The Hindu Business Line : Class-room lessons for those enterprising women

In business: The short-term management programme — called the 10,000 Women — could not have come at a better time with corporates showing an interest in working with women-owned businesses and a host of banks and non-governmental organisations keen to help them get going.

S. Lakshmi

Even as the corporate world celebrates the rise of women in its ranks, thousands of women entrepreneurs are working hard to prove that even when it comes to starting and sustaining a business, they are second to none. For these women, it has also been about breaking tradition and overcoming long-held socio-cultural mindsets.

Having said that, corporates are increasingly showing an interest in associating themselves and working with women-owned businesses, and a host of banks and non-governmental organisations are also keen to help them get going.

These are definitely good times for women with the zeal and creativity to do business. To the excitement, add a pinch of the short-term management development programme at the Hyderabad-based Indian School of Business (ISB) called the 10,000 Women.

It’s raining for all those women out there waiting for the right opportunity to prove their mettle.

The programme expects to certify 10,000 women entrepreneurs in developing markets across the globe in the next five years.

ISB will run the first batch starting this month for three months, wherein the participants will get to interact with other entrepreneurs, speakers and established businesswomen.

The second batch will begin next year in February. From the several applications the B-school received, it selected 140 applicants for the interview, out of which 30 students were selected.

The short-term certificate programme will train women in business management, accounting, economic trends, capital and people management, managing execution, budgeting, and marketing and leadership skills.

Over the next five years, ISB will certify 60 students every year.

“The participants will be trained by our own faculty and we will have some guest lecturers,” said Deepak Chandra, Associate Dean, Centre for Executive Education (CEE), ISB, speaking to The New Manager on the new programme initiative.

ISB has restricted the programme for those women entrepreneurs running a business venture that has been operational for over a year and with annual revenue of Rs 5 lakh.

Launched by Goldman Sachs (GS), the programme is the investment banking and securities firm’s initiative to increase the number of under-served women receiving a business and management education across the world.

GS is partnering with educational institutions and development organisations to implement business education programmes worldwide. The firm will provide full scholarships to the candidates. However, at ISB, candidates who have been short-listed for the interview will have to pay an amount of Rs 9,000. “This money will be refunded in case the candidate does not get selected for the course,” added Mr Chandra.

GS has set aside $100 million over the next five years and has partnered with universities in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the US to develop programmes to impact the quality and capacity of business education for women in developing markets.

Rough estimates suggest that women entrepreneurs in India currently comprise about 10 per cent of the total number of entrepreneurs in India. The percentage is believed to be growing every year. If the prevailing trends continue, it is likely that in another five years, women will comprise 20 per cent of the entrepreneurial force.

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