Reimagining Talent Nurturing

Rajendran Dandapani, Director of Engineering at Zoho Corporation, discusses how Zoho Schools of Learning has spent 20 years redefining education through hands-on learning, early exposure, and deep industry immersion.

 Zoho Schools has been around for quite some time now. How did the idea originate?

Zoho Schools is nearly 20 years old, and the idea emerged during the early days when Zoho (then AdventNet) struggled to attract top talent through conventional campus recruitment. Large, well-known brands dominated college placements, and we faced the challenge of reaching out to the talent early and bringing them into the organization at the right time.

Instead of competing for the same pool, we chose an unconventional route. We reached out to nearby government schools and selected six students based on basic aptitude around problem-solving, logical thinking, analytical ability, and using what they had learned between classes 6 and 10. There was no stipend, no placement promise initially, just trust. Those six students took a leap of faith, and that became the foundation of Zoho Schools.

How was the original training model structured?

The first year focused on fundamentals of mathematics, language, logical thinking, and problem-solving. Programming was introduced alongside these core skills. In the second year, students joined Zoho teams as interns, applying what they learned in real-world environments. By the third year, they transitioned into full-time software engineering roles. That two-year learning-to-work pipeline has remained central to Zoho Schools ever since.

How has Zoho Schools evolved since then?

Over time, we realized this wasn’t about a specific technology or curriculum. It was about process and environment. Zoho Schools is embedded inside Zoho Corp. Students learn not just in classrooms, but through peer learning, observing leadership discussions, interacting with engineers, designers, and product teams, and being part of daily company life. This led to expansion beyond technology: Today, Zoho Schools feeds talent into every function including developers, designers, marketers, customer support, writers, testers, animators, and more. Roughly 10–15% of Zoho’s workforce now comes from Zoho Schools.

What does the intake look like today?

We receive around 15,000–16,000 applications annually and select about 150–200 students. It’s highly selective, and selective both ways. About 25% of students who receive offers decline, largely because we don’t offer a degree. We’ve been approached by universities to affiliate and issue degrees, but we’ve deliberately chosen not to. We don’t follow a rigid curriculum, conduct exams, or enforce attendance. Learning is project-driven, adaptive, and continuously updated based on real-world needs, including AI, product development, customer support, and whatever is relevant at the moment.

What are the age group and eligibility criteria?

Typically, students are 17–20 years old, including 10+2 and 10+3 students, college dropouts and homeschooled students. As long as they pass the entrance test and interview, and demonstrate aptitude and commitment, formal credentials don’t matter.

How do students get recruited into Zoho Schools?

There are three primary pathways. We do a rural outreach, visiting remote and underserved regions across India, introducing students to Zoho and Zoho Schools, conducting aptitude tests, and recruiting locally.  Thousands also apply annually to take a centralized test at our campus. And Every October, students participate in 30-day challenges in coding, design, or business tasks. It’s open-book. Consistency matters more than brilliance. Over time, we’ve learned that consistent learners outperform merely “smart” ones. We evaluate improvement and commitment, not a one-day performance.

What streams does Zoho Schools cover today?

The School of Technology covers software engineering, testing, analytics, front-end, back-end, mobile development. The School of Design focuses on UI/UX, visual design, animation, photography, videography. The School of Business focuses on customer support, documentation, marketing, sales, social media and pre-sales.

Do students work on real-world projects?

While excellent ideas do emerge, we consciously avoid over-celebration. The workplace isn’t always exciting as 80% of work is routine. We prepare students for that reality. Promising ideas are quietly shared with internal teams, and some students later transition into those areas.

How does placement work after the two-year program?

Placement is 100% assured, provided students complete the program successfully. We map student strengths to team needs through close coordination with managers. If a mismatch occurs, on either side, we provide a safety net through counseling, reassignment, or retraining. Very few students drop out. Many who are reassigned go on to excel in new teams, often with renewed motivation.

Is Zoho Schools limited to Tamil Nadu?

Not at all. While campuses are in Tamil Nadu, students come from across India including Bihar, Assam, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, and beyond. Language barriers have reduced over time as alumni networks have grown and peer support has strengthened.

What is the long-term vision for Zoho Schools?

Our founder has publicly stated that the future CEO of Zoho will come from Zoho Schools. That’s a serious responsibility. The focus ahead is on scaling thoughtfully, without compromising quality. We don’t aim to recruit already-polished urban talent. Our mission is to identify high-potential students from underserved, rural backgrounds and give them opportunities they wouldn’t otherwise have access to. That is the hardest and most fulfilling part of teaching.

How do you keep the curriculum relevant?

Faculty members maintain one foot in active development. Designers teach while designing. Marketers teach while executing campaigns. Engineers teach while shipping code. This constant feedback loop between Zoho’s product teams and Zoho Schools ensures learning stays current, practical, and grounded in reality.