Kathmandu: Here is good news for those who want to utilize their lockdown time at home by enhancing and learning new skills. Sikable – an open-market platform is offering various online courses and classes to a new generation of learners and experts alike.
Gaurav Singh Basnyat, Founder of Sikable says,”If any individual wants to build up their knowledge in various fields virtually, and similarly if any skilled individual wants to share their knowledge and make side earnings, Sikable can be the appropriate platform.” Sikable considers themselves a digital version of Putalisadak – a place in Kathmandu with a multitude of educational and vocational institutes.
Some of the courses available on the platform are script writing, super reading, 3D printing, and 3D modeling among others. Courses of acting, share market, leadership and many others will be available soon.
“We are a technological platform that provides equal opportunity to learners and instructors. If you are good at anything and interested in sharing your knowledge, then you can sign up as an instructor whereas if you want to build your skills on any subject, then you can sign up as a student,” said Basnyat.
Basnyat informed that within 10 months of Sikable’s operation it has enrolled 160 instructors whereas the number of students is more than 2,500.
Inception
“Before lockdown, I used to travel a lot internationally. During my journeys, I got acquainted with a lot of people from different parts of the world, and while conversing with them and watching their skills, I used to have an inferiority complex. Although we all were equally qualified, their commands in soft skills and presentation skills were far better. This really hit me hard,” said Basnyat.
He returned home just before the first lockdown and he searched for an online educational platform that could enhance his professional skills. To his disappointment, he didn’t find any such places in Nepal. That’s when the idea struck his head. “I didn’t find what I was looking for, so I thought of creating it myself. This is how Sikable was conceived,” shared Basnyat.
Sikable considers themselves a digital version of Putalisadak – a place in Kathmandu with a multitude of
educational and
vocational institutes.
Market response
The students who are enrolling with Sikable are from diverse backgrounds and age groups, from very young ones to those in their fifties. “Initially we thought only those students who are pursuing a teaching profession will join the classes, but we were proved wrong,” said Basnyat.
The cost of the courses range from Rs 500 to 8,000, and some courses are offered free of cost too. “People at first doubt the quality of the courses as they are provided at a very low cost, but once they complete the course they find it is very productive and useful,” informed Basnyat.
Learnings and future plans
In the near future, Sikable is planning to launch a new video conferencing platform named Baithak, and numerous new courses will be added to the current lineup. Initially, Sikable was considering students from +2, Bachelors and Masters levels and those who wanted to learn new skills as a hobby as their target groups, but that has changed now.
“Our target audiences are any individuals who want to learn new skills as a hobby or even professionally. Earlier we assumed that only the ones from the age group 20-30 wanted to advance their careers, but the 10 months of experience in Sikable has taught us otherwise. Even those in their 50s and 60s want to enhance their professional prowess”, said Basnyat.
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