The Lighthouse Janata Vasahat centre in Pune is a valuable resource for local youth from low socio-economic backgrounds, providing them with vocational skill training to help them start their own businesses. On 24 March 2023, Dheya conducted a one-day workshop for aspiring entrepreneurs at the centre, with the aim of equipping participants with the basic knowledge and skills needed to start and run a business.

The workshop was attended by around 50 participants, most of whom were housewives who had recently completed vocational courses in masala making and bakery and were eager to start their own businesses to earn a living. The rest of the attendees were young people undergoing various skilling courses at the centre, who were interested in exploring entrepreneurship as a potential career option. Only a small number of participants had prior experience of running a business.

To ensure that the workshop was effective, it was structured according to adult learning principles and focused on practical, activity-based, and interactive learning. The workshop was conducted by Cdr Ninad Deshpande (Retd), Director Social Initiatives at Dheya, and Mr. Vallabh Chitnis, a master mentor and experienced entrepreneur with over 15 years of success in running his own business.

As the participants had no prior knowledge of running a business, the workshop focused on understanding the basics of business, including profit principles, basic accounting, bookkeeping, product costing, and capacity building. The mentors also touched upon the basics of using social media, particularly WhatsApp, for marketing and building a customer base.

At the end of the workshop, participants asked many questions, which were answered patiently by the mentors. The diverse mix of participants and their different interests in the workshop made it even more exciting and enjoyable.

Overall, the workshop was a great success with the participants gaining valuable knowledge and skills that they can use to start and run their own businesses successfully. The workshop demonstrated the potential for entrepreneurship to provide economic opportunities and improve the livelihoods of individuals from low socio-economic backgrounds.