UpGrad Education Startup Expansion to Indonesia, Aims for Professional Worker Segment

Platform EdTech from India, upGrad, is preparing an expansion plan to the Indonesian market. Through the appointment of Sendy Filemon as Country Head upGrad in Indonesia, this expansion is expected to be realized in September 2021. Previously, Sendy was the CEO and President Director of Futuready.

Established in 2015, upGrad offer higher education programs from a number of partner institutions or universities for market segments working professionals. Some of the materials available include the MBA program, data science, marketing, software & technology, machine learning, and management.

In his interview with DailySocial, Sendy revealed that the early-stage expansion will follow what upGrad has already run in India. It also began to look for local university partners who were able to provide lectures that were fully implemented independently online and flexible.

"Most Distance Learning (PJJ) systems in Indonesia are synchronous classes or students and teachers are in the same place/time. We want to accommodate your needs working professionals by method asynchronous class so they can study anywhere and anytime. For example, watching video lectures on the train while doing a quiz," said Sendy.

In addition to offering MBA programs and materials Existing, it is also preparing a college program online others -- later overseas universities can collaborate with universities in Indonesia. The model can be in the form of curriculum programs and diplomas from foreign universities, but with an introduction in Indonesian. Students can get double degrees.

Apart from being more affordable, Sendy assessed that there are no educational institutions that offer programs in this segment in Indonesia. Moreover, according to him, so far, lectures at foreign universities still have to use foreign languages ​​of instruction.

"Tuition fees with range Many have provided Rp3-15 million per semester, but not many have been able to go online. In addition, the online lecture program segment with foreign curriculum, in collaboration with local universities, and in Indonesian language of instruction does not yet exist because the concept is still new. We can answer the needs there," he said.

According to his records, there are currently more than 4 higher education institutions in Indonesia. Of the 96 accredited institutions, only 7 institutions have been able to carry out lectures online fully. Sendy said that he was just exploring cooperation for the program plan with five institutions in Indonesia.

"We don't want to have an education permit because we are not an educational institution. For that, we have to find a partner who has a [lecture implementation] permit. online to realize our plans in this segment. The target can be realized in 2022. In the initial stage, we are running with programs that already exist in India," he said.

Content development and creative end-to-end

To realize the initial plan in the Indonesian market, Sendy revealed that he would still use resource from India for technology and content development. It also has not determined the specific investment for expansion to Indonesia.

However, upGrad in India is said to be very committed to the development of the Indonesian market. Sendy, who is currently recruiting a team, also ensures that upGrad will build its own capabilities in Indonesia.

From a business model perspective, upGrad offers several schemes. For example, collaborating with educational institutions to develop lecture programs with schemes revenue share. In this case, the university does not incur costs, only provides the curriculum and teaching staff. upGrad manages content and technology so that they can bedeliver well.

According to him, platform EdTech in Indonesia mostly in the form of learning management system (LMS), they manage educational content, such as videos, assignments, and texts. Meanwhile, upGrad offers more flexibility and technology advanced so that users can stay focused on the material.

Beyond that, said Sendy, upGrad develops other features that can provide an experience end-to-end to students, starting from the implementation of lectures online to meet them with recruiting companies. Take for example, upGrad collaborates with universities to provide content or study plan for the 40-week MBA program.

"We collaborate with upGrad to produce content from subject matter, such as videos and animations. Incidentally, founder upGrad has production house in India and sold to Disney. So we have a strong [position] in the media. So, we can create animated content for materials, quizzes, or assignments, and upload them to the system. We already have the technology," he said.

Then, upGrad has also developed a number of features that make it easier for students and teaching staff to check class administration, class scheduling, and the grading system. "upGrad also connects students who pass the exam with companies that provide the program" internship until they interview."

In the future, Sendy targets to partner with more educational institutions to open undergraduate programs in accounting, informatics engineering, and management globally. online. This program is expected to help market segments who have just graduated from high school and D3 to get a degree quickly.