Page 108 - 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

Example 18. Hec-Ulg Entrepreneurs, University of Liege, Belgium

The University of Liege is one of the two universities in the Walloon region, Belgium, which has
developed a specific master’s degree programme on entrepreneurship. The Hec-Ulg Entrepreneurs
is a master's degree focusing on equipping students with the information, tools, and self-confidence
required to become entrepreneurs. This master's degree is centred around providing students with
soft, transferable skills and practical experience, which can help them with their entrepreneurial
aspirations. The pedagogy of the degree course is unique through its use of a range of
interdisciplinary ‘missions’ which tackle all aspects of the business cycle.
The degree offers the following seven missions:
• business creation – the development of a real and exhaustive business plan;
• corporate recovery – with support from a specialist in transfer and acquisition;
• selling and negotiating – one-week of intensive seminars followed by a work placement;
• strategy and growth – a diagnosis of business and growth and/or redeployment strategy;
• assistant to a manager – supporting and shadowing a senior business person;
• international communication – creating communication tools and plans;
• development of a personal project – after validation by a jury.
The missions/assignments are based on real contracts commissioned by businesses. These
businesses wish to expand, evaluate corporate recovery, develop a new strategy, or plan an
international expansion and thereby give students the opportunity to acquire hands-on experience,
with the expectation that the end result will be readily useable by the client company.
The mission on business creation is overseen by a mentor from an enterprise. The mentor
shares his/her experience with the participant and supports the set up of the work programme,
fostering team work and developing the rigour of their work, while leaving the student with the
overall responsibility for the result.
Students also have a chance to shadow and support a senior manager (to be their right-hand
man/woman). The student learns how to overcome problems in a stressful environment and the
impact this can have on business decisions and practices.
Experienced businessmen and women are included in the teaching panel. The degree is taught
by a group of 60 lecturers and business experts, including entrepreneurs. The jury for the
development of a personal project also includes professionals from the private sector.
Since September 2005, an average 20 students per year have participated in the programme.

The business case method is embraced by the entrepreneurial programmes
of the Bocconi University in Italy, the Bucharest Academy of Economic Studies
(ASE) in Romania, the European University of Cyprus and the University of Liege
in Belgium. The Hec-Ulg Entrepreneurs postgraduate level course at the
University of Liege (see Example 18) is run with close guidance from senior
business professionals and entrepreneurs who participate in student practical
assignments, teaching, mentoring and evaluating student performance. The
programme also offers an opportunity for students to shadow experienced
business managers.
The direct involvement of entrepreneurs in the teaching of entrepreneurship
education has been ensured at the University of Valencia in Spain by having
business owners finance and manage a Chair on entrepreneurship education.
This means that teachers/lecturers on the accompanying course on
entrepreneurship are drawn exclusively from the local business community; they

102