A Rural Self-Employment Training Institute giving rural youth one to six week courses, with food and lodging covered.
Gurdaspur disburses ₹28,656 in small business loans per lakh population. The district trains 250.3 youth per lakh under short-term skilling, close to the typical district. The Rural Self Employment Training Institute prepares rural youth to use credit like this to start their own enterprise.
77% of registered enterprises are in services while 23% are in manufacturing. Only 3% of employment is in small and medium enterprises. 83% of school-age children are enrolled in higher secondary school (classes 9–12).
In Gurdaspur, which ranks 16 of 23 in Punjab for youth opportunity, the overall opportunity score is 51.4 out of 100. It runs ahead of the national picture on self-employed workers at 40.8%. On skilling trainees who get certified at 95.7%, women-owned enterprises at 28.8% and young people in the labour force aged 15 to 29 at 45.5%, it sits close to the national mark.