Entrepreneurial Development Programme

 

Entrepreneurial Development Programme

An entrepreneurship development program is a program that is aimed solely at enhancing the entrepreneurial abilities of anyone who wants to become a successful entrepreneur in the future. This program follows a well-structured process of training which brings out the best in the people who feel they lack the desired abilities to be a good entrepreneur.

Concept

The concept of entrepreneurship development programme involves equipping a person with the required skills and knowledge needed for starting and running the enterprise.

 

Objectives

It must help selected entrepreneurs to

• ·      Develop and strengthen their entrepreneurial quality/motivation;
• ·      Analyse environment related to small industry and small business;
• ·       Select and formulate project/product;
• ·      Understand the process and procedure of setting up of small enterprise;
• ·       Know and influence the source of help/support needed for launching the enterprise;
• ·      Acquire the basic management skills;
• ·      Know the pros and cons of being an entrepreneur
• ·      Acquaint and appreciate the needed social responsibility/entrepreneurial disciplines. 

Features of EDP

• ·      Identification and careful selection of entrepreneurs for training;
• ·      Developing the entrepreneurial capabilities of the trainee;
• ·      Equipping the trainee with the basic managerial understanding and strategies;
• ·      Ensuring a viable industrial project for each potential entrepreneur;
• ·      Helping him to secure the necessary financial, infrastructural and related assistance; and
• ·      Training cost is highly subsidised and only token fee is charged. A deposit is, however, taken to ensure commitment of participants.

 

Need for EDP

• ·      There will be genuine and profitable use of local resources;
• ·      More job openings;
• ·      Per capita income increases which is an important factor for development purpose;
• ·      Upgradation in standard of livings;
• ·       Provides new solutions to the problems;
• ·      Improvement in international competitiveness;
• ·      Entrepreneurial awareness
  
  

Role of EDP

• ·      Knowledge of projects and product among various industries;
• ·       Learning the procedure of setting up an enterprise and;
• ·      Diverse stimulatory aspect like developing skills, training, valuable knowledge etc;

 Phases of EDP:

All the EDPs mainly consist of three phases, which are illustrated as below:

 

1) Pre-Training Phase:

This step can be considered as the introductory phase in which the entrepreneurship development programmes are launched. A wide spectrum of activities is performed in this phase arc described below:

 

• ·      Identification of suitable location where the operations can be initiated like a district.
• ·      Selection of an individual as a course coordinator or project leader to coordinate the EDP activities.
• ·      Organisation of basic infrastructural facilities related to the programme. 
• ·      Conducting the environmental scanning or industrial survey in order to look for better business opportunities. 
• ·      Developing various plans associated with the programme, like:

o  Promotional activities by using electronic or print media, posters, leaflets, etc.

o  Contacting business experts, different agencies, NGOs that can become a part of the programme, directly or indirectly.

o  Printing the application forms and availing them in different locations with the instructions.

o  Establishing selection committee for screening of candidates.

o  Preparing budget and getting it approved from the management and arranging other activities which are related to the programme.

o  Arranging and deciding the need-based elements in the syllabus of training programme and to contact guest faculties for the training session.

 

• ·      Looking for the assistance of various agencies such as DICs, banks, SISI, NSIC, DM and so on.
• ·      Conducting industrial motivational campaigns to increase the number of applications.

2) Training Phase:

The main function of any EDP is to impart training to future entrepreneurs and guiding them for establishing the enterprise. The normal duration of the entrepreneurship development programme is 4-6 weeks and it is usually a full- time course. The objectives,

training inputs and the centre of focus are explained in the programme design.

Commonly, it is considered that the trainees do not have enough information about the change because of which new programme is prepared. Each trainee should appraise himself at the termination of the training programme to have a clear view about his/her future endeavours.

 

Training phase program design
Objectives	Focus	Inputs
Promoting and sustaining the skills of entrepreneurship and building up the confidence.	Entrepreneur.	Behavioural inputs.
Helping in establishing the new enterprise through decision-making.	Enterprise establishment Creating enterprise.	Business opportunity guidance, information and project planning inputs, technical inputs. Guiding for enabling business opportunities. information and project planning and technical opinions.
Successful and profitable operation of enterprise. Industrial exposure Performing profitable and successful operations, exposure various industrial knowledge.	Enterprise management, first-hand knowledge of factory layout, business sites, etc. Information related to factory layout, plant location, organisation management and so on.	Management inputs, plant visit/in-plant training Management suggestions industrial visit or training.

 

3) Post-Training Phase:

This phase is also referred as the phase of follow-up assistance. In this phase, the candidates who have completed their programme successfully are provided post-training assistance. This phase is very important as after the completion of training programme, most of the entrepreneurs face a lot of hardship in the business plan implementation. Thus, with the help of various counselling sessions, the training organisations try to extend their support to trainees. Members like State Financial Corporation, commercial banks, training institutions and District Industries Centre constituted all together to assist the entrepreneurs on the basis of mentioned goals:

• ·      To assist trainees in a meaningful manner so that trainees can realize their business plan.
• ·      To analyse the development made by trainees in the project implementation.
• ·      To evaluate the post-training approach.
• ·      To provide escort services to the trainees with the help of various promotional and financial institutions.

 Commonly, these follow-up action meetings are conducted after every three years of training completion and the tools used for the follow-up are:

• ·      Postal questionnaires.
• ·      Telephonic follow-up.
• ·      Individual contact by the trainer.
• ·      Team meetings.

 A number of government and private institutions are providing assistance in India to entrepreneurs. Some of them are listed below:

• ·      Small Industries Development Organisation (SIDO),
• ·      Commercial Banks,
• ·      National Alliance of Young Entrepreneurs (NAYE),
• ·      National Institute for Entrepreneurship and small Business Development (NIESBUD),
• ·      Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDI),
• ·      India Investment Centre (LIC),
• ·      Small-scale industrial Development Bank of India (SIDBI), and
• ·      Technical Consultancy Organisation (TCO).

 Entrepreneurship development programs in India.

The Government of India, realizing the impetus and training needed by the youth to harness their entrepreneurship skills have set up institutions like NIESBUD in Noida, MSME-DI for small scale industries, NIMSME in Yousufguda, Hyderabad, EDI, NSTEDB, IED and CED in different states of India.

In other words, these colleges/universities provide you with a chance; a chance to make a difference, a chance to prove your worth, a chance to be your own boss. Life may be a roller coaster ride, but at one point it offers that one opportunity, that can turn the tides. Do not let that chance slip away.

 

Achievements of Entrepreneurship Development Programmes:

·      686 organizations are engaged in organizing entrepreneurship development.

·      Around 30% entrepreneurship development trained entrepreneurs put up their enterprise.

·      The schemes offered which include entrepreneurship developments concepts are:

o  Prime Minister’s Rojagar Yojana (PMRY)

o  Swarna Jayanti Gram Swarojgar yojana (SGSY)

o  Rural employment Generation Programme (REGP)

 

Strengths

• •       Administration and scoring-- straightforward and quick;
• •       Low readability level;
• •       Parallel Teacher, Parent and Student forms;
• •       Option for re-administering the scales every 4 weeks and;
• •       Scales within a multi-tiered model etc.

 

Limitations

• •       “Special Population” studies have small sample sizes;
• •       Relatively small sample for the Spanish version of the SSIS-RS;
• •       “Adult perspective” reflected in scale items and;
• •       Problem Behaviour scale limited to behavioural concerns related to social interactions etc.

 

SUGGESTIONS TO MAKE EDPs MORE EFFECTIVE

• •       The structure and composition of EDP taking into account the regional variations need to be streamlined.
• •       The programme should have practical content and needs a lot of inter institutional organizational arrangement to make it a success.
• •       Potential entrepreneurs who have business experience, education and skills should be tapped first for EDPs.
• •       Intensive follow up work will have to be done and systemised in the process to make is accessible to entrepreneurs in formal and informal forms.
• •       A token fees may be charged from participants to ensure their commitment towards EDPs.