1.1 - Entrepreneurship education

Abstract

A Quality Manager needs to have a clear idea about what entrepreneurship is in Europe, as there is no international consensus about its definition and there is still no consensus about what the distinctive elements of entrepreneurship as a competence are.

The Entrepreneurship Competence Framework (JRC, 2016) defines entrepreneurship as “Entrepreneurship is when you act upon opportunities and ideas and transform them into value for others. The value that is created can be financial, cultural, or social” (FFE – YE, 2012).

 

Why is this important for you as a QM?

  • To make a step back compared to the shared understanding of entrepreneurship education, which is directly linked to venue creation. The EntreComp provides you a clear distinction about entrepreneurship as a competence vs venue creation. In the European framework, EE is a competence to develop citizens ability to actively participate in society, to manage their own lives and careers and to start value-creating initiatives; 

  • To know that the Entrepreneurship Competence Framework (EntreComp) shown in Figure 1 offers you a conceptual model about the entrepreneurship competences, made up of 3 competences areas (the 3 circles) Into Action, Resources and Ideas & Opportunities as shown in Figure 1, taken from the reference framework: 
    Figure 1: the EntreComp

  • To understand that entrepreneurship as financial and economic literacy is only one of the 15 entrepreneurial competences, namely “economic and financial literacy”;

  • To remind you that the EntreComp is a progression model with 3 competences areas, 15 competences, 15 descriptors, 8 proficiency level and 442 learning outcomes; 

  • To develop VET curricula in line with the EntreComp that works a multi-purpose reference guide aimed at making the qualification transparent and transferable across different European contests facilitating, for instance, student mobility;

  • To make you reflect about the complexity of entrepreneurship and guide you towards the implementation of it according to the European standards. 

 

How should I implement the action?

  • First of all, you need to get familiar with the Entrepreneurship Competence Framework, as it will be your guide for the implementation of EE in your VET organizations;

  • Absorb the definition of entrepreneurship and implement it in the organization mission and vision (if necessary);

  • Share the entrepreneurship conceptual model with the members of your staff; everyone should know the EntreComp and, if possible, organize activities within your members to clear doubts about it and to learn from each other;

  • When you are organizing a training activity, refer to the Framework and its 442 learning outcomes that will guide you towards a daily implementation of a quality entrepreneurship education programme. Furthermore, the model offers you 8 proficiency levels that can be adapted to the European Quality Framework (EQF) levels;

  • Organize joint programmes, European activities and students mobilities about EntreComp and get to know other European and local organization that are implementing every day;

  • You can take part in EU networks that deal with EE to get inspired and share good practices or you can bring your voice to networks such as Lifelong Learning Platform that, though a bottom-up approach, reach the European Institutions with the feedback of its members to revise frameworks and EU policy papers. Furthermore, you may actually get involved into the EU semester to scale your experience at EU level.

 

How should I know if I have made an impact thus increasing the quality of the VET provision and to which extent?

  • When you feel familiar with the concept of entrepreneurship education and you apply it everyday when delivering activities related to EE; 

  • When you are recognised by the European community of experts and your courses are taken as best practices; 

  • When you will provide different courses on EE that do not deal specifically with financial and economic literacy. 

 

Links & further readings

  • Joint Research Centre. 2016. European Commission, Joint Research Centre webportal. https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/bitstream/JRC101581/lfna27939enn.pdf

  • You can have a look at this webinar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzjBQCPvY2k&t=3279s

  • A guide with tools to implement EE in your organization https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/publication/eur-scientific-and-technical-research-reports/entrecomp-action-get-inspired-make-it-happen-user-guide-european-entrepreneurship-competence

 

Glossary
Unit 1
Time - Preparatory phase:
Medium: 1 ημέρα - 1 εβδομάδα
Time - Regular tasks:
Low: (a few times a month)
Time - Length of commitment:
High: (> 1 month)
HR - Number of staff members:
High: (between 50 to 100% of the staff)
HR - Commitment by staff members:
Low: (between 1 day to 1 week)
Economic investment:
Low: (you can do it with your available resources)
ICT skills:
Basic
Suggested Cards: after reading the current one: