At the National Skill and Entrepreneurship Innovation Conclave in Feb 2021, our Founder Mekin Maheshwari explained how education in India focuses on knowledge (made more accessible now with Google Search at the tap of a button) and skills (which one can get better at, with practice). He also stressed on a third component of education, which is vital and often forgotten due to its arbitrary nature – mindset.
Mekin described mindsets as “how you approach life or your view towards life – for example, do you wait for someone to tell you what to do OR do you think independently?”
Even through the pandemic, learners who have access to online education are only being served with knowledge and skills. There is still a distinct lack of enabling mindset development among learners during the time being allocated towards ‘education’.
Udhyam has attempted to up the ante by piloting a project of Online Entrepreneurship with 30 learners from a Pre-University college in Bangalore, and in less than a year, it impacted around 900 learners! 550 of them graduated from this program across Bangalore and Kerala.
18 year old Chetan from SGPTA Thyagarajanagar participated in Udhyam Shiksha’s Online Entrepreneurship Program and says, “I participated, never hesitated. We worked hard and smart.. I am proud that I convinced outsiders and not just my family and friends.”
Udhyam Shiksha combated the pandemic head-on and took to establishing itself through an online entrepreneurial learning program (OEP) to enable entrepreneurial mindsets in learners from the ages of 17-22. Udhyam Shiksha’s Online Entrepreneurship Program has brought a positive shift in learners’ self-efficacy and grit. Some of the participants have also shared that they have become more confident and better at communication. Additionally, several participants have started small businesses individually or in a group as a part of the program during this pandemic, such as making and selling handmade soaps, cloth masks, pickles or baked goods, and offering designing services.
Udhyam Shiksha’s Online Entrepreneurship Program has a total of 12 online sessions, where participants get to learn about different business concepts, and apply the knowledge in the real world through activities and assignments. This program also pushes the participants to reflect on their day-to-day journey of entrepreneurship to build self-efficacy in them.
The mindset changes learners experience through this program are learning to learn, confidence, competency to achieve goals, idea iteration, and improvements. Here are a handful of business posters the learners put together for their respective businesses.
