The Ancient Indian Gurukul System Can Be Applied To Modern-Day Corporate Training As Well, Rajesh Panda, Founder and CEO, Corporate Gurukul

Rajesh Panda is the Founder & Managing Director of Corporate Gurukul, based in Singapore. Rajesh’s native place is Rourkela, Odisha in Eastern India. He graduated from NIT, Rourkela, and was awarded a gold medal for his all-around performance. He started his career in business development with HCL Hewlett Packard before completing his MBA from SP Jain, Mumbai. Rajesh held management & leadership responsibilities in various MNCs and consulting companies of repute before starting Corporate Gurukul. 

Headquartered in Singapore,  Corporate Gurukul was established in 2007. Corporate Gurukul has a vision of enabling employability, social transformation, and integration through valued-based education, applied learning experiences and skills training. The company provides platforms for students to learn and apply theoretical concepts in the practical world, thereby making them ready for the real world. Corporate Gurukul delivers these powerful curated learning experiences through internships, research and immersive learning in association with top universities and corporates including National University of Singapore (NUS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) Education. 

The programmes are curated for students in the age group of 10 to 23 years!

The concept for the venture was inspired by the Gurukul System, which was founded around 5000 BC in  the Indian sub-continent. The Gurukul System was  evolved in a way that helped develop discipline and excellence in students through self-management and teamwork. Above all, learning was connected to the real-world with the objective of solving social problems. 

Corporate Gurukul is distinct and its working philosophy is atypical. It provides world-class applied learning programmes that allow students to identify their passion, become creative and develop a practical problem-solving mindset. The growth of students is facilitated by helping them develop a disciplined way of living in addition to imparting them subject matter knowledge and skills. The objective and focus is holistic development of the students.

Corporate Gurukul’s internship and research interventions for school and university students are in the area of Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Deep Learning, Design Thinking, Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Leadership. Such opportunities are crucial in this day and age and  their significance is deeply rooted in the current job demands. The conventional education system lacks practical knowledge, results in a communication gap, and focuses only on cramming  rather than emphasizing on practical utility of concepts. Corporate Gurukul allows students to be innovative and work in a team and make them ready for current world scenarios.

In the last five years, a CAGR of 150% has been observed by Corporate Gurukul and in FY 2022-23, Corporate Gurukul is expected to generate $5 Million in revenues. By 2021, over 150,000 students from 20+ countries across Asia and Africa have trained with Corporate Gurukul.

Corporate Gurukul is bootstrapped and currently self-funded. Having already set a strong foundation in India with a large number of students already enrolled in their programmes, Corporate Gurukul has the vision to widen its reach to different continents across the globe. The aim has always been to set a strong footprint in the USA, UK, and Canada and extend the presence in Africa and South America. 

The learning agility of each student is different. At the same time every student wants to work with the world’s best professionals, professors and peer group.

Corporate Gurukul started an innovative teacher-mentor model to address the above need. This learning model was designed to cater to the learning needs and agility of each student. 

One to many learning happens with professors/ professionals from some of the best universities/ corporates in the world including National University of Singapore (NUS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) Education .  It is complemented with Corporate Gurukul’s trained and certified mentors who work with each student 1 on 1. 

Corporate Gurukul works with students in the age group of 10-23 years old across South Asia, South East Asia and Middle East. Focus is on Tier-1 Universities and Schools in each city and country where they operate. 

Their target audience is students in schools and universities who want to build their knowledge, skills and profile to work, thrive and excel in the world’s best universities and corporates.