the new norms of agile development, and often only hire Full Stack Developers to manage both time and money constraints. This has forced bigger companies to work doubly hard to keep up. But there’s a huge difference between hiring 10 or 12 developers and hiring them in thousands. This is exactly where the need for deep skilling at scale comes in.  Deep skilling at scale comes with a stack full of advantages Those who were sitting on the fence have by now (The COVID-19 reality link to the whitepaper) realized that online learning is the future of upskilling. However, it is also important to understand why and how online learning will help you not just with upskilling but deep skilling at scale (brochure Link) making you future-ready. 1. Adapt at scale Deep analytics and the pulse of market trends have always allowed online learning players to be one step ahead of the demand chain. So, while the companies were busy looking at developer talent in isolation (front-end, back-end, server-side), online learning had already erased the borders and adapted to the new reality of making the taskforce ready to deliver full stack ability (link to the brochure). So, whether you want to upskill 100, 1000, or 100,000 employees to stay ahead of the game, when you are ready to turn on the operations, we are ready to take it full-scale. 2. Outcomes at scale The outcome can mean many different things to many companies. That’s why, over and above our plug and play solutions, we also work with businesses to understand their needs and create customized programs to deliver on those outcomes. So, whether you want to get a. Deployment-ready full-stack workforce within 6 months b. Reduce employee bench time c. Improve overall utilization and productivity d. Bring uniformity in coding standards Or align your L&D plan with your business growth strategy, we are with you every step of the way from creating the best deep learning experience to achieving the outcomes you desire. 3. Deep learning at scale upGrad Enterprise’s, Full-Stack Diploma program specifically focuses on problem-solving and putting things together from concept through to delivery to create a real product as an outcome so that your employees can fully experience the full stack journey. And the real-time immersive environment means that they strengthen the core concepts to deliver from day 1. Together we can create a new online learning paradigm  At upGrad Enterprise, we are obsessed with learners’ success. For us, it’s not just about them completing the program, it’s about strengthening their core concepts and providing exposure to the latest software development tools so they can keep adapting to the changing tech landscape. Our unique human-assisted learning experience, best-in-class mentors, access to the industry experts and our alignment with the most renowned academies mean that your employees will not learn in isolation. And when you combine that with our best-in-class AI to keep the learners engaged, our industry-defying rates of over 85% course completion will not surprise you. To date, over 500,000 learners have been successfully deep skilled via upGrad at industry-defying rates of over 85%. Our cutting-edge curricula and collaboration with the leading global faculty and industry experts make us the pioneers in helping enterprises create a workforce that is ready to conquer tomorrow, today.  Still, need convincing? Download the brochure Or Reach out to us on enterprise@upgrad.com 

In the changing digital landscape, few technologies are being touted as disruptions. Blockchain is one of them. Blockchain is a suite of distributed ledger technologies used to record and track anything of value from financial transactions to weather patterns to even new vaccine development records. With the potential to completely revolutionize the way we interact with each other, it’s quickly gaining momentum across industries right from the supply chain, logistics to energy, transportation, BFSI, and pharma. Source What is Blockchain? Derived from the distributed ledger, Blockchain is a collection of individual records called as blocks, linked together in a single list, hence forming a chain. Here each transaction is “chained” to the previous one in a sequence and is recorded without any interference, forging a great deal of trust, transparency, and accountability while adding an unbreakable layer of security. If you change the information recorded in a particular block, you don’t re-write it; instead, the change is stored in a new block with a time, date, and personal stamp. It’s a non-destructive way to make data changes over time. Simply put, it enables businesses to keep the encrypted record of all transactions, making it difficult for one user to control the network. It is the combination of all these factors, decentralization of the data, adding trust to it, and allowing us to interact directly with one another, which gives Blockchain technology the potential to underpin the way we interact with each other. How does Blockchain work? Source What makes Blockchain unique? By enabling collaboration based on shared data, participants in these blockchains remove the need for third-party intermediaries and establish consensus-based trust. Because Blockchain creates a single source of truth in which data cannot be changed with all parties approving the change. The distributed ledger of a blockchain can store any information, reducing overhead and eliminating manual processes by establishing tamper-proof, immutable records. What are Blockchain’s real-world use cases? “Digital has brought in true democracy erasing borders in every sense, practical, psychological, and physical. Blockchain will play a key role in infusing trust in this ecosystem by eliminating intermediaries and allowing the exchange of any value between peers “.  – Ghanashyam Das, Senior Advisor, upGrad Enterprise You can improve your understanding of the Blockchain by looking into the use cases and its potential impact. The following image illustrates the impact of Blockchain in multiple industries in various sectors. Source Source Here are some of the most prominent sectors where the blockchain adaptation is growing exponentially. 1) Fintech With the rise in seamless digital transactions, the rate of fraud and identity theft is rising exponentially. Not only fraudulent transactions, verifying KYC, enabling better encryption of financial data is the need of the hour. With its decentralized networks, Blockchain will make millions of transactional user data much safer and more efficient. The following are some of the Blockchain’s most significant advantages: ✔ All entities are accessing the same version of the shared ledger. ✔ Increased access to capital, because it’s not caught up in long settlement times or errors and disputes  ✔ Increased trust and accountability among enterprises, regulators, and consumers For more information on how Blockchain influences FinTech practices in real-time check. 2) Insurance  Claims processing is a crucial part of the insurance industry; it is essential to verify an insurable event and facilitate beneficiaries with legitimate claims. The pre-determined policy conditions can be mapped into a smart contract which will execute itself on event occurrence. Hence, providing customers with pre-determined claims.  The benefits of insurance are as follows: ✔ Eliminates the cost of processing insurance claims ✔ Reduces the opportunity for insurance fraud  ✔ Improves customer satisfaction  Source For more information on how Blockchain influences insurance practices in real-time check: click here 3) Supply Chain Logistics Much of today’s commerce involves transferring goods and services from a producer to one or more intermediaries until they finally reach the consumer. This commerce structure is commonly called a supply chain. Supply chains generally consist of multiple separate commercial organizations that work as partners.  For supply chain tracking, blockchain technology offers some unique benefits: ✔ Traceability: Full audit trail of data throughout the supply chain ✔ Compliance: Single, time-stamped, tamper-proof source of data ✔ Flexibility: Real-time rule-based verification of multi-party confirmations  ✔ Reliable transactions: Trusted digital signature-based peer-to-peer interactions For more information on how Blockchain influences supply chain practices in real-time check click here. 4) Pharma In the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, the global supply chain infrastructure was massively hit along with the essential services like pharma and medical supply.  Given the current time’s critical nature, implementing Blockchain to the pharmaceutical delivery networks will improve the efficiency and cut the compliance and traceability significantly. The Healthcare industry, especially the pharmaceutical industry, generally has complex and pedantic compliance regulations essential to maintain quality standards. Implementing Blockchain in your business process will help keep the quality check without any setbacks that come with executing other new technologies. Like the supply chain application, Blockchain has proven itself revolutionary in eliminating counterfeit drugs. Introducing the Serial token system for drugs that are dispatched will help track all the medicines in circulation; it will also help identify expired and prevent counterfeit drugs from entering the market. For more information on how Blockchain influences pharma practices in real-time check, click here. It’s time to upgrade your workforce to Blockchain for an efficient future Since the time of its advent, Blockchain has continued to turn heads, gain credibility and popularity. As surveyed by SAP, 92 percent of business leaders viewed Blockchain as an opportunity. Irrespective of which industry you are currently working with, Blockchain will be an integral part of multiple industries in the next few years. And as proven by many industry veterans, adapting Blockchain into your workspace will exponentially improve overall efficiency and profits by building a reliable infrastructure for your business. But while the demand is surging as much as 33-fold in a year, the available talent lags. Leading research houses cite that over 6000 blockchain professionals are required among 100,000 IT professionals to get into the IT industry each year. (Source)  The following illustration helps better understand how Blockchain will impact various industries:  Together, we can create a new online learning paradigm At upGrad Enterprise, we are obsessed with learners’ success. It’s not just about them completing the program; it’s about strengthening their core concepts and providing exposure to the latest software development tools to keep adapting to the changing tech landscape. Our unique human-assisted learning experience, best-in-class mentors, access to the industry experts, and our alignment with the most renowned academies mean that your employees will not learn in isolation. And when you combine that with our best-in-class AI to keep the learners engaged, our industry-defying rates of over 85% course completion will not surprise you. To date, over 500,000 learners have been successfully deep skilled via upGrad at industry-defying rates of over 85%. Our cutting-edge curricula and collaboration with the leading global faculty and industry experts make us the pioneers in helping enterprises create a workforce that is ready to conquer tomorrow.  Still, need convincing? Download the brochure. Blockchain Brochure Or reach out to us on enterprise@upgrad.com

Today, every organization is capturing exploding amounts of data. Be it customer memos in retail, or flight data, the number of responses to an ad campaign, or sales generated. Data is being touted as the new oil by the industry leaders. Estimates suggest that 7.7 septillion gigabytes of Data are generated every day; hence, it becomes important to choose the right metrics and analyze it to extract value from it. (Source) Data Literacy: Why it needs to be prioritized With almost all organizations bringing data scientist’s expertise, it is also equally important for every employee to understand the importance of captured data and be able to convert data to information to knowledge. A study by Mckinsey Global Institute suggests an acute shortage of “data-savvy” analysts and managers capable of making data-backed decisions. When an organization is Data literate, it can not only back decisions with information but also uncover new insights and drive the company’s overall strategy. A study by HBR of 20 well known blue-chip companies revealed crucial fallouts in data skills among their employees. The companies pointed out to the following learning requirements: ✔ Ability to ask the right questions. ✔ Ability to choose the right data sets and ways to validate them. ✔ To generate information and actionable insights from the generated data. ✔ To create simulations and conduct scenario-based testing. ✔ To create a bigger picture with visualizations to drive decision making in the company. Correctly chosen data sets can help organizations study customer behavior, analyze sales patterns, improve efficiency, reduce inventory, enhance operations, remove supply chain bottlenecks, and empower overall decision-making. Understanding Data Literacy with some use cases By definition, data literacy is the ability to read, work with, analyze, and communicate with data. It’s a skill that empowers all individuals to ask the right questions to collect the right data, which they can then comprehend to generate presentable knowledge and insights. Figure 1: Use of data to study Consumer Behavior Source As explained in the figure, consumer analytics can lead to targeted marketing and generate more value from sales, with correct chosen Data, such as web queries, product usage, transactional data, and data collected from existing consumers when verified and then analyzed correctly generated valuable insights about the consumers. A marketing approach derived from the studied consumer behavior generates greater value. It targets the right potential consumer base, ensures repeat sales, generates a feedback loop, allows for cross-selling, and helps to lean the approach. Figure 2: Real-time data employed for predictive maintenance Source Another classic example is of employing real-time data. IoT enables sensors in process and manufacturing industries to send data on a real-time or near real-time basis, stored over the cloud, and then analyzed to generate predictions. One such application is of predictive maintenance of Hydrocarbon transporting pipelines. Correctly chosen metrics like pH and CO2 levels help predict the corrosion levels in the pipeline and help the operators conduct maintenance ahead of breakdowns. Predictive maintenance exponentially reduces the losses due to down-time and helps in cutting down the maintenance expenses. In-turn, predictive maintenance ensures the safety of the environment and stakeholders by avoiding accidents due to equipment failure. BP’s deep-water horizon oil spill incident costed lives, and $67 billion in payments over the years explains why predictive maintenance is crucial.  How upGrad Enterprise’s systematic approach towards data literacy can help As data becomes an integral part of every industry, it has become even more crucial to make data a part of our day-to-day job functions. Just collecting data isn’t the same as understanding it, and this is a critical skill gap that’s stalling the digital transformation of your enterprise. Data Literacy is a skill that empowers all levels of workers to ask the right questions of data and machines, build knowledge, make decisions, and communicate meaning to others. One fundamental culture shift for this change will be to empower and educate your workforce with data literacy. Data literacy is defined as the ability to identify, collect, evaluate, analyze, interpret, and present data to support your decision-making and increase the efficiency of your work. The upGrad Enterprise team works closely with businesses to custom design the Data Literacy Program that leads to improved decision-making, a competitive edge, and enhanced products, processes, and performance. We contextualize data specific to your business needs by bringing industry experts from their fields and complement the learning experience with real-time workshops and live boot camps.  This program is targeted at closing the skill gap in your enterprise and ensure a data-driven culture. The 6-week (48 hrs) blended program, designed for professionals from any background, will help your enterprise gain the necessary skills and knowledge to make data your lingua franca or second language. The program is also curated for different industries and helps in: ✔ Building a Data Culture. ✔ It enables them to seek the right information and collaborate. ✔ Empowers your employees with tools, models, and techniques to make informed decisions. ✔ Generate more value by increasing productivity, efficiency, and ultimately the profitability.  Industry leaders will deliver the program via live sessions, recorded sessions, with self-learning lessons and assessments, explained with examples and illustrations. The program can be split into five key areas: ✔ Program Orientation Covers the overview of the program, platform walkthrough, and objectives of the program. ✔ Data Science, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence: Genesis, Value and Future – Live The industry leaders take the course beneficiaries on a journey towards data culture. They will briefly explain the existing technologies like Machine Learning and AI. This will help your employees get an overview of the data lifecycle, data strategy, and design thinking with data. ✔ Data Science and the Industry: e-Learning In this, your workforce will understand the application and scope of data related technologies in your industry, be it BFSI, ITES, Manufacturing, Telecommunication, Oil, and Gas, and so on. ✔ Data Analytics- Hands-on: e-Learning and Live The longest module of the course enriches the learning with tools and techniques by covering – Data analysis in Excel, Statistics and Hypothesis Testing, Exploratory Data Analysis, and Data Visualisation. ✔ Data-Driven Decision Making: Live Workshop The capstone to the program is application based. Using a case-based approach specific to the industry, the beneficiaries will be part of problem-solving in a real-world scenario. The current business scenario is driven by competition, regulations, compliance, safety, and innovation. What should drive your organization, a hunch, or a decision backed with data? This is how we demystify data by building the right data culture through real-world case studies/examples from a particular industry and helping learners understand, learn, and appreciate it in their business context. We promise our customers to deliver them a future-ready talent pool of project-ready professionals. Together, we can create a new online learning paradigm At upGrad Enterprise, we are obsessed with learners’ success. For us, it’s not just about them completing the program; it’s about strengthening their core concepts and providing exposure to the latest software development tools so they can keep adapting to the changing tech landscape.  Our unique human-assisted learning experience, best-in-class mentors, access to the industry experts, and our alignment with the most renowned academies mean that your employees will not learn in isolation. And when you combine that with our best-in-class AI to keep the learners engaged, our industry-defying rates of over 85% course completion will not surprise you. To date, over 500,000 learners have been successfully deep skilled via upGrad at industry-defying rates of over 85%. Our cutting-edge curricula and collaboration with the leading global faculty and industry experts make us the pioneers in helping enterprises create a workforce that is ready to conquer tomorrow, today.  Still, need convincing? Download the brochure.  Download Brochure Or reach out to us on enterprise@upgrad.com

The hope of the world is pinned on the pharmaceutical industry probably more than ever before in the COVID pandemic times. With new viruses surfacing every year, data plays a crucial role in drug and vaccine development. The data collected from COVID-19 hit countries like the recovery rates, intensive care requirement, number of deaths, and the total number of cases generate valuable insight into spread, recovery, affected demographic, and aided in administration. There are multiple ways in which data science can contribute to the healthcare and pharmaceutical industry; hence it becomes essential for every individual to understand its importance. Some of the prominent examples are discussed below. Use of data in clinical trials It has been observed that the healthcare industry doesn’t work on size fits all. During the clinical trials of medicine, data collected can be processed to generate insights on its outcome on individuals as per medical history, gender, age, and others. The medical practitioners need to look at the existing ailments and history of the patient before recommending any drug. Having a system in place to track actual and existent ailments, and earlier prescribed drugs can generate a method to differentiate on individual treatment. Using big data analytics, the pharma companies can advise the physicians how a particular medicine would fit within an individual’s treatment plan. Use of Data Across Pharma value chain Image source Accelerate drug discovery and development Companies and institutions, namely AstraZeneca, Celgene, Bayer, Janssen Research and development, Sanofi, and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, started a data sharing under the name Project Data Sphere to share historical research on cancer to help researchers in finding better treatments against the disease. Importance of data in COVID-19 treatment With vaccines still in development phases, the shared knowledge and existing research on similar types of protein jacketed viruses proved to be instrumental in treating COVID-19 patients. The knowledge generated from processing the data on a series of related viruses like SARS, MERS, etc. helped in finding the medicine remdesivir, which saved the lives of thousands of chronic patients of COVID-19. Other evolving treatments like plasma therapy helped in severe cases of the virus. The data collected on daily bases for active cases and death rates helped gauge India’s administrative response against the spread of the virus. The pro-active response in some states by collecting information on every incoming citizen and their immediate contacts kept the number of deaths incredibly low than other states. Data became a useful tool to identify hotspot zones, most affected communities, aiding in narrowing down to check the spread of the deadly virus. Location analytics proved to be one of the best tools; the government urged citizens to use an app to collect data of positive and unhealthy citizens and put a check in the spread of the virus, especially in countries like South Korea. The government collected the data on the mobility of quarantined patients and found the virus’s primary source of spread. The app developed by the Indian government lets the user conduct a symptom-based check and make them aware of the active cases in their radius up to 2 km. About the upGrad Program The program is targeted at closing the skill gap in your enterprise and ensure a data-driven culture. The 6-week (48 hrs) blended program, designed for professionals from any background, will help your enterprise gain the necessary skills and knowledge to make data your lingua franca or second language. The program is also curated for different industries and helps in: Building a Data Culture. It enables them to seek the right information and collaborate. Empowers your employees with tools, models, and techniques to make informed decisions. Generate more value by increasing productivity, efficiency, and ultimately the profitability. Industry leaders will deliver the program via live sessions, recorded sessions, self-learning lessons, and assessments explained with Illustrations. The program can be split into five key areas: Program Orientation Covers the overview of the program, platform walkthrough, and objectives of the program. Data Science, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence: Genesis, Value and Future – Live The industry leaders take the course beneficiaries on a journey towards data culture. They will briefly explain the existing technologies like Machine learning and AI. This will help your employees get an overview of the data lifecycle, data strategy, and design thinking with data. Data Science and the Industry: e-Learning In this, your workforce will understand the application and scope of data related technologies in your industry, be it BFSI, ITES, Manufacturing, Telecommunication, Oil, and Gas, and so on. Data Analytics- Hands-on: e-Learning and Live The most extended module of the course enriches the learning with tools and techniques by covering – Data analysis in Excel, Statistics and Hypothesis Testing, Exploratory Data Analysis, and Data Visualization. Data-Driven Decision Making: Live Workshop The capstone to the program is application based. Using a case-based approach, specific to the industry, the beneficiaries will be part of problem-solving in a real-world scenario. Trials, patents, manufacturing, precision medicine, containing the spread, and many more- data collected throughout the pharma industry’s value chain can generate valuable insights and improve efficiency, time to market and prove to be lifesaving.   If you are curious to learn about Python, data science, check out IIIT-B & upGrad’s Executive PG Programme in Data Science which is created for working professionals and offers 10+ case studies & projects, practical hands-on workshops, mentorship with industry experts, 1-on-1 with industry mentors, 400+ hours of learning and job assistance with top firms.

With ‘disruption’ becoming the buzz word of 2021, the future of enterprise learning has started to look different than what was anticipated by human resource managers before. Previously, enterprise learning was all about on the job training and continuous skill development. However, this has changed now. In late 2019, a global L&D market report by Beroe Inc. estimated the Learning and Development industry to touch approximately USD 446.1 Billion by 2020. In 2021, the growth expected to jump further.  The expectations towards job training’ going in for a significant shift – what does the future of enterprise learning look like in this ‘New Normal’..? Trends that will govern the future of enterprise learning: 1. Reliance on Capability Over Skill Before the pandemic, having a predefined skill set was everything. Every job had a list of skills required, and candidates were expected to possess those skills to be accepted for that position. However, once the lockdown struck, there was a wave of change and uneasiness in the air.  This was when test a person’s capability to handle pressure, adapt and react analytically. These are qualitative skills that employers always expected candidates to possess; however, they were not considered a ‘qualification’ over and above their quantitative skills. Thus, from now onwards, this is the first thing that will change in enterprise learning. In the future of enterprise learning, employers will like to focus more on building their workforce’s capability and personality traits than polishing a skill set that they already possess. A simple example here: When the world went digital and work from home became the norm, the millennial generation was adept at using digital tools to get their work done, rather than the older, more experienced and skilled generation. Even though experienced and established professionals had all the requisite skills to do a job, they were termed redundant in the ‘New Normal’ due to their inability to navigate their way through a remote workspace effortlessly. 2. Infrastructure and Technology The normal mode of enterprise learning in most organizations is the corporate training way. New joiners and others at regular intervals imparted training in the traditional sage and student method. It is a thing of the past now. Naturally, with virtual workspaces coming into the picture, conventional training models have also been deemed redundant. Nonetheless, it is not only about moving training to a virtual platform that will do its job. The future of enterprise learning also involves a significant transformation in the infrastructure used for imparting these training. As per a report by Research and Markets (one of the worlds leading research store) about the global LMS(Learning Management Systems) market size are expected to grow from USD 13.4 billion in 2020 to USD 25.7 billion by 2025, with a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 14.0%, considering this ample amount of investment organizations are working on ensuring platforms are as user-friendly, interactive, attractive, and engaging as possible. Additionally, ensuring employee attendance to a training program is also tricky in a virtual set up. Hence, making an LMS platform that appeals to employees and maximizes outcome value for their time spent is one of the parameters that will significantly define this practice’s success in the future. 3. Content  Organizations that have been masquerading L&D programs can sometimes be confused with under the garb of soft skills training and other skills training for a long time now. Some organizations have also made it mandatory for employees to attend these training sessions. Nevertheless, nowadays, this strategy will no longer work for corporations. Another change that the future of enterprise learning focuses on achieving tangible results through quality content; employees no longer feel the need to expend their time in activities that do not provide them value or substantial returns. Hence, the old format of training will now have to replace with more quality content, Such as case studies, practical projects and industry expertise to offer – in a way that an employee can take something qualitative and quantitative back. Training and enterprise learning that will impart the same run of the mill concepts repackaged into a new format will no longer work in the future. 4. Flexibility  Lastly, the future of enterprise learning will also involve a lot of flexibility, specially engineered to suit the ‘desk less’ workforce’s needs. Hence, learning and development programs will now be self-paced, on-demand, and ones that you can practically learn during your work. Most enterprise learning solutions will transform to learning on the go, without the trainee having to earmark a specific time slot to attend the training, thus, making the experience more flexible and adaptable. Conclusion 2020 saw the inception of an all-new workplace for each of us, which also brought about a catalytic change in the very foundation of enterprise learning. Most experts believe that the trends mentioned above are going to govern this subject for a while. However, the business environment is changing dynamically. It is important to keeping pace with trends and upskilling continuously with the right learning partner. Learn more about how upGrad corporate training and development helps in upskilling. 

Since the quintessential organisational model evolved, training and development requirements have also undergone a shift, similar to classroom instruction. If we compare this to a traditional learning model, the sage and student method has now dynamically replaced by a system where the learners and the changing business environment are demanding much more. Outcome-based learning is the newest format of learning and development that has taken the industry by storm. In simple terms, this is a learning system that defines knowledge and value perception based on pre-defined goals. These goals can be anything – from an increase in business revenue to a difference in overall productivity or powerful time management. So what are the apparent quantifiable aspects where outcome-based learning makes a difference? And what are the main attributes of this system? We break it down for you right here: 1. Goal-oriented and Easy to Manage The crux of outcome-based learning lies in the fact that it is purely goal-oriented. Here, the training delivered is attached to a pre-set motive that the learner expects to fulfil. One of the best ways organisations can thus integrate outcome-based learning in their existing learning and development programs is by providing pre-onboarding training to freshers, and graduate hires. Pre-onboarding training is the training that new joiners receive before they are formally initiated into the organisation. Outcome-based training here is about imparting purely practical aspects and know-how of the job they are expecting to do. For example, in a banking or financial services company, outcome-based training would involve teaching new hires organisational processes, managing customers, and fundamental workplace principles. Quick tip for employers and learning and development managers – want to make this more cost-efficient in terms of time and resources? You can always tie up with Edtech platforms to provide these training to the workforce on your behalf. With the combination of recorded expert content and live sessions, saving you a substantial amount of resources can be apportioned to other more productive tasks as an employer. 2. More Practical and Less Theoretical Another identifiable trait about outcome-based learning is that it places an adequate reliance on acquiring practical skills (learning new technologies). They are more about teaching how to do things, rather than just saying or ‘narrating’ how they are done, through virtual individual and group projects. In these kinds of training, learners often have objective tasks or projects to complete in a stipulated time, through case studies and industry projects online. They are then provided constructive feedback and suggestions based on their submissions, thus helping them learn the hypothesis and applying a new concept. This concept is beneficial for process or technology-oriented jobs, wherein innovations in systems and management functions are done regularly. Here again, online learning has helped revolutionise the way practical education is delivered. Providing timely human assistance and modules with regular submissions and practice assignments is like combining classroom learning with advanced technology. A brilliant example of outcome-based learning here can be the digital marketing courses provided by upGrad. Its Enterprise focuses on maximising impact through outcome-based knowledge about Data, Technology and Management domains. The system mixes synchronous and asynchronous learning with industry mentorship, industry projects, and assessments-recorded video lectures submissions and live projects. With all these, metrics our platform teaches students what digital marketing is in theory and build the practical skills required, which would also help them with effective transfer of skills by practising it with clients as soon as the course is over.  3. Measurable results and quantitative insights Lastly, one of the most significant advantages of outcome-based learning is quantifiable results. Unlike other training models, where the product is visible ‘organically’ or ‘over some time, under outcome-based learning, this happens almost immediately, almost like an immediate skill development or personal rapid. Additionally, since outcome-up-gradationing mostly involves learning on the job or learning while doing the activity, it impressively increases trainees’ employability. It inoculates them with these skills that would be instantly converted into revenue. Thus making it the most relevant form of learning and development in the current global economic scenario where speed is everything, and learning from mistakes is very limited. Why is outcome-based education important? Transparency  The students are aware of what they should be expecting from the course and the teachers are aware of what the learning is going to be about. In both ways, the process becomes much more transparent and thus increases the quality of education.  Flexibility The outcome-based learning is much more focused on extracting the best outcome, as opposed to the other ways of teaching. This allows for the teachers to experiment and become more fluid in tier approach to derive results. Career progression In the long run, outcome-based education becomes useful. The recruiter can look at the profile and ascertain the productivity and value that particular candidate can bring in.  Advantages of outcome-based education  Brings clarity to everyone among the teachers and students especially. The students get to learn what suits them best, this brings much more flexibility to the process.  Students get to take responsibility for their goals.  There is no restricted method of learning. One of the outcome-based education examples would be the flip-classroom approach.  Helps in creating a healthy environment where the students do not compete with each other and work towards achieving their targets.  Outcome-Based Learning – Is it worth it? Though critics have their fair share of reservations about outcome-based learning patterns solely on the approach that it takes, the results and efficacy of this model are far beyond debate. This training model and development model heavily influence the training results, making it much easier to absorb and teach. Thus, moving from traditional in-person training to pre-recorded online sessions and tie-ing up with the right online learning partner to manage these tasks.  To date, over 500,000 learners have successfully upskilled and reskilled themselves via upGrad at industry-defying rates of over 85%. Our cutting-edge curricula and collaboration with the leading global faculty and industry experts make us the pioneers in helping enterprises create a workforce that is ready to conquer tomorrow, today. Still, need convincing? Download our whitepaper. Or Reach out to us at enterprise@upgrad.com.