India’s IT engineers need to reskill to survive – and this is the tech they’re clamouring to learn

Upskill or perish has become the mantra among Indian techies.

From large IT companies reskilling their workforces to young engineers learning new-age tools, there’s a rush to catch up with the latest trends. But there’s one technology that has far more takers than any other: the internet of things (IoT).

In the six months between October 2017 and March 2018, Bengaluru-based online-learning platform Edureka has seen a 200% surge in enrollment to courses relating to technologies for adding sensors to machines to allow for remote monitoring. Edureka’s analysis is based on data from over 16,000 learners from around the world who use its portal.

IoT is the concept of connecting any device with the internet and/or to another device. These devices could include everything from smartphones, headphones, and fitness bands to even electronics like a television, a coffee maker, or a washing machine.

“Professionals who can architect a giant network of connected devices and analyse the data produced by them are in high demand,” Edureka said in its report. These engineers can work on building connected cars, making smart homes, and creating health and fitness solutions, among other things.

It’s hardly surprising that IoT is so sought-after among India’s tech employees considering the country leads the pack when it comes to IoT outsourcing. It controlled a massive $1.52 billion of the total $3.5 billion global IoT technology services outsourcing market in 2017, according to an August 2017 report by Bengaluru-based consultancy Zinnov.

This article first appeared on Quartz.