The training was organized by Income Generation Start-up Support Program (IGSP) IGSP, a financial Support initiative established under the Ministry of Labour and Human Resources as part of the Human Security Project of the United Nations DevelopmentProject (UNDP).

Sonam Choden, who completed the two-week long the training said the entrepreneurship development programgave them the wings to fly.

 “ I am very privileged to undergo the training. It provided a platform to learn about business world and know people. It is truly laudable. I am thankful to the government and UNDP for the support,” she said.

Another trainee, Birkha Badhur said, the program was an eye opener for him as he learned the skills to start up a business.

"The training immensely widened our knowledge and understanding. Besides, during the program, we had field visits and also discussed issues of unemployment,” he said.

IGSP is in line with the government’s endeavors to promote entrepreneurship in the country through financial support to potential entrepreneurs.

It is a tool to create jobs and improve livelihood of young people and also to boost employment for young people. It is aimed at educating unemployed youth who may have the necessary skills and viable business ideas but without the required capital.

“Through IGSP, the MoLHR aims at reducing unemployment by means of entrepreneurship and self-employment, reducing rural-urban migration by gainfully employing educated youth in rural areas through entrepreneurship and self-employment programs and to create employment opportunities for self-employed youth as well as other people they employ,” said the program officer of training.

"Entrepreneurship education is crucial for assisting youth to develop entrepreneurial skills, attributes and behaviors as well as to develop enterprise awareness, realize entrepreneurship as a career option and to formulate business plans," he said.

He added that the training was to motivate and equip the trainees by bringing out their entrepreneurship abilities and identifying and devising business ideas and plans to start-up new businesses.

The training was focused on the business management in light of production, marketing, management and finance, with inclusion of entrepreneur skill, characteristics and development. Further, trainees were also introduced to new venture creation, business idea generation and regulatory issues in business.

The training conducted in two batches for a period of 15 days each was conducted by Niche Financial Service, a local consultancy firm.

The first batch of training commenced from December 14, 2009 – January 1, 2010 and accordingly, second started from January 11, 2010 – January 28, 2010.

Sixty three trainees, (43 individual entrepreneurs and 7 group entrepreneurs) prepared detailed business plans and were submitted to the Entrepreneurship Promotion Division.

The grant to start business with the support from the UNDP will be disbursed after the IGSP Steering Committee’s endorsement and approval.

The Business Plan Evaluation Committee comprising of representatives from Zhemgang Mongar, Samtse and the members from the Royal Institute of Management, BDFC, MSME MoEA and trainer consultant of Niche Financial Service was formed in order to assess the feasibility of the proposed projects, after the completion of the second batch of training.

: “Entrepreneurship provides the best security for life. It is best way to help the nation and fellow citizens by increasing the revenue base of the country and generating employment to citizens,”  said the labour minister lyonpo Dorji Wangdi who gave enthe certifcates to the to-be entreprenuers at the closing of the training on February 18.

Highlighting the qualities of entrepreneurship, the minister said that entrepreneur is all about being “creator, innovator, risk-taker, visionary, building partnerships/relationships, accounting discipline and having business ethics”.

He added "entrepreneurship is the ability to create and build something out of nothing; fundamentally it is about human act. Entrepreneurship is neither a science nor art, it is practice.”

The business proposals submitted by the trainees were for starting businesses like weaving centre, poultryand  dairy farms, tailoring, bakery, beauty parlour, gift and toy manufacturing, potato chip manufacturing, restaurant, IT café, photo studio, auto workshop, construction service enterprise, and courier service, among others.