upGrad Scales Hybrid Learning Footprint; Targets 40 Learning Support Centres (LSCs) by March ’26

After a successful pilot, the skilling major accelerates its phygital strategy to make job-ready learning more accessible across Indian metros and Tier-II cities. upGrad, one of Asia’s largest integrated skilling and lifelong learning majors, today announced the expansion of its Learning Support Centre (LSC) network across India — a move that strengthens its phygital learning ecosystem aimed at delivering accessible, high-impact, and job-ready education for India’s youth and early professionals.

upGrad currently has 11 operational franchise-led centres and plans to expand the network to 40 centres by March 2026, comprising a mix of franchise-owned and company-operated locations. Building on its successful pilot phase, upGrad has already launched centres in Pune, Kolkata, Indore, Bhopal, Bengaluru, and other key cities, and now aims to scale the network to bring hybrid learning closer to learners across metros and Tier-II cities.

Designed as high-impact learning pods, these centres offer 4–6 month programs in high-demand domains such as Data Science, AI/ML and Full Stack Development. The initiative is a key step in upGrad’s mission to “Upskill India” by offering industry-relevant, accessible, and outcome-driven skilling solutions especially for individuals seeking quick, practical upskilling for career acceleration.“With millions of graduates entering the workforce every year, India stands at the cusp of aspiration and opportunity, and yet there’s a widening gap between what employers expect and what traditional institutions deliver.

This is where we want to build a strong industry differentiator through our offline LSCs — not as coaching centres, but as spaces dedicated to making learners job-ready,” said Manish Kalra, COO – Offline, upGrad, while commenting on the expansion.

The company is investing strategically in its LSC network and partnering with franchise entrepreneurs across Tier-II and emerging markets to build an employability-driven learning ecosystem across India. This approach ensures agile, scalable growth while maintaining high standards of learner experience and academic rigour.“With over a decade in professional skilling, we’ve seen how learning patterns have evolved.

Individuals today succeed fastest when they combine academia with industry exposure and guided mentorship, rooted in real-world applicability. These centres are a natural extension of what we do at upGrad combining our expertise and peer-to-peer learning to redefine how freshers and early professionals can gain an instant skilling edge. These short-format courses are designed by industry practitioners, keeping in mind the technical depth and essential power skills required for the next-gen economy,” he added.

According to industry reports, India produces nearly 1.5 million engineering graduates each year, yet employability remains a concern, with only about 45% meeting industry standards. upGrad’s phygital model directly addresses this gap by combining the scalability of online learning with the depth of offline mentorship, enabling learners to build application-oriented, job-ready skills aligned with evolving industry needs.

As part of its expansion strategy, upGrad is also inviting young entrepreneurs who wish to make a meaningful impact in India’s skilling landscape to join as franchise partners, helping the brand take employability-led learning to every corner of the country.

This nationwide rollout follows a successful pilot phase in 2024, which validated the model’s effectiveness as a sustainable and high-impact approach to workforce skilling.