Assessing Entrepreneurial Skills and Awareness among Learners of Open Universities in India - A Study of BRAOU and UOU

Abstract

This paper attempts to study the role of the ODL institutions in harnessing entrepreneurial skills as these institutions are presently set for an educational paradigm shift backed by ICT, Online Learning, MOOCs and Plateforms Similar.

For every economy, entrepreneurship has been a critical component of growth and development. It has been instrumental in wealth creation, employment generation and social transformation. The entrepreneurial spirit is assessed as the driving force for the market as it brings creativity and creates a plethora of opportunities for start-ups. These ventures foster socio-economic change in the country and help in achieving rapid, balanced and sustained rate of economic growth and global competitiveness.

Nowadays, harnessing skills and competencies for entrepreneurial pursuits is the key concern for educators, institutions and curriculum developers across the states in India. Thus, Higher Education Institutions need to nurture entrepreneurial talents and pursuits for making education relevant to the learners that might empower them as well. As distance education is characterized by adult learners their experience, vast skills and commitment may amplify the efforts in producing greater number of entrepreneurs in the country.

In this context, it is imperative to assess the entrepreneurial skills and awareness possessed by the distance learners enrolled in the Open Universities in India. With this research objective, the study is carried at Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar Open University (BRAOU), Hyderabad and Uttarakhand Open University (UOU), Haldwani. Thus, the paper aims to nurture entrepreneurial skills of the distance learners that are required to achieve self-reliance and suggest measures for embracing entrepreneurship as a means for combating existing challenge of employability.

The study adopted descriptive research method and data was collected using a self-designed questionnaire to examine learners’ entrepreneurship awareness and skills. Accordingly, appropriate descriptive and inferential statistics is used for statistical analysis in keeping with the objectives of the study.