Changes in Edp

CHANGES IN EDP

Introduction

It can be said that liberalization, privatization & globalization, has opened up our economy through all corners. But the disappointing view is that, they have not encouraged to reduce the rate of unemployment in the nation. Of course, the dangerous evil threatening our economy is �unemployment’ and �under-employment’. Measures on war-footing basis are being adapted by the nation to curtail the effects of those evils, and to prevent spreading through the generations. Among them, one notable method is by organizing Entrepreneurship Development Programmes (EDP), which is targeted to promote self-employment among the qualified masses.

The philosophy of Entrepreneurship Development Programme (EDP) is based on the assumption that entrepreneurs are not only born, but can also be identified, trained and thus created. EDPs are meant to cover all types of training programmes which are imparted to the individuals, with the aim to make the trainees to acquire the necessary skills required to start-up and sustain any enterprise. Therefore, any kind of programmes, such as awareness programmes, promotional programmes and training classes are included under the meaning of EDP.

EDP – as practiced today

Our nation recognized the practice of organizing EDPs, late in the 1970’s, after the popular Kakinada experiment by David McClelland on entrepreneurial motivation. EDPs in India gained momentum only during 1990s, when there was a staunch need for eliminating unemployment. Thus EDPs are conducted with the aim to identify, select, train and motivate potential entrepreneurs so that they can become job creators instead of job seekers, and to utilise developed human resources in the right direction for generating self-employment and employment opportunities for others.

EDPs in our nation are categorized as Awareness training programmes, Entrepreneurial Training Programmes and Industrial Training programmes.

• Awareness programmes, are organized to create awareness and to explain the merits in going for entrepreneurship, which targets the freshly qualified individuals.

• Entrepreneurial training programmes are meant to train and motivate potential entrepreneurs to make them utilise their skills towards create and establish new enterprises.

• Industrial training programmes target the existing entrepreneurs to provide industry specific training, to assist the entrepreneurs to improve in the areas of product development and technology developments.

In all these categories of EDPs, information is given through various media about the programme and the participants or the trainees are selected based on their application made. Schedule is prepared for various sessions for the programme and all other preliminary works are done.

During the programme, inputs are given on different areas relating to establishment of new enterprise. Various resource persons are invited to deal with their specific expertise to the participants. The EDP gives information regarding financial sources, government norms and regulations, legal rules, and about the incentives or subsidies for entrepreneurs.

Need of the Hour - Strategic Process - New Pedagogical Tools

To meet out changing trends in EDPs, experts and institutions are trying to come out with new tools to equip the entrepreneurs of today with highly competitive skills. Some of these tools have been discussed in the forthcoming paragraphs.

пЃ¶ Simulation Exercises

The entrepreneurs are required to act accordingly in the simulated situation. Most generally, a future business environment is developed artificially, to explore the possibilities of the entrepreneur’s actions in such a situation. This makes the entrepreneurs to understand the various environments prevailing around him and the strategy to be followed in tackling the different problems.

пЃ¶ Short-term Project

In the case of potential entrepreneurs, they are yet to develop their enterprise. Hence they can be given an opportunity to study the problem prevailing in the environment. Under this tool, the participant, ie. the entrepreneurs, go out to various types of units and learn what and how it is carrying out its different functions. The participants may be required to submit a report of the different analysis done by them, to understand clearly about their enterprise building skills.

пЃ¶ Model Building

Entrepreneurs often