upGrad, an online education platform that provides courses and specializations to learners globally, has recently partnered with Microsoft and IIIT Bangalore to introduce a ‘Generative AI for Leaders’ certification course in India. The company stated that the four-month course aims to train mid-career and seasoned professionals with core AI competencies, “setting the right tone for India Inc. to upskill and lead the global AI talent supply chain.
This industry-first curriculum leverages an inclusive framework, enabling learners to assess, design, and transform business problems by applying acquired knowledge in real-life situations. The curriculum is bolstered by strong tech faculty support from India’s premier research university, IIIT Bangalore. It includes live sessions with Microsoft, setting the right tone for India Inc. to upskill and lead the global AI talent supply chain.
The pedagogy also includes other elaborative elements such as:
- Build Your Own Business (BYOB) Case allows learners to bring their business cases and develop solutions throughout their learning journey, ensuring relevant and hands-on experience.
- Engage with industry stalwarts with extensive tech backgrounds, including the Chief Technology Officer of Capgemini, an Entrepreneur and Former Partner at Tata Insights and Quants, the AI/ML Lead at Jio Platforms Limited, and a Former Principal Data Scientist at Hewlett-Packard (HP India), through live sessions and masterclasses.
- Include six modules encompassing understanding and applying AI and Gen AI in business and crafting strategies with ROI-focused project planning.
- Curated Capstone Projects to apply learned concepts to a comprehensive project, demonstrating mastery
- Reverse-engineered content and workshops with Microsoft and certification to enhance professional credentials
- There will be 25+ live classes, multiple workshops, and access to cutting-edge AI tools such as ChatGPT, DALL-E, etc.
Dr V Sridhar, Professor in charge of Continuing Professional Education, IIIT-Bangalore, commented on the collaboration:
When technologies such as these get embedded into businesses, it is the need of the hour for senior leaders to understand how such technologies can be deployed optimally within their organizations to reap the maximal benefits for all stakeholders including customers, employees, and business partners. With this in mind, we at IIIT-Bangalore, in collaborative partnership with the tech industry, offer this programme targeted at business leaders to help them understand and deploy effective AI solutions in their organizations.
Upon completing the course and graded projects, learners will be eligible for a completion certification from IIIT-Bangalore and the opportunity to participate in a 1-day offline immersion at the Microsoft Development Centre and the IIIT-Bangalore campus.
Mayank Kumar, Co-founder & MD, upGrad, added:
This course is not about teaching leadership in the AI era but empowering leaders to adopt and lead GenAI initiatives in a practical way. With the rapid evolution of the industrial landscape, mastering Generative AI is no longer optional but essential. Our collaboration with Microsoft and IIIT-Bangalore brings together the best of academia and industry, providing professionals with the skills needed to stay ahead.
upGrad, established in 2015, provides various B2C skilling programmes, certifications, and bootcamps through its online and hybrid learning platform. Top Indian and international universities can also offer their diplomas, master’s degrees, and executive doctorates through the platform. Under the B2B model, several programmes are also designed for enterprise clients, in addition to other staffing and recruitment services.
