
By Raghav Gupta, Managing Director, India and APAC, Coursera
India stands as one of our fastest-growing markets, playing a pivotal role in our global strategy. Since the pandemic, the country has led the world in new learner registrations, surpassing 15 million, and enrollments exceeding 40 million. This growth is a powerful testament to the unwavering passion of Indian learners and the efforts of institutions and the government to equip individuals with skills for a digital future.
We celebrated this remarkable journey at our first regional annual conference – Coursera Day, in association with IIT Bombay. We showcased several new partnerships, degree and certificate programs, platform innovations powered by ChatGPT, immersive learning experiences and a new skills-based recruitment service to unlock career opportunities for Coursera learners.
The action-packed day brought a diverse group of thought leaders, educators, and professionals from industry and university to collectively explore the future of education and work. Leaders from IIT Bombay, Fractal Analytics, Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, and BITS Pilani discussed “Building ‘learner first’ programs that drive skills and outcomes”. Another panel explored “Digital Upskilling: Navigating Rapid Change to Stay Ahead” with representatives from Larsen & Toubro, Bajaj Finance Limited, PwC India, Bank of Baroda, and Tata Power. A panel of university leaders from SIBM Pune, Woxsen University, TISS, and Graphic Era University discussed “Advancing Higher Education from Curriculum to Careers.”
The highlight of the day was hearing from Prof T.G Sitharam, Chairman – AICTE, who shared his insights on the transformative potential of the NEP in shaping India’s higher education landscape.
“Our focus is on integrating skill and education, revolutionizing the learning experience. With the Ministry of Education’s groundbreaking initiatives and a strong emphasis on vocational and distance learning, supported by online learning platforms, the future of education in India is bright. Through curriculum design and activation, we’re excited about transforming education, promoting lifelong learning, building a future-ready workforce, and unlocking India’s full potential,” Prof T.G Sitharam, Chairman – AICTE.

During the day, we recognized the contributions of our partners and customers in expanding access to high-quality education and broadening career opportunities amidst change and disruption:
- Tally Education Pvt. Ltd., received the Career Transformation Award for their entry-level professional certificate – Tally Bookkeeper – which has attracted over 7,000 learners. Nearly 40% of them come from outside India, highlighting the global appeal of the program.
- Prof. Vishal Gupta from the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIM A) won the Learners First Award for the Leadership Skills course, boasting a 4.98 rating and 5-star feedback from 99% of learners.
- Indian Statistical Institute’s Dr. Arnab Chakraborty received the Innovation Award for his course in the Post-graduate Diploma in Applied Statistics. With hands-on exercises and diverse video styles, learners find it to be engaging and impactful.
- Professors Sundaresan Raman and Jagat Sesh Challa of BITS Pilani received the 2023 Coursera Innovation Outstanding Achievement Award for their Introduction to Programming course. The course stacks into the BSc Computer Science program, allowing for continuous learning opportunities.

The Talent Transformation Award recognized three businesses for their contribution to employee success and career growth through online learning:
- Larsen & Toubro (L&T) Group for their outstanding achievement in skill development across their group companies, including L&T Corp, LTIMindtree, LTFS, and LTTS. Through the ‘One L&T program,’ they successfully implemented 60 focused programs, resulting in more than 400,000 learning hours across Technical, Functional, and Business areas.
- Bajaj Finance Limited (BFL) for demonstrating agility and prioritizing enterprise skilling to maintain their competitive edge. Within a year, BFL launched over 40 digital and technology-focused learning programs leading to significant skill-building for their high-potential corporate talent.
- Marlabs for their skills-first approach to upskilling employees in emerging tech, soft, and leadership skills. Their commitment to personalized learning experiences has led to employees investing over 3,300 hours across 70+ career development pathways in just 10 months.

The Campus Transformation Award honored three top institutions that embraced online learning to enhance education quality, modernize curricula, and make learning more job-relevant:
- Symbiosis International University for their wide-ranging utilization of Coursera for Campus, integrating courses and industry credentials across disciplines such as Management, Law, and Economics.
- Malla Reddy Group of Institutions for their commitment to student employability. Coursera content is integrated into the curriculum, providing deep skilling and industry certifications to engineering and healthcare students.
- Woxsen University for their dedication to delivering innovative programs and creating engaging blended learning experiences. Their flagship LEAP program and collaborations with Coursera on initiatives like the Executive Fellowship, Advisory Board, and Woxsen Executive Council showcase their unwavering focus on advancing education.

Axis Bank and Graphic Era University, Dehradun was recognized with the Hiring Solutions Pioneer Award for their exceptional deployment of the Hiring Solutions pilot. Taking a skills-first approach, Axis Bank efficiently recruited entry-level talent from a pool of industry-certified campus learners. Graphic Era University augmented its learning programs, empowering students to develop and showcase the skills needed for in-demand tech roles.
Coursera Day celebrated our commitment to empowering learners and driving educational transformation. The wide range of ideas and innovations shared by the community paves the way for a new paradigm in learner-first education, the use of emerging technologies, reskilling efforts, and student employability. As we move forward in this next phase of growth in India, we strive to create a skilled, resilient, and competitive workforce by making job-relevant education accessible and relevant for everyone.