IIM Kozhikode, NCW to launch online professional training programme for women entrepreneurs

Kozhikode: The Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Kozhikode and National Commission for Women (NCW) are offering online professional programme for early-stage women entrepreneurs.

“This collaborative online training programme to nurture and build entrepreneurial capability among women entrepreneurs will be designed and executed by the Centre of Excellence for Social Innovation (CESI) of the Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode in association with NCW and MyGov.in,” the IIM Kozhikode said in a statement.

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The duration of both online programmes is four months, with four hours of classes every week. It will comprise sixty hours of learning which includes forty hours of subject sessions and twenty hours dedicated to mentoring and question and answer sessions (Q&A). Interested candidates can apply at innovateindia.mygov.in/entrepreneurship-program-for-women/.

The training programme will be an opportunity for them to undergo professional training to launch their entrepreneurial career as well as a chance for existing women entrepreneurs to augment and scale up their businesses with professional mentoring, it said.

Online course for women entrepreneurs

To increase outreach and make the programme accessible, the programme will be offered bilingually in English and Malayalam. IIM Kozhikode informed that the aspiring women entrepreneurs can now chooses from two programmes dedicatedly designed as per their current careers and skill sets:

Foundation Programme in Entrepreneurship: This introductory programme is designed for women who are novices and want to enter the entrepreneurial arena. It will aim to develop the entrepreneurial skills required to identify a business opportunity and set up a business and the managerial capability to run the enterprise successfully. The pedagogy will include lectures, discussions, entrepreneurship talks, and significant mentoring from various subject matter experts.

Advanced Programme in Entrepreneurship: Advanced Programme in Entrepreneurship is designed for women entrepreneurs who want to scale up their businesses. It will aim to augment their entrepreneurial skills in fine tuning their business model, expanding their markets, accessing funds, and diversifying their product or services.

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In addition, the programme will help enhance their managerial capability to run the enterprise. The pedagogy will include lectures, discussions, entrepreneurship talks, and significant mentoring from various subject matter experts.

Announcing the distinctive association IIM Kozhikode director Debashis Chatterjee said “Innovation and Entrepreneurship are the buzz words around which the history of 21st century will be scripted…IIM Kozhikode is a pioneer in gender diversity and we strongly believe that collaborations like these will change the status quo and unleash the untapped potential of women entrepreneurs.”

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“It is now time to nurture women with entrepreneurship ambitions and develop the skills and perspectives that will help them set up and run sustainable businesses to make the world a better place,” the IIMK director said.

Speaking on behalf of NCW, Meeta Rajivlochan, Member-Secretary of the Commission added, “Women have a key role to play in the economic roadmap of India. In a knowledge economy, access to knowledge is crucial. Through this collaboration with the Indian Institute of Management, the National Commission for Women aims to facilitate such access to knowledge; to empower women entrepreneurs and to pave the way for a happy, balanced and prosperous India.”