Jorhat, March 30: A training programme for women entrepreneurs from self-help groups in Jorhat district on the possibility of expanding market links using the Internet began today.

The training programme is being organised under National Rural Livelihood Mission by the district rural development agency (DRDA).

Several experts from outside Assam will conduct the sessions on various aspects of improving communication skills and market links during the four-day training programme.

DRDA project director (Jorhat) Laya Madduri told The Telegraph that a hands-on training programme has been organised exclusively for 70 women entrepreneurs from all the eight development blocks of the district.

The project director said the participants have been selected by the agency on the basis of the performance of their self-help groups that have moved ahead by overcoming the odds and their products have quality and potential to compete in the big markets if products were customised to suit the buyers.

While selecting the participants for the training certain criterion like the ability to speak English, having minimum knowledge of Internet have been taken in consideration, Madduri said.

"We want to give them knowledge of latest techniques of marketing and at the same time enable them to compete in the market which is very competitive and quality conscious," Madduri said.

She said keeping in view that online trading has of late become popular, the self-help groups would be taught about the possibility of online trading and for that the use of the Internet and possibility of preparing websites or web-pages would figure in the training session.