Aptech to invest Rs 17 cr in online learning initiative

The company, which is present at 30 countries, will also be looking at taking the initiative to other markets, Pant said, adding that students in faraway places in India can also enroll under the new platform.Pant said there is a huge opportunity for jobs in the media and entertainment sector for jobs such as visual effects and graphic design which need technicians.

Vocational training company Aptech on Thursday said it is investing Rs 17 crore in foraying into an Edtech initiative, which will help students acquire skills online.

The initiative focuses on the media and entertainment sector and has its roots in the experience of the pandemic, when the company switched to remote learning solutions to students who are already enrolled at its physical branches because of the lockdowns, its managing director and chief executive Anil Pant said.

It was found that the same centre could accommodate up to 50 per cent more students without any additional investment in faculty or infrastructure, he added. Pant said the new initiative, christened 'Proalley.com' is fully online, where it has invested Rs 2 crore in creating an exclusive platform for the learning.

Apart from that, it will be spending Rs 15 crore in content development and marketing efforts over the next few months, he said, adding that this money will come from internal accruals.

Pant declined to share a target on how many students they wish to sign-up for, but added that in the next 12-18 months the initiative will be a standalone self-sustaining one with a strong bottomline.

The initiative is starting with five courses and the company intends to add 10 new ones every quarter from here on, he said. The company, which is present at 30 countries, will also be looking at taking the initiative to other markets, Pant said, adding that students in faraway places in India can also enroll under the new platform.

Pant said there is a huge opportunity for jobs in the media and entertainment sector for jobs such as visual effects and graphic design which need technicians.