About us

Vision
Upskilling a generation through soft skills and transferable skills training.
Mission
We provide soft skills and transferable skills training to learners who have not received it previously with the aim to improve human learning and employability globally for Industrial Revolution 4.0. We hope to democratise this training through Artificial Intelligence.
Values
We believe in building innovative global solutions to upskill learners and democratise learning globally through integrity, by being resolute and with the responsibility of achieving it at speed so that no one in this generation is left behind.
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What do we do?

01

We are currently training learners who are unable to access their schools, institutions or normal learning in Palestine, Iraq, India and 5 other countries globally.

02

We are training mature learners with the Government of United Kingdom and Government of Afghanistan. Similarly, we are working with the Government of Uttarakhand to upskill all of their state school students and building a model that can be implemented in the rest of India - 200 million students.

03

We are democratising our training through Artificial Intelligence because 500 million learners are displaced by violence. In addition, COVID-19 showed us how something invisible can suddenly take 1.3 billion children out of school.

"Our strength lies in our understanding of student needs"

Research

Our research is at the core of all our solutions. The strength of OI lies in its research which is a blend of on-ground ethnographic research, digital research and in-person qualitative and quantitative data collection spanning several countries internationally. OI utilises the research expertise of academics from five countries.

Curriculum

Based on research across 3,200 kilometres on road and working with institutions and key stakeholders like teachers, learners and parents in three countries, OI has developed its current curriculum and training method.

Reach

True impact can only happen when we are able to reach all learners to directly boost their employability. We have developed 4 unique solutions in a highly independent modular structure which makes scaling of each solution rapid and makes it possible to choose the solution that can create most impact in new regions.

Trainer-led Training

We understand that no matter how much we try, there are still many areas where technology alone cannot upskill students. With over 1 million children turning 18 years every month in India, this is our way of helping all those learners even without technology reaching them.

Digital Training

COVID-19 showed us how trainer-led training can be disrupted overnight. However, with new trainers from top Universities in the UK we are able to provide similar training to students in 7 countries internationally.

Research and Development

Everything we do is derived from of our understanding of the problem and end user.

Education Games

We are developing innovative games to enhance soft skills learning and truly increase its scope and reach. Our games are research-driven but concentrate on both physical and digital versions of the game to truly reach all segments of learners.

Artificial Intelligence based Teacher

Our AI-teacher will truly democratise our training even in low to no internet-connectivity areas and is designed using neuroeducation and Natural Language Processing techniques to engage learners and encourage participation while learning.

We are modular

Our core is our research and understanding of student development needs and future employment needs in the regions where we operate.

We have derived 4 lean solutions from the core that are independent, modular and impact generating.

We build processes to upskill a generation that can be fluidly dispatched in new areas to quickly serve at scale.

Our Advisors

Bicky Carlra is a strategic thinker with a huge bend on technology and innovation. He drives positive results through strong leadership developed with years of holding higher management positions in global businesses with a footprint across multiple geographies. Bicky has lived & worked in India, UAE, UK & Singapore. He is a serial entrepreneur and a strategic advisor to a variety of ventures with a few successful exits, including leading a listing on Nasdaq. He is the Founder & Principal Consultant at Best Capital Solutions – a debt finance syndication advisory with a disruptive business model & plan.
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Bicky Carlra
Bian is an SDG expert, former investment banker, and founder of The Hungry Lab. In her current work, she sits at the crossroads of technology and education. Bian is an authority in her field and delivers several talks (including multiple TEDx) every year. She is a Global Karmaveer Fellow, 40 under 40 and Founder of the Hungry Lab.

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Bian Li
As a Business Analyst in the banking sector, Mark brings a wealth of knowledge and experience on analysis of business challenges and the design of solutions - including using AI and Data. He is currently an Analyst for a major bank in The Netherlands where he acts as a bridge between the business and information technology and he operates as a sounding board to advise on new opportunities.

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Mark Adriaanse
A Chartered Psychologist with a PhD in Affective Computing, Monica has a special interest in modelling human interactions to inform the design of emotionally intelligent machines and the ethics that come with capturing emotions. More specifically, her research interest lies in how the modelling of human interactions in the classroom can assist in the development of an embodied conversational virtual teacher to enhance access to learning - something we are doing with OI AI. Monica is also a Lecturer in Psychology, Deputy to the Chair and research scientist on the Volunteering Committee of ACM SIGCHI and is involved in organising CHI 2022.
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Dr Monica Pereira
A tech guru who has developed and launched over 15 applications just in the past 2 years and was involved with launching Kenya's first online trading application. Apart from traditional software and application development, he brings a wealth of expertise in AI, Dev Ops, financial systems and end-to-end product management.

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Dipesh Sharma
As a MnA specialist at PwC Sweden, Nayan brings a wealth of understanding of valuations and strategic decision making. Nayan has formerly been at PwC Bangalore and also has a strong understanding of the Indian and South Asian markets.

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Nayan Agarwal
Currently in France, Judith has almost 3 decades of experience as a consultant in the NGO and underprivileged education space in India and South Asia. She brings a wealth of knowledge and many significant connections in this field and is also an author.
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Judith Crosland
Bringing in expertise of over a decade in digital transformation for many global Fortune 500 clients from the United States and in Japan, India and United Kingdom. Currently with Brillio - Bain & Company's forward looking technology arm - his previous key initiatives include multi-cloud management, DevOps adoption, iOS releases, security in the modern IT landscape, and more.
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Tushar Dwivedi
Professor Andrew George is an innovative strategic thinker with considerable experience in higher education, medical research and research ethics, He has occupied senior roles at Imperial College London and Brunel University London (including Deputy Vice Chancellor). He has non-executive roles in the Health Education England, the Health Research Authority and a mental health trust, as well as chairing Imperial College Health Partners. He is also chair of two colleges and has contributed to research governance, in particular research ethics. He has worked closely with business to address their needs, and to ensure that students are prepared for successful careers following graduation. He is also an executive coach and consultant and is internationally recognised for his immunological research. He was awarded an MBE for his work in research ethics.
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Professor Andrew George

Our journey so far

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  • 2018

    Built curriculum to train two schools in Bangladesh to introduce female students in STEM

    Built curriculum to train two schools in Bangladesh to introduce female students in STEM

    December 3, 2018
  • 2018

    Realised there was a bigger problem that was affecting almost all schools in the country and region; lack of soft skills and transferable skills for future employability.

    Realised there was a bigger problem that was affecting almost all schools in the country and region; lack of soft skills and transferable skills for future employability.

    December 3, 2018
  • 2019

    Set up academics in the UK to help us build content based on knowledge gained from OI tours.

    Set up academics in the UK to help us build content based on knowledge gained from OI tours.

    December 7, 2019
  • 2019

    OI tours 2 and 3 covered 5 states in India, and Kathmandu city and outskirts in Nepal training teachers and students.

    OI tours 2 and 3 covered 5 states in India, and Kathmandu city and outskirts in Nepal training teachers and students.

    December 8, 2019
  • 2019

    OI starts training students in India, Nepal, and Bangladesh.

    OI starts training students in India, Nepal, and Bangladesh.

    December 9, 2019
  • 2019

    OI tours 4 and 5 resulted in meeting the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand state in India to develop a training course for the state.

    OI tours 4 and 5 resulted in meeting the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand state in India to develop a training course for the state.

    December 10, 2019
  • 2019

    First OI tour of India and Bangladesh conducted ethnographic research which proved our realisation was correct

    First OI tour of India and Bangladesh conducted ethnographic research which proved our realisation was correct

    December 19, 2019
  • 2020

    COVID-19 halted all training work as schools shut down for the rest of the year.

    COVID-19 halted all training work as schools shut down for the rest of the year.

    January 2, 2020
  • 2020

    MOU signed with Uttarakhand government to start training students in state schools to build a model for the whole state within 2 academic years

    MOU signed with Uttarakhand government to start training students in state schools to build a model for the whole state within 2 academic years

    February 13, 2020
  • 2020

    Built Lessons for humanity to deliver basic content online for people stuck in lockdown; used by 20,000 learners.

    Built Lessons for humanity to deliver basic content online for people stuck in lockdown; used by 20,000 learners.

    July 16, 2020
  • 2020

    Launched OI Digital impact training with academics and students from UK universities like University College London and Brunel University London to deliver soft skills training online.

    Launched OI Digital impact training with academics and students from UK universities like University College London and Brunel University London to deliver soft skills training online.

    September 10, 2020
  • 2020

    Developed Artificial Intelligence (AI) trainer to increase reach and impact of digital training without dependence on a large number of trainers.

    Developed Artificial Intelligence (AI) trainer to increase reach and impact of digital training without dependence on a large number of trainers.

    November 19, 2020
  • 2020

    Expanded to Palestine and Iraq.

    Expanded to Palestine and Iraq.

    November 25, 2020
  • 2020

    Start AI training testing in BCF UN camp in Kurdistan.

    Start AI training testing in BCF UN camp in Kurdistan.

    December 3, 2020
  • 2021

    AI training for all studnets in the UN camp in Kurdistan and its replication in 4 other camps.

    AI training for all studnets in the UN camp in Kurdistan and its replication in 4 other camps.

    January 2, 2021
  • 2021

    Expanded to Lebanon

    Expanded to Lebanon

    January 7, 2021
  • 2021

    Started working with Hariri Foundation, Hashoo Foundation and GIZ

    Started working with Hariri Foundation, Hashoo Foundation and GIZ

    January 14, 2021

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