Entrepreneurship Skill Development Programme (ESDP)

Entrepreneur development is the process of improving the skills and knowledge of entrepreneurs and enhancing the capacity to develop, manage and organise a business venture by considering the risks involved in it. The focus of entrepreneur development is to increase the number of entrepreneurs. To build successful ventures, the Ministry of

MSME has been organising several entrepreneurial and skill development programmes for existing and potential entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurship Skill Development Programme (ESDP) is one among the schemes launched by the MSME Ministry.

Objectives of the Scheme

The objective is to motivate young individuals from various sections of society to take up self-employment or entrepreneurship as one of their career options. The scheme ensures the promotion of new enterprises, capacity building of the existing MSMEs and inculcating entrepreneurial culture in the country.

Enterprise Development Centres (EDCs)

EDCs are established at District level, within the administrative control of the MSME Development Institutes/Technology Centre.
The centre has two verticals, namely Enterprise Development Vertical and Skill Development Vertical. These two verticals meet all the aspirations of the youth by providing handholding support, creating business enterprises and imparting skill training.
Enterprise Development Vertical primarily focuses on:
- Ideation
- Mentoring and incubation
- Credit Facilitation and Market accessibility
- Enterprise Clinic Diagnostic studies during sickness, counselling and other facilities
The Skill Development Vertical primarily provides information on in-depth market intelligence and guides potential job seekers to get relevant skill sets via reputed institutions/agencies in relevant sectors.
These EDCs are connected with National Resource Centre that is established in the office of DC MSME.

Scheme Assistance

ESDP includes the following modules:

Industrial Motivational Campaign (IMC)
Entrepreneurial Awareness Programme (EAP)
Entrepreneurship-cum-Skill Development Programme (E-SDP)
Management Development Programme (MDP)

The above-mentioned activities/programmes would be conducted through different field officers of the office of DC (MSME) that are approved by the Empowered committee led by AS&DC, MSME. 40% of the targeted beneficiaries of EDPs and E-SDPs have to be from weaker sections of the society (SC/ST/women/physically handicapped). No participation fee is charged for SC, ST, physically handicapped, Below Poverty Line (BPL) participants and women.

Financial Assistance

Up to 5% of the annual budget under the scheme would be utilised to provide training aids, equipment and other related infrastructure to enhance the quality of training activities in the EDCs, MSME DIs and TCs and training activities at HQ level. In addition to this, a provision has been made to allocate up to 10% to the EDCs/MSME-DIs/TCs and HQ office to organise interactive meetings including National/Regional workshops/hiring, etc. for HQ and ESDP activities by obtaining expert guidance for the trainees at the district level.

Implementation of the Scheme

Given below are the procedures that are involved in the implementation of the scheme:

Every EDC/DI/TC uploads its quarterly calendar of programmes after need assessment of the industries.
This calendar would be approved by the Empowered Committee.
Industrial Motivational Campaigns (IMCs) are allocated, taking into consideration at least one IMC to be organised in association with Industry Clusters/Associations and social enterprises.
Two week EAP (Entrepreneurship Awareness Programme) or six-week Product-cum-Process focused Entrepreneurship-cum-Skill Development Programme E-SDPs are organised need-based for Enterprise/Industrial development.
MDP is conducted for existing entrepreneurs/enterprises/Industrial Clusters as a tool for their capacity building HD development.
DICs/State Government Industry Department and other Government industrial development agencies and financial institutions/KVI/Panchayat Raj institutions, including social enterprises and industrial/cluster associations would be associated.
Product-cum-Process Oriented E-SDP or Livelihood Driven E-SDP of six-week duration that is allocated by HQ office is planned by EDC/DIs/TCs in such a way that there is always a programme in progress for every filed organisation. More than one program can be run simultaneously if infrastructure and allocated programmes permit.
The panel for guest faculty would be selected in advance and has to be approved along with the programme calendar from the DC office. Guest faculty may be academicians, faculty of the technical institutions, successful entrepreneurs or financial or management experts. The guest faculty would be provided with an honorarium.
A database of the guest would be maintained on the integrated MIS.
The MIS has a feedback mechanism where the participants of the training programme and other stakeholders can post their comments on the training programmes. The Director/Nodal Officer is responsible for monitoring feedbacks and taking appropriate actions. An action taken report on the feedback received would be uploaded on the MIS by the organisation that is conducting the programme.

Activities/Programmes

Industrial Motivational Campaign (IMC) for youth/prospective enterprises
IMCs for clusters SPVS/Industry associations/chambers
Entrepreneurship Awareness Programmes
Entrepreneurship-cum-Skill Development Programmes
Management Development Programmes (MDP)

Monitoring and Evaluation

Services of specialised/professional institutes like Ni-MSME, PPDC Agra, IEDMI Mumbai or any other specialised organisation would be utilised to develop National/Regional workshops/seminars for experience sharing and capacity building of the field institutes.
A Project Monitoring Unit would be set up in the office of the Development Commissioner for effective implementation of the scheme. PMU manages and monitors the following activities regularly.
- Development of training modules
- Empanelment of training institutes
- Identification of resource individuals with the existing field organisation of M/o MSME or other reputed technical/managerial institutions.
- Development of Trainer of Trainer (ToT) programmes.
- Development of pool of social enterprises that are working in the areas/sectors and integration of the resources in the programme.

An empowered committee under AS&DC MSME with the concerned ADC, JDC, a nominee of IFW, and representatives of Industry Associations would be responsible for overall monitoring and evaluation.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Entrepreneurship Skill Development Programme.

The Entrepreneurship Skill Development Programme (ESDP) is a scheme launched by the Ministry of MSME to motivate and encourage individuals, especially from various sections of society, to consider self-employment or entrepreneurship as a career option. It aims to promote new enterprises, build the capacity of existing MSMEs, and inculcate an entrepreneurial culture in the country.

The Enterprise Development Centres (EDCs) established at the district level play a crucial role in the ESDP. They have two verticals: Enterprise Development Vertical and Skill Development Vertical. These verticals provide handholding support, facilitate business enterprise creation, offer skill training, and provide guidance on relevant sectors to aspiring job seekers and entrepreneurs.

The ESDP includes four main modules: Industrial Motivational Campaign (IMC), Entrepreneurial Awareness Programme (EAP), Entrepreneurship-cum-Skill Development Programme (E-SDP), and Management Development Programme (MDP). These modules are designed to motivate, educate, and develop skills for aspiring and existing entrepreneurs.

The ESDP aims to be inclusive by mandating that 40% of the targeted beneficiaries of EDPs and E-SDPs should be from weaker sections of society, such as Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, women, and physically handicapped individuals. Additionally, no participation fee is charged for these groups, as well as for Below Poverty Line (BPL) participants.

The implementation process for the ESDP involves several steps, including uploading a quarterly calendar of programmes by EDCs/DIs/TCs, approval by an Empowered Committee, conducting various modules like IMCs, EAPs, E-SDPs, and MDPs, and involving guest faculty, industry associations, and other stakeholders. A Project Monitoring Unit and an Empowered Committee oversee the overall monitoring and evaluation of the scheme.

The training programmes under the ESDP are conducted by the field organisations of the Ministry of MSME, such as EDCs, MSME Development Institutes, and Technology Centres. Guest faculty, including academicians, successful entrepreneurs, and experts, are invited to provide training. A database of guest faculty is maintained, and feedback mechanisms are in place to ensure the quality of the training programmes.

The Project Monitoring Unit (PMU) set up in the office of the Development Commissioner plays a crucial role in the effective implementation of the ESDP. It manages and monitors various activities, such as developing training modules, empanelling training institutes, identifying resource individuals, developing Trainer of Trainer (ToT) programmes, and integrating social enterprises into the programme.

Under the ESDP, up to 5% of the annual budget is allocated for providing training aids, equipment, and related infrastructure to enhance the quality of training activities at EDCs, MSME Development Institutes, Technology Centres, and the Headquarters. Additionally, up to 10% of the budget is allocated for organizing interactive meetings, workshops, and hiring experts for the trainees at the district level.

The Empowered Committee, led by the Additional Secretary and Development Commissioner (MSME), with representatives from industry associations and other stakeholders, is responsible for overall monitoring and evaluation of the ESDP. The committee approves the quarterly calendar of programmes and provides guidance and oversight for the effective implementation of the scheme.

The ESDP actively involves industry associations, DICs, State Government Industry Departments, financial institutions, Khadi and Village Industries (KVI), Panchayat Raj institutions, social enterprises, and industrial/cluster associations. These stakeholders are associated with the organization of Industrial Motivational Campaigns, training programmes, and other activities under the scheme to ensure relevance and industry collaboration.