Are you in your final year and looking to learn those key programming languages but can't afford to? Then EdYoda is the perfect platform for you to not just learn and get certified but also placed in the right company without spending a dime. This digital platform can help you learn everything that is trending today in the world of coding. From programming languages to testing and automation, it's all available on EdYoda — a platform started by Arman Ahmed and his friends Awantik Das and Nalinee Choudhary in 2016. Having worked in the IT industry for a considerable amount of time, the trio believed that it was time to help other youngsters like them learn the essential skills required in the industry. Arman says, "Initially, we partnered with various MNCs for upskilling and reskilling employees. I observed that these employees were spending a lot of money in reskilling themselves either through classes or the internet. Some college goers would get hooked on to YouTube to learn programming languages. It was obvious that they needed a guide or mentor to help reskill or upskill themselves. This is what led us to start EdYoda."
Worldwide connect
What's great about this digital platform is that experts in software languages can send their content to EdYoda either in the form of a video or script. "We have made it like a community platform where we have educators from Russia, the UK and different parts of the world contributing. Once they send us the content, we curate it and it goes live. Our team checks if the content is relevant to the technology and if these skills will be relevant in the industry. Once it gets approved, we upload it," explains Arman, adding, "With a wide range of content and more than 100 videos available on the website, students can access it whenever they want to. Apart from this, the experts are also available to clear all their doubts at any point in time. We've also been getting emails from countries like Brazil and Bangladesh to make this content accessible to them as well."
A vast video vault
So what should you do if you want to upload a video on the latest skills or technology in the industry? There are three types of videos you can make — flashbytes, learning videos or complete courses. Flashbytes are microcontent videos of less than 3 minutes — use them to share quick information or the latest in tech. Learning videos are a great way to share in-depth content. And courses are a series of videos to enable people to learn new technology. The trio advice that in case you’re creating a course, break it down into episodes. Prepare the slides, projects, code repositories or anything else that you need for explanation, and write a script for each video to ensure effective delivery. And EdYoda can also provide the equipment required to make a video.
Student-centric site
Here's how it function for a student. Once the student is registered with EdYoda, they are included in a particular batch and there is continuous communication between the mentor and the student. There are also one-on-one sessions with the mentor to clear any doubts. Queries and doubts can also be posted on a forum called Communication Panel. Students can also request mentors to upload new topics as and when required. After the completion of the course, students will be tested to affirm that they have really learnt the skill effectively. Then, certificates are provided and students are referred to various firms. Talking about the age group of people they have on their site, Arman says, "We have graduates who are struggling to find work or even final year students who are struggling to get placed. At the same time, professionals also use our platform to learn new things. The response has been phenomenal for the platform as we have 45,000 registered users and 3,000 online users. The wide variety of programmes available to learn at zero cost has been a huge motivator for the consumer."
Gearing up for Industry 4.0
With their industry-driven platform, Arman and his team are trying to reimagine the education system. He opines, "The education system is disconnected from the industry. The changes that happen in the industry and the same being accepted in academia is very slow. One will be surprised to know that less than 20 per cent of the graduates is truly employable. We can teach people the necessary skills, certify them and ensure that they get picked by employers. All that happens in the physical education system happens here virtually."
