Hello therodinhoods,
Let me give my brief introduction first. I am from Darbhanga, Bihar. For One and half year, I have been training young graduates and other professionals in digital tools and softwares like Tally, MS Office, Internet, Photoshop etc.
At present I am going to apply for the PMEGP loan and for that I need to decide on the project. I have two business ideas in my mind both related to provide training in skills that would make people job ready.
1. My first idea is to start a training center where I will offer 1 year course in Employability skills. During this one year the candidates will be given training in following areas of skills : Reasoning, Pattern recognition, Numeracy, Communication, English Language, Digital tools, Critical thinking, and @job life skill, such as Team spirit, work ethics, Personality, basic professional etiquette, time management etc. After the course completion they would get assistance in placement.
Pros:
a. This is one integrated course that not only helps job seekers to polish their interview skills, but also gives them edge over their competitors by learning about work related issues and digital tools.
b. Though a student can join a competition preparation institute, an English coaching and a Computer center for learning most of the skills mentioned; that would be more costly in terms of time and money. Our center will provide the same in less amount. So more saving and more learning for students.
Cons:
1. In the beginning, this course will have no accreditation from any authorised govt body. So, after completion, the certificate we would provide may have no market value. This could work against us, as here people value certificate more than learning opportunity.
2. The student enrolment would be limited.
My second idea is about Online tutorial site, where I would put tutorial instructions along with quizzes and assignment/project for student to prepare in employability skills (mentioned above). A student would visit the site and choose the desired skill module(s). They would be notified for new lessons through Facebook and Twitter. The tutorial would be both in Hindi and English, so that students with no English literacy could also benefit.
Along with this tutorial site, I would offer workshops in different skill modules in near by schools, colleges and other institutions.
Pros:
a. More students can benefit from the course. Being a web app the course could be viewed in internet enabled mobile too, so the students in rural areas would also have the opportunity to learn. Also as we do workshops in nearby villages, we would direct them to this tutorial site for further learning.
b. The workshops will give the opportunity to interact with students and provide skill training in topical format. Also it would give us opportunity to market our website to prospective students.
Cons:
a. No direct interaction with the students on the website.
b. Some skills require hands on learning and can be learn better in classroom settings. E.g. Communication skills
c. There would be no control over student’s learning path.
Given both the ideas I request you to please give me feedback and guide me in choosing the right project as I am in a fix to choose as both look great to me.
Thanks and regard