Introduction:

Migration of rural community to urban areas and cities is one of the major problems in India.  It is estimated that migration from rural to urban areas has increased to 31.1% per annum. One of the prime reasons for this problem is lack of important drivers for economic development viz., entrepreneurship development, skill development and innovation. In this background, the project is designed to provide a push to the economic development in rural areas by empowering the youth and women is the aspects of entrepreneurship, skill and innovation.

Project Beneficiaries: Rural Youth and Women

Objectives:

• Offer on demand Skill Development programs along with placement assistance, with monitoring and post program support for a minimum of one year after the completion of skill training
• Offer Experiential Learning based Entrepreneurship training to enhance the capacity levels of the trained youth to implement their ideas in a well directed and feasible manner, with post program support for a minimum period of One year after the completion of the training
• Promote entrepreneurship culture and make it aspirational
• Enhance support for potential entrepreneurs through fab lab facilities, mentorship and networks
• Facilitating integration of entrepreneurship education in the formal education system
• Foster innovation-driven and social entrepreneurship to address the needs of the population at the “bottom of the pyramid’
• Promote Experiential Learning opportunities to rural school/college students and encourage them to apply their academic knowledge in a practical way to build their capacities for innovation and lateral thinking

Project Location: Six Districts in Tamil Nadu Viz., Kanchipuram, Chengalpet, Thiruvallur, Thiruvannamalai, Ranipet, Vellore and Periurban areas

Project Duration: 12 Months

Status: Ongoing

Project Key Activities:

Grand Entrepreneurship Challenge Program 

Targetted Beneficiaries: 120 Rural Youth

The program is designed to make entrepreneurship "Aspirational" among the rural youth by incentivising their participation with "Seed Funding Grants of Rs.6.5 Lakhs" to top performing students. 

Skill Develop Programs for Job Placements and or Self Employment 

Targetted Beneficiaries: 110 Rural Youth

Skill Development programs are taken up for Job Placement and or Self Employment with regard to:

• Tally Prime
• Digital Marketing
• Microfinance Management

Technology Resource Centre 

Targetted Beneficiaries: 300 Rural Youth, Existing Entrepreneurs, New Entrepreneurs

The Technology Resource Centre will offer support to entrepreneurship in terms of Technology Training, Product Development, Market Development, Business Mentoring and Fund Raising

Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) training to Government School children 

Targetted Beneficiaries: 200 Government School Children in rural areas of Tamil Nadu

The present primary and high school education system, especially the Government School students never get quality education which is completely theoritical without any scope to apply the knowledge in a hands on mode. This will not help in developing "Problem Solving skills" among the School children. In this regard, the project is designed to offer practical hands on training on theoritical subjects which they study in their text books with regard to Science and Maths. There is also provision to reward the beneficiaries of up to Rs.50,000/- to incentivise them for their committed participation to develop experiential learning, problem solving skills and innovation mindset

Expected Outcome:

• 120 Undergraduate Students shall develop Intrapreneur skills by participating in Grand Entrepreneurship Challenge program and create a minimum of 20 New Enterprises with a possibility of creating employment to 200 people
• 100 rural youth shall get job placements or self employed through skill development training
• 200 Entrepreneurs / New Entrepreneurs to be benefitted with regard to New Product Development and Fund Raising with the support of Technology Resource Centre
• 200 Government School Students to develop Problem Solving Skills and Innovation Mindset

Program Budget: Rs.35.23 Lakhs

• New approach to make Entrepreneurship Aspirational among rural youth by incorporating hands on / experiential learning model along with Seed Funding grants
• Skill Development Initiatives related to need based and unique trades such as Digital Marketing, Tally Prime and Microfinance Management with assured placements support
• Initiatives to develop Problem Solving Skills among Government Schools which are located at most backward areas in rural Tamil Nadu where there are no availibility of teachers 
• Providing Sustainable support for Entreprneuership ecosystem with reliable help with regard to Product Development, Market Development, Technology Training and Fund Raising
• Sustainable and Replicable Models of Development
• Ensuring reliable outcome indicators
• Realistic and Achievable targets