Startup-Circle: How the significance of meta verse is growing in india

ITLH is helping students improve their coding skills and knowledge through real-life practical experience. The company is expecting 10x growth and will be hiring 100+ employees. ITLH has pledged to redefine the professional skill development of youth by giving them an opportunity for experiential learning and imparting them with practical knowledge.

At CIOL, we talked to Alex George, Founder, and CEO, of ITLH, He shared his views on the growing significance of metaverse. He talked about his startup journey and also, he speaks about the growth plans he has for ITLH.

Tell us about ITLH and your offerings. 

We offer courses and Professional Training for UIUX Design & Programming (various technologies) at ITLH including A) UIUX Global Advanced Course, B) UIUX Intermediate  Course, C) React js  – Front End Development, and D) Machine Learning. Corporate Training for UIUX, React js, Angular js& Full Stack Development, and Resource Augmentation Services for Technology Industry

What is the idea behind inception?

After seeing the recruiting and training processes of the IT industry, we realized that the skill gap between recent graduates and industry expectations is enormous. While large multinational corporations could afford six months of intensive training to develop a student’s expertise in the area of technology, we found that not all businesses could, and this is one of the primary reasons for the low employment rate. Not because there is a lack of demand, but rather because there is a dearth of newcomers who can really code or design. Since we came from a background in which we founded our own technological company, we thought we knew precisely how to fill this void. That would be Practical Learning—learn to code or design under the guidance of working professionals and complete real-world projects.

Tell us about the Challenges and obstacles faced while establishing the start-up?

Acceptance of the Concept 

Initially, the notion that possessing skills may earn you a job was not accepted by the general public. The Indian Education System is predicated on the premise that a college’s credibility/connection and network are required to get a decent package. Implementing a Learn by Doing model and receiving training in a simulated project under the supervision of project delivery managers as opposed to instructors seemed unthinkable. This concept was greeted with significant opposition, particularly among students who thought that a college degree was necessary for employment. Unless the brutal reality of the industry is diametrically opposed, the same holds true.

Limited Funds 

Initially, ITLH was entirely self-funded, without any outside funding that may have served as a foundation. We redirected our revenues from our software development firm to make this a reality since it was created out of sheer enthusiasm.

Getting the right people

When you have limited funding and a truly original concept, finding the proper professionals is an entirely different struggles

Share the details on the recruitment provided to the students by ITLH?

Our students have been made proficient enough to be placed in some of the industry’s leading tech firms like Byju’s, Flipkart, Ola, Accenture, Capgemini, The Minimalist, and Tech Mahindra.

Are any new courses to be introduced in the future?

We are launching our Front End Development Course with React Js specialization in August.

How has your revenue grown with the brand evolving during the pandemic?

From 2020 till now we are now standing at revenue growth of approximately 180%. We aim to reach a 300% growth in this financial year.

What has 2021 changed for you? How are things now?

With a successful lift in 2020,2021 was the year we have been able to focus heavily on how much more elements we can add to make our students learning experience better. For which we have a dedicated Learning Experience Department which constantly does R&D on what more can be done to ensure our Vision of having a skill development mechanism where the students no more need to depend on any network or credentials but rather on themselves.

Besides this our team has grown by 100%, we have expanded our online infrastructure that now facilitates all our students and is deeply integrated with all our departments, and we are getting applications from Passionate Industry Experts from across the globe to be a part of this teaching revolution from Giant companies and unicorns. Our students are getting placed even before the course gets completed with the help of just the practice elements they learn and implement during their live project concept.

Give your views on the future of the ed-tech industry in India.

The industry’s purview and perimeter are going to expand and embody more jobs and churn more opportunities for proficient professionals in the coming times. Digital learning will become the staple process of procuring education and accomplishing learning goals. The tier-2 and tier-3 cities which are at a certain disadvantage when it comes to prime learning centers within their vicinity will be major beneficiaries of the technological immersion.

The growing popularity and curation of convenience provided by the hybrid models will enable it to become a mainstay in education models going forward, whether online or offline. The magnificence of the metaverse world will also be unraveled along the way in the future.

The future of ed-tech will have several divisions depending on the industry:

K-12: With recessions and inflation, investors will be picky. While value-added education in k12 is essential, it won’t be a deterrent if parents don’t take it up for their children. Those who can’t afford it may continue without putting this investment into their children.  With schools re-opening and occupying a good portion of children’s time, there will be a normalization which will reduce the 10x to 700x ratios the Edutech Unicorns pulled off, but it won’t lead to any crash in the future as the future is Technology and a culmination of Technology getting blended for every experience such as Metaverse.

Skill Upgradation Industry: A recession will encourage professionals to upgrade their abilities and be prepared for the worst so that in the case of a layoff, it does not impact them or their career. This basic evaluation of the necessity plays a significant effect on customers’ purchase decisions.

What are your growth priorities for 2022?

ITLH plans to hire more than 100 employees in the year 2022 (FY 22) for their office headquarters in Navi Mumbai. We're anticipating growth of 10 times our current size by the end of this year. We further plan to expand our territorial reach to tier-1 cities and increase our focus in the Middle East by accepting more enrolments from global cities such as Abu Dhabi, Qatar, and Dubai.