Coursera keen to partner with Indian cos

Online education firm Coursera is focussing on partnering Indian enterprises for corporate learning solutions as part of its efforts to expand its presence in the country.

Coursera, which counts India as its third largest learner market after the US and China, has 1.3 million users here.

Globally, it has a user base of 19 million learners.

"India is a priority market for us in 2016 and we are making significant push here. We are building features into the product specific to local needs," Coursera Senior Advisor Nikhil Sinha said.

He added that the company is also in discussion with various Indian educational institutions for offering courses through its platform to global users.

Sinha said the aim is to be a tool that people use for both "educational benefits and career advancement".

Its user base in India has grown from 0.7 million in November 2014 to 1.3 million till now. Its top courses in the country include computer science, business and data science.

Coursera offers free online courses across multiple disciplines. However, it charges a fee for certification for the course. It offers about 1,900 courses from over 140 universities.

"A major focus for us would also be enterprise partnerships. Over the next 12-18 months, we are looking at working with companies that are aligned with our vision of a corporate learning environment," he said.

Coursera has already partnered Axis Bank to skill the Bank's employees through online certification courses from top universities globally.

The US-based firm is designing tailor-made curriculum relevant for the Bank's employees, in sync with industry demand, across topics like leadership, data analytics and innovative thinking.