Startup India Learning Program offers free online entrepreneurship course
On January 15, when the entire ecosystem gathered in New Delhi on the occasion of Startup India’s first anniversary, entrepreneur Ronnie Screwvala announced the launch of a learning and development programme.
Developed by Invest India in collaboration with UpGrad, the Startup India Learning Program is meant to help entrepreneurs get their ideas and ventures to the next level through structured learning.
A four-week online programme, it will help those looking to take the entrepreneurial plunge as well as people already a couple of years into their journey. The objective is to inform them about the key steps in setting up a venture as well as to expose them to the possible challenges. Interested people can create an account and sign up for the programme, free of charge.
Through this programme, participants will gain industry insights, certification, and help with formulating business plans. It will also be responsible for networking and mentoring. Through the programme, which is available in both Hindi and English, entrepreneurs can learn about real-life successes and failures from top Indian entrepreneurs across domains.
“The level of evangelising that has taken place for startups and entrepreneurship in this country has to deliver in the next five to 10 years,” said Ronnie.
Although he made it clear that entrepreneurship is not something that can be taught, he did elaborate upon what the programme can do to help those who are already inclined towards it.
“There is so much in the first year, second year, and third year that we can learn from cross-learning and can also learn some basic, rudimentary things. So, this course is meant for those who are sitting on the fence deciding to be an entrepreneur or somebody who has been in entrepreneurship for two, three, or five years,” said Ronnie.
He added that in our country, there are certain perceptions about innovation — we relate it either to new apps or the service sector. The manufacturing sector is one of the many that requires innovation, and so he feels this is a perception that needs changing.
According to UpGrad, Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and DIPP Secretary R Abhishek expect this platform to benefit one lakh entrepreneurs in the first year and over the next two to three years, support the ecosystem of over one million new entrepreneurs.