Become a Machine Learning Expert: Online Training Course & Certification

Machine learning, or ML, is one of today's highest-on-demand skills in the ever-changing technical world. This area of AI involves processes through which the machine learns from data to improve its performance with time and starts making decisions on its own without explicit human direction. Starting from health and finance to retail and education, ML is transforming industries into a new shape around the world; this effect is not peripheral to India either.

In India, machine learning is one of the most wanted professions, mainly in industries such as information technology, Fintech, and e-commerce. Having online training courses and certification programs that are easily available makes it quite easy for any professional to acquire the required set of skills that would help them reach their goals. This article depicts how to become a machine learning expert with the help of online training and certification courses intended for Indian learners.

What is Machine Learning?

The idea of Machine learning comes under Artificial Intelligence. ML concentrates on developing algorithms that help learn from data and make decisions based on it. It does not require programming for the system to carry out a particular task. Instead, machine learning provides the systems with the potential to identify patterns and trends within the data they process. Later, it allows them to modify their actions as the new information builds up.
There are 3 major types of Machine Learning:

1. Supervised Learning: The algorithm is skilled on labelled data, meaning both input and output are provided.
2. Unsupervised Learning: The input data will be given to the model here. ML needs to identify groupings in data, such as anomaly detection or Clustering, as well as its patterns.
3. Reinforcement Learning: It teaches the agent to make decisions by giving a reward for correct actions and a penalty for wrong ones. Over time It can optimize all the rewards.

Why Machine Learning in India?

India is rapidly transforming itself into a digitized nation. It has increased growth in the IT sector, and other government initiatives like Digital India have set the fertile ground for machine learning and AI adoption. Below are some of the factors that have kept the demand for machine learning professionals in India:
 

1. Tech Growth: AI is fast being adopted by outsourced IT giants like TCS, Infosys, and Wipro in India to drive efficiencies and performance across operations and improve services. Machine learning plays the core role in process automation, engagement of customer service, and bringing in innovation.
 

2. Data Explosion: With the ever-increasing rate of internet penetration in India, it is expected that India will generate a massive amount of data and hence create a big pool of data. It acts as a base for the ML algorithms and requires a dataset to make the prediction.
 

3. Industry demand: Some industries, such as Fintech, health care treatment, and e-commerce, will make use of various applications of machine learning. Thus, the demand for skilled ML professionals has remained high.
 

4. Government and Academia Initiatives: The Indian government highly encourages candidates to opt for AI and Machine Learning. It has initiatives like the National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence and collaborates between educational institutions and tech companies.

 

Core Skills of a Machine Learning Expert:

Before getting into certification and online training, it is essential to know what core skills a machine learning expert should have. Irrespective of your geography-India or any other part of the world the following are some founding pillars of ML:

• Mathematics: It is a fact that machine learning draws considerable strength from concepts related to statistics, linear algebra, and calculus. The techniques of optimization, probability, and distribution must be well understood.
• Programming: In ML, Python is the dominant programming language. However, Java, Julia, and R are quite widely used. It is important to have certain ideas about TensorFlow, NumPy, Pandas, and Scikit-learn libraries.
• Data Preprocessing: Skills for cleaning, transformation, and processing of data are the basics. Real-world data is incomplete or noisy, and preprocessing is very critical in building effective models.
• Algorithms: The perception of algorithms in machine learning, including decision trees, neural networks, and clustering techniques, is procured.
• Model Evaluation: To evaluate the ML model, factors like Performance metrics, including recall, accuracy, precision, and the F1 score, are important to be aware of.
• Big Data: It is done with Apache Hadoop, Spark, and cloud-based platforms and has been one of the rising needs that ML engineers face in large-scale applications.
• Deep Learning: Deep Learning is a part of Machine Learning & finds its application in higher-order applications such as image recognition, NLP, and autonomous systems. For deep Learning, the most common tools employed are Keras and PyTorch.

Best Online Training Courses for Machine Learning in India

The Indian Edutech boom has brought forth a plethora of online platforms hosting state-of-the-art machine-learning training programs. Some of the following options are amongst the best options for Indian professionals and students:

1. Coursera – Machine Learning by Stanford University
   This is one of the most well-known and prestigious courses in machine learning in the whole world. Standford University gives the course personally conducted by Dr Andrew Ng himself. This course will widely cover most topics in ML: supervised Learning, unsupervised Learning, reinforcement learning, and neural networks. The list just goes on and on. It's beginner-friendly and includes practical exercises in Python and MATLAB.

Cost: Free to audit; Certificate available with a paid subscription.

Duration: 11 weeks, 4–6 hours/week. This course is meant for both beginners & intermediate learners.

2. UpGrad – Machine Learning and AI UpGrad is one of the largest online education firms in India. It has immense detail in its program on machine learning and AI. This course has been performed with IIT Madras and has live lectures, case studies, and industry projects. It covers major areas of deep Learning, NLP, and computer vision.

• Course Price: INR 2-3 lakhs, depending on the course package.
• Duration: 12–15 months
• Best for: Working professionals with some programming experience

3. EdX – Professional Certificate in Machine Learning by Microsoft
   This is a certification course provided by the EDX platform, along with Microsoft. Python-based machine learning is followed here. The syllabus will feature data preprocessing and model building for evaluation. It is a very practical course and perfect for learners who are interested in different aspects of machine learning.

• Course fee: INR 50,000 – INR 60,000
• Duration: 3 months
• Target group: Intermediate learners

4. Great Learning – PG Program in Machine Learning
   Great Learning offers a postgraduate program in machine learning, which companies across industries in India recognize. The course exposes the student to real-world applications and includes hands-on projects on finance, e-commerce, and healthcare. Also, one-on-one sessions with industry experts will be included in the course.

• Cost: INR 2.5-3 lakhs
• Duration: 11 months (online and weekend classes)
• Suitable for: Mid-career professionals

5. DataCamp – Machine Learning Scientist with Python
   DataCamp has a set of online interactive courses to help one build skills in machine learning using Python. It covers all the major aspects of machine learning, from supervised & unsupervised Learning to deep Learning and time series analysis. Datacamp concentrates on practice via coding exercises.

• Cost: INR 20,000 annually for full access
• Duration: Self-paced 25 hours in total
• Suitable for: Beginner to Advanced Learner

6. Simplilearn – Machine Learning Certification Course
   Simplilearn offers an advanced machine learning certification course meant for professionals who want to give their careers the right momentum in data science and ML. This course will include live instructor-led classes, case studies, and project-based Learning. It is aligned to industry needs and will provide job assistance once the certification is completed.

• Cost: INR 55,000 – INR 60,000
• Duration: 3–6 months (depending on learning pace)
• Suitable for: Mid-level professional

Machine Learning Certification Programs in India

To showcase your Machine Learning Expertise to expected employers, certification is an important step. A few of the most highly recognized programs available include, but are not limited to:

1. Google Cloud Professional Machine Learning Engineer Certification
The certification program is prepared by Google Cloud, which is aimed at professionals who want to design, develop, and deploy machine learning models using its toolset. This is ideal for those professionals who want to specialize in cloud-based machine learning solutions.

• Cost: INR 12,000 - examination fee
• Preparation: Available online; Google Cloud training courses
• Recognition: Globally recognized

2. AWS Certified Machine Learning – Specialty
The AWS Machine Learning Specialty certification is ideal for developers using Amazon Web Services. It validates your skills in the application of machine learning models on AWS in essential areas like data engineering, exploratory data analysis, and modelling.

• Cost: INR 20,000, examination fee
• Preparation: Self-paced- AWS
• Recognition: Globally recognized

3. Microsoft Azure AI Engineer Certification
This course focuses on the design of AI and machine learning solutions on Azure. This category covers all the major aspects in machine learning, which relate to NLP, computer vision, and reinforcement learning. It increases the professional value of a certification dealing with cloud environments.

• Cost: INR 10,500
• Preparation Resources: Microsoft Learn
• Recognition: Global recognition

4. IIT Roorkee – Advanced Certification in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
This is a specialized certificate via Coursera. It is related to Indian students and professionals, covering AI and ML topics that would be very pertinent to the Indian context. Specialized with a strong deep learning and neural network concentration, this training is focused on Indian scenarios.

• Cost: INR 80,000 – INR 90,000
• Duration: 6 months
• Recognition: Industry-recognized India

Conclusion
India is also emerging as a significant player in the global machine learning ecosystem, thus having an increasing demand for skilled ML professionals in most industries. Online training courses and certification courses are easier and more flexible means of developing expertise in ML. Be it a fresher to understand machine learning or an experienced professional wanting to enhance your skills, the wide range of online programs will help you reach your career objectives.
Choosing the course aptly and its certification will help you tag as a Machine Learning expert and place you in the lucrative and challenging career arena not only in India but all over the world.