Attitude of trainees toward tribal entrepreneurship training on solar lantern development in Ladakh: a descriptive...

While renewable energy skill development programmes have expanded across India's peripheral regions, limited empirical evidence exists on how tribal trainees in geographically isolated settings perceive such initiatives and the factors that shape their entrepreneurial attitudes. This study examines the attitudes of 320 Scheduled Tribe trainees towards a Solar Lantern Development entrepreneurship training programme in Ladakh.

Drawing on the Theory of Planned Behavior, the Competence-Confidence framework and institutional perspectives on peripheral entrepreneurship, the study employs a cross-sectional descriptive research design. Attitudes were measured using a pilot-tested 20-item Likert scale (Cronbach's Alpha = 0.852) and a post-training technical knowledge assessment. Descriptive statistics, independent samples t-tests, Pearson correlation and multiple linear regression were used for analysis.

The findings indicate an overall positive attitude with the knowledge score demonstrating a strong positive association with entrepreneurial attitude (r = 0.831, p < 0.01). Multiple linear regression confirmed technical knowledge (β = 0.969, p < 0.001) as the strongest predictor of attitude (R² = 0.765) while age showed a significant negative association (β = -0.161, p < 0.001). However, logistical constraints, limited market linkages and household responsibilities emerged as key barriers identified through item-level mean percent score analysis.

The findings are interpreted as associations rather than causal effects, given the cross-sectional design and purposive sampling. The study contributes to the literature on green skills development in peripheral regions by demonstrating that technical competence is a necessary but insufficient condition for entrepreneurial motivation and that institutional support structures are critical for translating skills into enterprise formation.