DESC (Digital Education & Skills Council)

What DESC (Digital Education & Skills Council) does

DESC (Digital Education & Skills Council) is a Delhi-based, non-governmental, non-profit think tank founded in 2022 that operates as an advisory body to governments and an operator of digital education and skill-development programs. It aligns its mission with India's New Education Policy, Digital India, Skill India, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and explicitly maps its work to NITI Aayog's Aspirational Districts Programme across 112 districts. The organization is led by Chairman Roop Kumar Sharma, Co-Chairman Rashmi Gupta, CEO & Chairman Rajesh Kumar Tayal, and Founder/Senior Advisor Arman Sharma, with governance distributed across a Board of Directors, Governing Council, Executive Council, and regional/international chapters.

DESC's product portfolio is delivered primarily through the DESC Online platform and includes proprietary online courses, partner courses (notably CompTIA cybersecurity and networking certifications under a revenue-sharing model), exam packages, webinars and workshops, a Research & Publication Wing, and a Health Surveillance initiative (with Fortis Healthcare). The organization promotes two proprietary frameworks, the TPMS Model (Training, Psychology, Meditation, Sustainability) and Education 5.0, as its pedagogical differentiators, and operates across 13+ sectors including Education, IT, Health, Finance, Sports, Vedic Studies, Culture, Arts, Legal Affairs, Communication, Livelihood, Sustainability, and Business. Its technology stack centers on a self-serve website with online courses, exam packages, and partner-course delivery, supplemented by chapter-based offline distribution.

DESC generates revenue through a hybrid non-profit model: tax-deductible donations (Section 80G of the Indian Income Tax Act, 1961), individual and corporate/institutional memberships, NGO registrations, paid course/workshop fees, and revenue-sharing on CompTIA certification programs. Customer segments span students, educators, corporates, NGOs, government bodies, and healthcare providers, reached via a community-led and event-driven GTM supported by an active social media presence and partnerships with organizations such as Arcedtech, Opening Master, Udayachal, SmartGaon Foundation, and ThriveDx.

Name

DESC (Digital Education & Skills Council)

Legal name

Digital Education and Skills Council

Website

https://descworld.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

DESC is a Delhi-based non-profit think tank and NGO that delivers digital education, skill-development, and health-surveillance programs aligned with India's NEP, Digital India, Skill India, and the UN SDGs, serving students, educators, corporates, NGOs, and government bodies across India and select international chapters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Education & Skill Development

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171), Computer Training (61142), Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Continuing Education (CE/CPD) & Provider Accreditation Bodies (EDADACAF)

Keywords

• Digital education services
• Skill development programs
• Sustainability advisory
• Online professional courses
• Education policy consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

New Delhi

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Program Fees: Revenue from online courses, workshops, webinars, and exam packages offered through DESC Online platform. Some programs are free while others require participation fees.
2. Donations: Voluntary contributions from donors, accepting online payments, checks, and UPI (desc@upi). Donations are exempted under Section 80G of Income Tax Act, 1961.
3. Membership Programs: Individual memberships, corporate/institutional partnerships, and NGO registrations generate recurring membership revenue.
4. Academic Partnerships (CompTIA): Revenue-sharing model for cybersecurity, networking, and certification programs through academic partnerships with CompTIA.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

DESC (Digital Education & Skills Council) is a Delhi-headquartered non-profit NGO and think tank that delivers digital education, skill development, and sustainability programs. It sells online courses, exam preparation packages, partner-distributed certifications, webinars, workshops, research publications, and policy/health surveillance advisory, while running membership programs for individual self-learners and academic/skill partnerships for corporates, institutions, NGOs, and government bodies.

Product overview

DESC (Digital Education & Skills Council) is a global non-profit foundation operating as a think tank focused on digital education and skill development. The organization functions as an advisory body offering programs and services aligned with India's New Education Policy, Digital India, and Skill India initiatives. DESC's portfolio consists of a unified platform of educational offerings including Online Courses (proprietary), Partner Courses (via CompTIA and other partners), Exam Packages, Webinar & Workshops, and a Research & Publication Wing. The organization employs the TPMS Model (Training Psychology Meditation and Sustainability) as its core educational framework. Services span across education, healthcare (Health Surveillance initiative with Fortis), and sustainability sectors. The platform targets students, educators, corporates, and NGOs globally with both self-developed content and partner-delivered programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Online Courses (DESC Online) Self-paced digital courses covering skill development and sustainability topics, delivered through the DESC Online platform for individual learners and members.
• Exam Packages Structured exam preparation bundles designed to help individual learners prepare for skill certification and professional examinations.
• Partner Courses (CompTIA, ThriveDx) Third-party certification courses distributed by DESC, including CompTIA and ThriveDx offerings, providing industry-recognized credentials to learners.
• Webinars & Workshops Live and recorded webinar and workshop sessions covering digital, sustainability, and life-skills topics, aimed at individual learners and institutional audiences.
• Health Surveillance Program Health awareness and surveillance program delivered through healthcare partnerships, addressing community health outcomes as part of DESC's social impact agenda.
• TPMS Model Advisory Proprietary TPMS Model used by DESC to advise corporates, institutions, NGOs, and government bodies on digital education, skill development, and sustainability programs.
• Research & Publications Original research reports and publications produced by DESC on digital education, skill development, sustainability, and related policy areas for stakeholders and partners.
• Current Affairs & Campaigns Ongoing current-affairs content and public campaigns aligned with DESC's education, sustainability, and awareness mission, delivered through the organization's communication channels.
• Individual Membership Program (Self-Learner) Membership offering for individual learners providing access to courses, exam packages, partner programs, and community resources via the DESC Online platform.
• Academic & Skill Partnership Program Formal partnership program for corporates, academic institutions, NGOs, and government bodies, providing collaborative skill development programs, academic partnerships, and advisory engagements.

Quantifiable outcome

• Global presence across multiple states and districts in India with educationists and students as beneficiaries

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Fortis HealthcareminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 March 2024Health surveillance initiative partnership with Fortis Healthcare for collaborative health monitoring and preventive health education programs.
• Arcedtech Private LimitedcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 June 2023DESC partnered with Arcedtech, an educational social impact startup focused on integrating UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Climate Education, and Global Citizenship into school curricula. Key highlights include integration of UN SDGs into educational materials, climate education integration, promotion of global citizenship, development of innovative teaching-learning solutions, and quality education and skills development programs.
• MAATRY KALYAN FOUNDATIONminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 May 2023DESC engaged in discussion with MAATRY KALYAN FOUNDATION for potential collaboration in education, career development, and women empowerment efforts in rural and urban slums of West Bengal and nearby regions. Topics discussed include community-based education centers, mentorship programs, women's empowerment initiatives, and resource mobilization strategies.
• SmartGaon FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 May 2023DESC collaborated with SmartGaon Foundation to launch online mentorship webinars, workshops, and guest lectures as part of the mentorship program initiative.
• ThriveDxminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 21 May 2023Partnership overview provided for ThriveDx offerings in foreign courses and future association with DESC for advancing digital education and skill development.
• UdayachalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 May 2023DESC partnered with Udayachal, a registered society providing free medical services to the needy and poor in Chhattisgarh. The partnership provides comprehensive support integrating education, skill development, and medical services including free cataract treatments, health education and awareness programs, and joint health camps and medical outreach programs.
• Opening MastercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 May 2023Digital Education and Skills Council (DESC) partnered with Opening Master, a leading Digital Chess Education Coaching and biggest chess databases provider. The partnership aims to advance Digital Education and research through chess, leveraging chess as an educational tool to foster critical thinking, problem solving, and creativity among students, teachers, and researchers. Activities include development of Digital Chess Education coaching programs, creation of an online platform for chess education and research, and provision of access to chess databases to researchers and educators.
• CompTIAcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 12 May 2023Academic partnership with CompTIA offering deeply discounted courses on cybersecurity, networking, and other certification programs. The partnership operates on a revenue-sharing model where experts, institutes, and agencies can undertake certifications jointly with DESC.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/des_council
• YouTubeyoutu.be/-33shEWTQ9Y
• Facebookfacebook.com/council.des
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/des-council
• Instagraminstagram.com/council_des
• Pinterestpinterest.com/councildes

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about DESC (Digital Education & Skills Council)