Page 101 - guidance-supporting-europe-s-aspiring-entrepreneurs-policy-and-practice-to-harness-future-potential

Guidance supporting Europe’s aspiring entrepreneurs
Policy and practice to harness future potential

and current students (e.g. European Commission, 2006a; European
Commission, 2008a; Herrman, 2008; Potter, 2008; Volkmann et al., 2009).
Guidance has an important role to play in ensuring that young people are aware
of the entrepreneurial learning opportunities offered by HEIs, and in helping
students to identify which of the opportunities is appropriate for them.
This study has shown that HEIs typically use four different channels for
informing and guiding students into entrepreneurial learning: mainstream
information and guidance channels, such as prospectuses, recruitment
campaigns and other mainstream activities of careers services; student
ambassadors; student entrepreneur clubs; and general awareness-raising
activities. These are discussed more detail in Chapter 4.1.1.

4.1.1. Mainstream information and guidance channels
HEIs promote their entrepreneurship education offer to several different types of
student: both prospective and current undergraduate and postgraduate students,
and professionals interested in returning to learning or setting up their own
business. The method of engagement varies for each of these with mainstream
channels primarily used to guide undergraduate students into entrepreneurship
learning opportunities. Channels include the distribution of course prospectuses,
information and recruitment campaigns, student fairs, open and taster days,
‘master classes’, and other events with local schools and colleges, as well as
websites and posters. The online survey (see 1.4. Methodology) carried out
among policy-makers and practitioners from the field of guidance in Europe
revealed that printed and digital information and guidance on becoming an
entrepreneur remain the most commonly used methods of disseminating
information. HEI career services have a central role in the process of informing
and advising prospective students about education and training opportunities,
including courses and activities on entrepreneurship.
For other target students, one-to-one and group meetings with the
prospective students are more commonly utilised. Those returning to learning are
often steered towards entrepreneurial learning by training and guidance
professionals within organisations such as the chamber of commerce,
associations representing entrepreneurs and the public employment service
(PES). Websites of such organisations are also used to a greater degree than in
the case of undergraduate students. As many entrepreneurship courses are
delivered in English, especially at a master degree level, a growing number of
European universities have also widened their target group to include prospective
foreign students from Europe and beyond.

95