Student Enterprising (SE): What and Why?
Author: NITIE Center for Student Enterprsies ( NCSE)
Dr T Prasad, Faculty Adviser,
What is Student Enterprising?
Visit: http://india.smetoolkit.org for relevant information
Students engaging in enterprising as part of their regular studies is ‘Student Enterprising’. Dictionary meaning of ‘ Enterprising’ is - having the ability to think of new activities or ideas and make them work.
How SE helps the students?
Students directly benefit by engaging in enterprising. Further, it is possible to use the enterprising experience of students for improved learning. Let us take an example and understand how it helps the students. For example: Civil engineering students engage in constructing small civil engineering works for some customers. This experience can be made use by the faculty to make the students to learn the fundamentals of civil engineering subject. Further, it also help the students to earn some money out of the activity. One more example; Electrical engineering students can engage in some kind of electrical work for payment. This will not only enhance the students understanding of electrical knowledge but also help the students to make living out of the work they do. This learning model can be extended to any kind of studies including arts, commerce, science, medicine and engineering.
How Student Enterprises work in reality?
A group of students (say 4 or 5 or 6) come together plan, launch, and work on an enterprising idea of mutual interest. They pull together their own meager resources to launch a formal company ( either partnership or a limited company) . Students work on the idea, create product or service, and sell the idea to the customers and deliver the product or service and finally make an earning. Essentially, students work together as a team and try to launch the company and make it work so as to understand and learn on how it works through real experience.
Whether any where Student Enterprises are being practiced?
Yes. At NITIE, Mumbai MBA students have launched 20 such student companies and operating them for the last eight months. This program is called ‘Hamara Dhandha’.
Further, there are many students who have got their own enterprises. It is interesting to note some of the student enterprises like ‘ Hellow Intern; Slotzero, Youthportal, Webvastra, Coherendz ( You can find all these companies on your Google search) are found to be very valuable companies in the market.
Are there any Student Entrepreneurs in the world?
Many of the famous businessmen in the world are themselves student entrepreneurs.
Michael Dell, Founder, CEO and Chairman of Dell Inc. while at the
Similarly, Virgin company CEO Richard Branson also started his small company when he was in school. Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson’s first successful business venture was at age 15, when he published a magazine called Student. At the age of 21 years, Branson then set up a record mail-ordered business in 1970. In 1971, he opened a chain of record stores, Virgin Records, now known as Virgin Megastores.
Mr. Suhas Gopinath, still a student pursuing his under graduation course in engineering launched his own website, “ www.coolhindustan.com “ when he had still not crossed 14 years. In the year 2000, at the age of 14 years, Suhas Gopinath founded his own firm ‘ Globals Inc ’ in San Jose, California. Mr Gopinath is often referred to as “ Global Youngest CEO “ . It is like this. For some body to grow beyond expectations ( or excel in life ) one has to start very early in life. For example, if some body wishes to break Sachin Tendulkar’s Test Centuries record…. one has to start cricket as a career much… much earlier than Sachin started his cricket career.
Is there any difference between Vocationalisation and Enterprising?
Vocationalisation provides some specific skills to the students. It is something like welders, fitters, mechanics does. Due to Vocationalisation, People learn certain skills which help them to do the job more efficiently. Where as, Enterprising is much more elaborate experience. People who engage in enterprising learn more than what they see and do. A civil engineer who works on a construction site not only gains knowledge about the cement, iron but also about architecture, environment, people skills, communication etc.
What some big people say about Student Enterprising?
“ Orientation for entrepreneurship has to start right from the schools. Teachers need to teach the role of entrepreneurship on national development in the schools. During college education, students must be exposed to business development opportunities and must be trained towards creation of new enterprises…”
Shri A P J Abdul Kalam, Former President of
Address to the Nation on the eve of Republic Day 26th Jan 2007.
