Employability Skills and Entrepreneurship (NSQF)
Employability Skills and Entrepreneurship (NSQF)
This domain covers workplace behaviour and the basics of self-employment under NSQF: teamwork, communication, interview readiness, customer service, costing, pricing, and small-business planning.
Core rules
- NSQF employability skills include working in a team, planning and organising, problem solving, and maintaining safety and quality.
- A simple business plan states the service, customer, competitor price, monthly costs, expected sales, and break-even point.
- For a small enterprise, estimate all costs-materials, labour, power, rent, transport, tools, and wastage-before quoting a price.
- Profit percentage must state its base: profit on cost or profit on selling price.
- Keep simple records: quotation, invoice, payment receipt, stock register, and warranty documents.
- Check legal and tax requirements for the specific business; do not assume a single rule applies to every trade.
Worked example
A small job has material cost ₹200, labour ₹50, and overhead ₹30. Total cost = ₹280. If the owner wants 20% profit on cost, profit = 0.20 × 280 = ₹56, so selling price = ₹336. If the same ₹56 were intended as 20% of selling price, the selling price would be ₹56/0.20 = ₹280, which actually gives no profit on cost-so the base matters. This is why quotations should state the costing basis.
Traps
Confusing turnover with profit; ignoring wastage and transport; quoting a price before costing; and treating a verbal order as a confirmed contract without specifications.