OpenAcademy charts expansion, aims to be a leading edtech player in Southeast Asia

KUALA LUMPUR: OpenAcademy has drawn up plans for Southeast Asia expansion over the next three to five years, targeting Indonesia and Vietnam within the next two years.

Co-founder Celine Ting said that in educational technolog (edtech), aside from Coursera, there are no single platforms or players significantly prominent in specific markets or across Southeast Asia.

Ting said that OpenAcademy’s vision is to become a leading player in Southeast Asia’s edtech sector.

“We realised that no prominent edtech platform currently serves all of Southeast Asia,“ she said in an exclusive interview with SunBiz.

Additionally, she noted that many upskilling platforms focus on international or westernised content, whether from the US or China.

“But there is nothing that focuses on the Southeast Asian context. So we wanted to be a player that enhances and highlights industry practitioners across Southeast Asia, turning their experience and insights into learning content,“ Ting explained.

She said other players’ target audiences range from graduating university students to working professionals, including executives and managerial-level employees. “These individuals have more exposure to edtech because they often have their own devices, and companies are more willing to invest in relevant technologies.”

Ting mentioned that the adoption of edtech is slower and more government-dependent for younger age groups, like primary and high school students. “Schools are adopting gradually, trying to put things in place, but they are still seeking the right fit.”

Ting said learning, upskilling and reskilling are essential for improving productivity and addressing company challenges, as many new developments, including artificial intelligence (AI), are emerging. “For companies that have not yet explored Learning and Development, many free resources are available that they can take advantage of.”

Ting encourages companies to fully utilise Human Resource Development Corporation claims for training, workshops, and e-learning platforms or apps they are subscribed to. “You can claim for these as well, so I think it is important for companies that have not started to tap into these resources,“ she said.

Ting described OpenAcademy as a learning platform that aims to connect learners from various communities directly with industry practitioners through diverse learning content.

“We do this by transforming industry practitioners’ insights and experiences into different forms of learning content. We provide training and workshops and mainly promote our OpenAcademy app, which offers bite-sized learning content,“ she said.

Ting said users can learn directly from industry practitioners on the platform. “We make learning content highly accessible and convenient, connecting learners directly with experts,“ she said.

She said all the videos on the platform are short, less than five minutes, accompanied by articles and infographics. “Our goal with the platform or app is to make learning as accessible as possible and to help learners connect directly with industry practitioners.”