Imarticus Learning Bridges India's Skill Gap with Industry-First Professional Education

January 16, 2026 8 min read

When Sonya Hooja moved back to India from the US in 2012, she was tasked with what seemed like a straightforward mission: build a 300-person team in Hyderabad. But as she began interviewing fresh graduates, she encountered a stark reality—despite holding degrees, the vast majority of candidates lacked the practical skills needed to do the job. This "employability gap" wasn't just a recruiting headache; it was a systemic failure affecting millions of Indian graduates and thousands of companies.

This frustration became the genesis of Imarticus Learning, an educational firm Sonya co-founded with her brother, Nikhil Barshikar. Over the last decade, Imarticus has evolved from a single bootcamp in Andheri to a comprehensive professional education powerhouse, bridging the chasm between academic theory and industry reality.

The Genesis: Solving the Employability Crisis

The story of Imarticus Learning didn't start with a market research report or a VC pitch deck. It started with personal experience. While Sonya struggled to find talent for her project, her brother Nikhil faced an even larger challenge at Nomura, where he was tasked with hiring 5,000 to 6,000 fresh graduates. Both siblings saw the same disconnect: smart, motivated students who were simply not "job-ready."

"There was a clear skill gap between what is needed in the industry and what is taught in schools and colleges," Sonya explains. "We went nuts trying to recruit the right talent."

Driven by the desire to solve this problem, they launched Imarticus Learning in 2012. Their first offering was the Certified Investment Banking Operations Professional (CIBOP) program. The model was simple but radical for the time: a 3-4 month intensive bootcamp designed not just to teach theory, but to secure placements in aspirational roles at top financial institutions.

The Employability-First Approach

Unlike traditional education which focuses on degrees, Imarticus Learning's model is built entirely around outcomes. Their flagship CIBOP program was designed with a singular goal: to take a graduate and make them deployable in a global bank within months.

The Core Problem: Archaic Curriculums vs. Modern Needs

Why does this gap exist in a country that produces millions of engineers and graduates annually? Sonya points to the outdated infrastructure of mass education in India. While top-tier institutes might keep pace, the vast majority of colleges are stuck with curriculums that haven't changed in decades.

"The way of consuming information and knowledge has completely changed over the last decade," Sonya notes. "However, the way of teaching has not changed for most of the colleges."

Today's students are digital natives who don't learn linearly from textbooks. Yet, the traditional system remains rigid. This creates a massive opportunity—and necessity—for partners like Imarticus to step in. They act as the bridge, bringing industry practitioners and updated content into the classroom.

Traditional Education vs. Imarticus Model

Traditional Education: Focuses on theoretical knowledge, generalist curriculum, and outdated textbooks. Success is measured by degrees and grades.

Imarticus Model: Focuses on practical application, role-specific skills (e.g., Fintech, Data Analytics), and dynamic digital content. Success is measured by job placements and career progression.

Evolution: From B2C Bootcamps to B2B Partnerships

What began as a B2C model targeting job-seekers has evolved into a multi-faceted education ecosystem. Imarticus now operates a thriving B2B vertical, training employees for large corporates who recognized that Imarticus knew how to teach skills better than they could internally.

The company has also expanded well beyond finance. Today, they offer programs in:

Data Science & Analytics
Marketing
Technology & AI
Management & Leadership

Crucially, they are now partnering with universities to rewrite the script from the inside. "We come in the last year and we do the entire learning in a topic like Fintech," Sonya explains. By integrating their industry-grade curriculum into formal degree programs, they are helping universities stay relevant.

AI: The Enabler, Not the replacement

In a world buzzing with fears of AI replacing jobs, Sonya offers a grounded perspective. At Imarticus, AI hasn't replaced their workforce; it has supercharged it. Their curriculum designers now use AI tools to create sharper, more relevant content faster than ever before.

"AI has not replaced a lot of jobs in our company but what has done is enhanced it... the move has become where people need to become a lot more intelligent and be able to be a lot more value focused."

For the workforce of the future, the message is clear: AI will replace the mundane and manual, but it will elevate those who learn to use it as a tool. The demand is shifting from "doers" to "thinkers" who can leverage technology to deliver higher value.

The Future of "EdTech"

The EdTech sector has seen a boom and a bust, with high-profile struggles at companies like Byju's. Sonya believes the industry is undergoing a necessary correction. The era of chasing insane valuations is over; the focus has returned to what matters: Student Outcomes.

"We don't want to be known as an EdTech firm," she states firmly. "We want to be known as an educational firm."

This distinction is vital. It signals a move away from technology as a gimmick and back to education as a transformational process. With the National Education Policy (NEP) encouraging innovation and flexibility, the future looks bright for players who prioritize quality and employability over growth at all costs.

Entrepreneurial Wisdom: Finding a Co-Founder

Sonya advises that finding a co-founder is like a marriage—it requires compatibility and trust. Her advice:
1. Complementary Skills: Ensure you have different strengths (e.g., one detail-oriented, one big-picture).
2. Clear Roles: Define responsibilities early to avoid conflict.
3. Trust: You need someone you can trust with your life, because you'll be trusting them with your business.

Key Takeaways

Outcomes Over Degrees: The value of a degree is diminishing; the value of a specific, deployable skill set is rising.
Industry Integration: The future of education lies in deep partnerships between academia and industry.
AI as a Copilot: Professionals shouldn't fear AI but must learn to wield it to increase their efficiency and value.
Sustainable Growth: The next wave of education companies will be built on profitability and student success, not just user acquisition.

About the Guest

Sonya Hooja is the Co-founder and COO of Imarticus Learning. With a background in strategy and consulting, she moved back to India to address the critical skill gap in the workforce. Under her leadership, Imarticus has grown into a leading professional education firm, empowering learners with industry-specific skills that lead to meaningful careers.

Imarticus Learning is a technology-driven educational institute that has immense expertise in transforming careers across industries such as financial services, analytics, and AI. Founded in 2012, it has impacted over 10,00,000 careers and partnered with over 500 Global organizations.