2014

SOFT &
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
SKILLS
MODULAR EMPLOYABLE SKILLS (MES) /
SKILL DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE SCHEME (SDIS)

1 Government of India
Ministry of Labour & Employment
Directorate General of Employment & Training
CENTRAL STAFF TRAINING AND RESEARCH INSTITUTE
Block - EN – 81, SECTOR – V, SALT LAKE, KOLKATA – 700 091
1/1/2013
 Syllabus for

SOFT & ENTREPRENEURSHIP SKILLS

Under

MODULAR EMPLOYABLE SKILLS (MES) /

SKILL DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE SCHEME (SDIS)

Redesigned in

2014

By

Government of India
Ministry of Labour & Employment
Directorate General of Employment & Training
CENTRAL STAFF TRAINING AND RESEARCH INSTITUTE
Block – EN -81, Sector –V, Salt Lake
Kolkata -700091
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 CONTENTS

SL. DESCRIPTION PAGE NO.

A Rationale 4

B General Information 5

C Allotment of time between topics 6

D Details of Syllabus 7

E Tools & Equipments 15

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 A. RATIONALE

Hard skills are a person’s skill set and ability to perform a certain type of
activity or task. Soft skills are a person’s ability to interact effectively with co-
workers and customers. Hard skills are mainly applicable at the work place. Soft
skills are broadly applicable both at and outside the work place. Soft skills
complement the hard skills which are occupational requirement of a job. It also
complements many other activities even outside the work place. Presently soft
skills are increasingly sought out by employers in addition to standard
qualification. There are instances of professions where soft skills proved to be
more important, on a long term basis than occupational skills. Soft skills refer to a
number of features viz. behavior, personal finance management, communication,
etc. those make persons excellent workers and suitable to work in a team. Studies
suggest that soft skills are equally important indication of job performance as
hard skills.

Recognizing this importance of soft skills the Steering Committee for

Mentor Council during its Meeting held on 06th May, 2014 recommended
introduction of Module on “Soft & Entrepreneurship Skills” as compulsory with
every SDIS module.

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 B. GENERAL INFORMATION

1. Name of the Module: SOFT & ENTREPRENEURSHIP SKILLS

2. Applicability: Compulsory with every SDIS module of duration 500 Hrs. or more.

3. Hours of Instruction: 100 Hrs.

4. Instructor Qualification:

MBA OR BBA with two years experience OR Graduate in Sociology/ Social Welfare/
Economics with Two years experience OR Graduate/ Diploma with Two years experience
and trained in Employability Skills from DGET institutes

AND

Must have studied English/ Communication Skills and Basic Computer at 12th / Diploma
level and above

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 C. ALLOTMENT OF TIME AMONG THE TOPICS

Sl. Topics Allotted Time

No.
in Hours

01 Development Competency / Proficiency in English 15

/Vernacular

02 Effective Communication 10

03 Self &Time Management 10

04 Motivation Techniques 05

05 Interpersonal Skill Development 05

06 Computer Literacy 20

07 Life Skills 05

08 Entrepreneurship 20

09 Occupational safety , Health and Environment 10

Education

TOTAL 100

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 D. Detail of Syllabus

Sl. Practical Theory

No.

Development Competency / Proficiency in English /Vernacular - 15 Hrs.

1. Development of competency/proficiency in English/vernacular.(Hindi/regional
Language)
Practice on
 Oral/spoken communication skill & testing – voice and accent, voice clarity, voice
modulation & intonation, word stress etc.
 Feedback & questioning technique:
 Objectiveness in argument (Both one on one and in groups)
 5 Ws & 1 H & 7 Cs for effective Communication
 Development Etiquette and manners
Study of different pictorial expression of non-verbal communication and its analysis

Effective Communication – 10 Hrs.

2. Concept of Effective Communication

 Components of Effective Communication- Conviction, confidence & enthusiasm,

Listening
 Communication Process & Handling them
 KISS (keep it short & simple) in communication – composing effective messages
 Barriers to Communication- Int. & Ext Barriers :- Intrinsic Motivation, Perception,
Language, Fear Power of speech etc.
 Listening -it’s importance, Good and bad listening
 Non-Verbal Communication – its importance and Nuances :- Facial Expression,
Posture, Gesture, eye contact, Appearance (Dress Code)

Self & Time Management - 10 Hrs.

3. Self Management Self Management

 Self Evaluation  Identifying one’s strength and weakness
 Self discipline  Planning & Goal setting
 Self criticism  Managing self –emotions, ego, pride
 Recognition of one’s own limits and
deficiencies
 Independency etc.
 Thoughtful & Responsible
 Self Awareness
Time Management Technique Time Management concept
Practice by game play and other learning  Attendance, Discipline & Punctuality
methodology for achieving targets and  Act in time on commitment
getting of right first time  Quality /Productive time

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 Motivation Techniques - 05hrs.

4. Motivation/ Inspiration Motivation techniques

 Ability to shape and direct  Motivation technique based on needs
working/process methods according and field situation
to self defined criteria  Idealising
 Motivate customers
 Ability to think for oneself
 Apply oneself to a task
independently with self motivation.

Interpersonal Skill Development - 05 Hrs.

5. Interpersonal Skill Development Interpersonal Skill

 Positive Relationship Importance of interpersonal skill
 Positive Attitudes
 Empathise : comprehend other
opinions points of views, and face
them with understanding
 Mutuality
 Trust
 Emotional Bonding
 Handling Situations (Interview)

Computer Literacy - 20 Hrs.

6. Computer Fundamentals Computer Fundamentals, MS-Office &

Customize the Desktop Environment Internet
e.g. Introduction to Computers
Desktop, Start Menu, and Taskbar etc. History of Computers
Configuring & Migrating Files, Folders & Components of Hardware Peripherals
Settings – Folder Views, Accessibility
Settings Concept of Operating System - Windows XP
Exploring & Configuring the Windows XP
MS Word Desktop Environment – Customize the
Creating, Organizing & Formatting Content Desktop,
Collaborating – Merge, Insert, View, Edit, Start Menu, and Taskbar etc.
Track Mode etc. Configuring & Migrating Files, Folders &
Formatting & Managing Documents Settings – Folder Views, Accessibility
Settings
MS Excel Features of Windows XP
Creating, Analyzing & Formatting Data &
Content Understanding concepts of Word processing
Collaborating – Insert, View, Edit etc. using MS-Word
Managing Workbooks
Understanding concepts of Electronic
MS PowerPoint spreadsheet and various types of entries in it
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 Creating & Formatting Content
Collaborating – Track, Edit, Add, Delete Understanding concepts of URL
Comments, Merge Creating and Opening an E-mail account.
Managing & Delivering Presentations Receiving and sending emails
Searching information on Internet.
Internet Concepts
Opening websites and downloading data
Writing, reading and sending emails,

Life Skills - 05 Hrs.

07.  Knows how to use technology to

communicate safely and effectively.
 Knows and understands the concept of
“community
 Knows how to access community
resources in case of emergency.
 Knows how to obtain copies of personal
documents
 knows how to book train ticket, Bus Ticket
and Air Ticket.
 Knows how to get a driver’s license.

Entrepreneurship – 20 Hrs.

08. Define the term Entrepreneurship

Definition of entrepreneurship from different
perspectives .

Outline the importance of entrepreneurship

Importance of entrepreneurship:

Enhances creativity and innovation

builds self confidence in people
serves as a tool for nation building
serves as the engine of growth for the nation’s
economy
Explain the reasons why entrepreneurship
should be developed in a country
Reasons include: employment generation
increased national
production re-investing national
resources harnessing youth vigour,

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 Describe who an entrepreneur is and who a
business person is
An entrepreneur refers to one who undertakes to
organize and manage
resources and assumes the risk of a business to
come out with goods and services.
State the characteristics of an entrepreneur
Characteristics of the entrepreneurs
Risk taking Need to achieve
Innovation and creativity Opportunity Orientation
Explain the factors that affect the development of
entrepreneurship
Factors that affect the development of
entrepreneurial spirit in people
i) Environment( immediate family and friends),
community, national, international
ii) Financial
iii) Displacement, etc.
The role of the
i) Government
ii) Society
iii) Families and friends
iv) other stakeholders for example financial
institutions play in the development of
entrepreneurship in the Country.
Define employment
Employment is working to learn a living, payment
could be in the form of wages or salaries depending
on the nature of work.
Describe the types of employment

Types of employment
(i) Wage employment
(ii) Self employment
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 State the advantage and disadvantage of
wage and self employment
Types and characteristics of wage employment and
self employment.
Outline the reasons why people go into wage or
self employment persists
 Self employment
 Regain lost image
 Exercise control over business
 Become boss
 Wage employment
 Assured income
 Commitment may be less.
Define small business
Small business are defined based on the number of
people and the capital employed
State the characteristics of small business
Characteristics of small businesses:-
Labour intensive
Small capital outlay, etc.
List the areas of small operation
Areas: Trading, Catering, Etc
Outline the role of small businesses
The role that small businesses play in the country.
They form the:
nursery for other entrepreneurs technical base for
economic development platform for mobilizing
resources for economic development. Etc.
Explain the challenges/problems facing small
businesses
Challenges/problems facing small businesses
include:
 Financing
 Access to markets

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  Government policies
 Inadequate managerial skills
Define the business environment
Definition of the terms:
 Business
 Environment
 Business environment
Business development service providers in India.
DIC,MSME,NSIC,SIDCO, Financial Institutions and
Banks.
Describe the procedure for registering a
business
Define Business Idea
Definition of business idea., source of business idea.
Programmes/ procedure and available schemes.
Describe how to generate Business Plan
Generation of business ideas Consider talents, skills
and knowledge required Identify problems and find
innovative solutions to them, market survey Etc.
Mention the sources of Business Ideas Sources
of ideas
 Needs and wants of the community
 External environment
 Hobbies and interest.
State the process of starting a New Enterprises
Process
mobilize resources
reorganize resources
Assess the suitability of the
various sources/uses of fund
The advantages and disadvantages of the various
sources of funds .

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 Distinguish between: Money, cash and cheques,
Notes, coins and currency .
Detail description of money, cash, cheques, notes,
coins, currency.
How to open bank account?
How to fill up Cheque?
How to deposit cheque in the bank?
What is PAN Card?
Why it is mandatory?
Explain on-line banking.
Explain source Documents Source Documents
receipts , honour certificate, invoice.
List the Basic Books kept by Small Business
Basic books :
 Cash record
 Stock
 Credit purchase (Creditors
 Account Record)
 Credit sales book (customers
 Accounts Record)
 Record Books (Ledger)
 Trial balance.

09. Occupational Safety, Health and Environment Education - 10 Hrs

Safety & Health Introduction to Occupational Safety and Health importance of safety and health at
workplace.

Occupational Hazards Basic Hazards, Chemical Hazards, Vibroacoustic Hazards, Mechanical Hazards,
Electrical Hazards, Thermal Hazards.

Occupational health, Occupational hygienic, Occupational Diseases/ Disorders & its

prevention.

Accident & safety Basic principles for protective equipment.

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 Accident Prevention techniques – control of accidents and safety measures.

First Aid Care of injured & Sick at the workplaces, First-Aid & Transportation of sick person

Basic Provisions Idea of basic provision of safety, health, welfare under legislation of India.

Ecosystem Introduction to Environment. Relationship between Society and Environment,

Ecosystem and Factors causing imbalance.

Pollution Pollution and pollutants including liquid, gaseous, solid and hazardous waste.

Energy Conservation Conservation of Energy, re-use and recycle.

Environment Right attitude towards environment, Maintenance of in – house environment

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 E. Tools & Equipments for Soft & Entrepreneurship Skills:
Sl. Name of the Equipment Quantity
No.

Hardware:

1 Server Computer (Latest configuration) 10 Nos for a batch of 20 students.

2 Multimedia Nodes (Pre-loaded Windows 2000 or latest)

3 Inkjet/Laser Printer 1 no.

4 UPS

Software:

1 Windows 2008

2 Microsoft Office 2010 Professional

3 Anti Virus Software (TVD/ Norton/Any popular brand)

4 Internet connection

Methodolgy :-

Above practices may be imparted by using

1. Movie clips, games, examples, story / sharing questionnaire /role play/ exercise/Task,
Video / Audio recording, group discussion, role play etc.

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