BANGALORE: In the coming months, the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Centre (IEDC) of Tumkur University will expand the intake for its entrepreneurial training programme. Currently, 25 batches of entrepreneurs are being trained. This number is likely to surpass 100 this year.
Speaking to Express, Vice-Chancellor, Dr S C Sharma said that decision was taken in view of the response the programme received. “We have 25 batches currently, with each batch taking in 30-40 participants. They are workers, vendors, students and even working professionals. We are looking at increasing the number of batches to 100 this year,” he said.
The IEDC was was established in April 2010 with an amount of `12,55,000 sanctioned to this Centre. “The participants in this programme receive in-depth training on entrepreneurial skills. The fact that we have people from all walks of life participating in this programme is the highlight,” added Dr Sharma.
With faculty from Master for Social Work (MSW) and two new experts roped in for this programme, the participants receive training as per individual needs. For instance, a vegetable vendor is trained in strategies for setting up shop in the right location. Similarly, a software professional is given training in languages, handling contract orders among others. “There is no fee for this training. Also, the programme is not classroom-based. The objective of IEDC is to help people give jobs and not seek them,” said Dr Sharma.
Training for School Dropouts
The university is also looking at expanding its training programme to school dropouts. “We have evening classes for the school dropouts. These kids are given computer training by our faculty. As of now, 60 students have enrolled for the programme. We are aiming at including 600 school dropouts this year,” added Dr Sharma. The university has joined hands with a local NGO to train dropouts.