'Study Now, Pay Later'! Here's How Two Entrepreneurs Are Transforming Career Opportunities Of Over 18,000 Students

Mythiksha is an upskilling company that was developed by Utkarsh Apoorva and Ashwini Ajit Prabhu with the aim of providing a unique format of experiential training to the many youths of semi-urban and rural India. The company was founded a little over four months back but had managed to pique the interest of over 18,000 students in just about a hundred days.

Both the founders have invested themselves in providing a platform for the overlooked youth to be able to upskill themself and qualify for opportunities that they might have been deprived of earlier. Through this means, they hope to increase the family incomes by 300 per cent within a span of ten months of securing them a well-paying job in the formal economy.

Evolution Of Many Aspirations

Mythiksha goes beyond the dream initiative of two individuals. It is a project that hopes to give a tangible form to the many dreams of the rural youth. Hailing from the small town of Mithila, the founder and CEO, Utkarsh, was able to see and understand poverty up close. However, the poverty that was visible was perplexing because it was a region with people of many talents. Mithila, in particular, is known for its exceptional heritage and mythological importance.

After a point, the economic backwardness of the region reached such a point that many artisans and small businesses had to migrate in search of odd jobs. Many close friends of Utkarsh's, who chose to stay back in their hometown, made as little as ₹1000 every year. Even as the cost of living shot up, their incomes remained stagnant despite their immense capabilities. This is not the isolated story of one such rural village in India. It has been a noticeable pattern to see extremely talented and creative people evolve into nothing because their environment confines them.

This then raised the question as to how the youth of India would continue to thrive amidst such limiting environments.

Coming from a family with a strong educational foundation, Utkarsh believes that he had the launchpad to forge a great professional life for himself. Unlike the many who were deprived of such possibilities. Understanding the place that he came from, Utkarsh began ideating with Ashwini about an upskilling platform in 2015.

They observed that there were three concerns in the country that had to be addressed while building an upskilling platform -

1) High-quality programs are expensive and not accessible to many.

2) Maintaining quality at scale is a huge challenge.

3) Spreading awareness about the available programs is an expensive affair via traditional means.

Working around these problems at large, Mythiksha evolved to take all three concerns head-on. Added along with this was the benefit of Utkarsh, having been in the entrepreneurial field for over 12 years. His desire to be able to provide opportunities for the many youths of his country drove him to finally build the brand by 2022.

It was rather easier for him to connect with those who needed the services Mythiksha had to offer since he grew up in rural spaces most of his life. Even the businesses that he is known to have been involved with over the years had a rural connection to them.

Bringing Into Reality A Paradigm Shift

Mythiksha is an amalgamation of two words - Mithila, the place which gave birth to the idea, and Shiksha, which means education. The startup launched with an ordinary idea, but has been creating a paradigm shift in the way the rural youth have been viewing education, training, and career. They have been able to create a means of subsistence for the youth and continue to improve their approaches to reach out to a wider rural population.

For this purpose, the company has been actively utilising the latest technology and spreading the message of what education could do for millions of such people in India.

They have democratised career opportunities through outcome-based skill-building services, which can be availed at an affordable price. Even more cutting-edge is the introduction of their "Learn Now, Pay Later" model, which enables the students to pay a fee once they complete their training and find a job that pays them sufficiently. Through this program, they have set the mission to reach over one crore people within the next five years and upskill them without burdening them financially.

The program has been able to bring in 18,000 such ambitious students within a span of barely a hundred days since its launch. At the current rate of enrollment, they are predicted to have about two lakh students onboard by the end of the year. This alone showcases the kind of aspirations the rural youth carry along with them.

Currently, the team has been building their rural operations through collaborative and partnership efforts with organisations based out in tier two towns. The outreach efforts have showcased positive results, with a lot of students expressing their interest in upskilling themself in accordance with the growingly competitive market. All of this is made possible without trapping the students in a vicious loan and debt cycle.

Diamonds Can Be Found In The Rough If Looked For

Over time, they built interactions with the rural youth and identified their varied interests that could be taken to bigger platforms. The youth come about with immense untapped talent, with some aspiring to create content on YouTube to natural-born leaders who aspire to start their chain of businesses.

However, a noticeable pattern is many among them turn to a government job as their last resort. For this alone, they spend a good share of four to five years preparing for the exams. Those who succeed in the exams lose their passion over time and settle for the security a government job offers. There's the other half who might not succeed in securing a government job, and they often end up settling for something lesser than their capabilities.

Mythiksha was able to provide an alternative to the obvious options of a government job. About 80 per cent of their program is curated with projects and assignments that fall in line with their respective interests. The upskilling programs are designed in such a way that they help the students execute projects with real-time experience, be it through connecting with local businesses, building a network with experts, or even setting up an online presence. The works submitted would be analysed by expert panels, which would then provide feedback. An adaptable AI tech is also being incorporated, which can identify skills among the students that can be refined and modify content for them accordingly.

The fact that we live in an information-rich world and continue to be held back from it is what they hope to bridge through their many tailored programs for the rural youth. With no barriers to the resources available and funding not being a concern until a source of income is secured, many youths would finally be able to tap into their potential and pursue what truly interests them.

Also Read: Here's How This Online Platform Provides Upskilling Options For Youngsters In Various Formats