An EDP runs through three stages and seven phases. Pre-training: identification and promotion, then selection of participants. Training: achievement motivation, business and management skills, and practical exposure. Post-training: support in setting up the business and follow-up evaluation.
An Entrepreneurship Development Programme (EDP) is not a single classroom course. Institutions such as EDII Ahmedabad design it as a sequence: find the right people, train them, help them set up, and stay with them through the first difficult months. The classic model has three stages (pre-training, training and post-training), which break down into seven practical phases.
For why these programmes exist, see the objectives of EDPs; for the formats, see the types of EDPs.
7 Phases of an EDP
Phase 1: Identification and Promotion
Stage: Pre-Training. The agency surveys the area for business opportunities, publicises the programme through local media, banks and colleges, and builds links with lenders and support agencies.
Phase 2: Selection of Participants
Stage: Pre-Training. Applicants are screened through forms, tests and interviews to find people with real motivation, basic skills and a feasible idea. Good selection matters more than anything else in the programme.
Phase 3: Achievement Motivation Training
Stage: Training. Sessions build confidence, goal-setting and the drive to take calculated risks, drawing on McClelland’s achievement motivation work.
Phase 4: Business and Management Skills
Stage: Training. Participants learn opportunity assessment, market research, accounts, GST, costing, marketing, and how to prepare a bankable project report.
Phase 5: Practical Exposure
Stage: Training. Visits to working units, meetings with successful entrepreneurs and bankers, and in some cases short placements.
Phase 6: Support in Setting Up
Stage: Post-Training. Help with registration (Udyam), licences, loan applications under schemes such as MUDRA or PMEGP, and site selection.
Phase 7: Follow-Up and Evaluation
Stage: Post-Training. Trainers track how many participants start businesses, how they perform and what problems they face, and use the results to improve the next programme.
Stages at a Glance
| Stage | Phases | Main output |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-training | Identification, selection | A motivated, suitable batch |
| Training | Motivation, skills, exposure | A project report and the confidence to start |
| Post-training | Set-up support, follow-up | Businesses actually launched and surviving |
See also the characteristics of EDPs and needs of EDPs.
