India’s upskilling platforms are witnessing a sharp shift in learner profiles, with mid- to senior-level professionals and non-technical roles driving demand for AI-focused programmes as adoption expands across business functions.
Companies such as upGrad and Simplilearn said enrolments are no longer limited to engineers or early-career developers, with marketers, HR professionals, finance executives and operations leaders increasingly signing up to build AI capabilities within their existing roles.
AI courses outpace traditional tech programmes
“We’re seeing a clear inflection in enrolments—AI-focused programmes are now significantly outpacing traditional coding and full-stack courses. In fact, close to 90% of our learners across formats are opting for AI-led programmes,” said Anuj Vishwakarma, CEO – Higher Education Programmes at upGrad.
The shift is being driven by enterprises embedding AI across workflows, making AI fluency a core requirement rather than a specialised skill. “It’s no longer just engineers—marketers, product managers, analysts, and business leaders are actively enrolling,” Vishwakarma added, highlighting the broadening learner base.
Rising demand from experienced and non-tech professionals
Simplilearn is seeing similar trends, with demand coming from both experienced professionals and functional roles, as well as from traditional developer cohorts. “AI-focused programs have significantly outpaced other domains in enrolments,” said Gaurav Agrawal, senior vice president, product and growth at Simplilearn.
The platform said it is also witnessing increased participation from professionals with over five years of experience, as well as non-technical users looking to apply AI in day-to-day tasks. “We are also seeing a broader and more diverse learner base, including experienced professionals and non-tech roles,” Agrawal added.
Edtech firms redesign programmes for diverse learners
This demand surge is prompting edtech firms to rethink programme design and segmentation. Instead of a one-size-fits-all approach, companies are increasingly offering differentiated learning pathways tailored to specific personas—ranging from developers seeking advanced AI capabilities to business users looking for application-led, no-code training.
At upGrad, this has translated into a wider portfolio of AI-led programmes spanning generative AI, agentic workflows, and business applications, alongside no-code and low-code entry points. The company said the ability to engage with AI without deep coding expertise has significantly expanded the addressable market.
Enterprise demand broadens beyond engineering teams
On the enterprise side, the shift is even more pronounced. “Organisations are no longer asking only for AI training for engineering teams—they want AI for leaders, AI for users, and AI for builders,” said Arushee Aggarwal, CEO of upGrad Enterprise.
Simplilearn, too, is tailoring programmes based on learner profiles, offering separate tracks for core developers and non-technical professionals. Developers typically opt for code-centric AI programmes, while business users prefer application-based, no-code or low-code pathways.
Shift towards organisation-wide AI capability building
The broader trend underscores a transition from tech-centric skilling to organisation-wide capability building, as companies look to embed AI across functions such as marketing, finance, HR and operations.
Industry executives said this shift is unlikely to reverse, as AI continues to become integral to workplace productivity and decision-making. For edtech firms, the next phase of growth will depend on how effectively they serve this expanding, increasingly diverse learner base while delivering measurable outcomes aligned with business needs.
Published on May 2, 2026