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

4.5. Summary assessment of the role of guidance

in HE

4.5.1. General assessment
Until recently entrepreneurship was not considered a ‘sufficiently’ academic topic
to be taught in HEIs, nor were universities thought to be the best source of
support for individuals who want to start their own business. The skills that
students develop within academic institutions were not considered to match
those needed to be a successful entrepreneur.
This study, however, has demonstrated that HEIs have the potential to offer
education, guidance and support to students that enable them not only to pursue
business ventures but also become more entrepreneurial in their approach to life
and work more generally.
To be more specific, guidance within higher education has the potential to
support the entrepreneurship-related goals of HEIs through supporting students
in various stages of their higher education life. Guidance can be used to inform
students about the entrepreneurship learning opportunities offered by HEIs, and
to help them identify which opportunities are appropriate. Practical, real-life
orientated teaching methods have guidance embedded in the learning process,
as this type of entrepreneurship education is entrepreneurial in its activity. Many
extra-curricular activities have guidance elements integrated in them through the
involvement of non-formal guidance providers, such as role models, experienced
entrepreneurs and other business professionals. While there is still room for
improvement in the availability of actual start-up support, when such support is
available, it can be a very effective method of assisting students in the early
stages of their entrepreneurial careers.

4.5.2. Formal and non-formal guidance services
Formal career guidance services of HEIs are much more active in
entrepreneurship and involved in more diverse ways than guidance services at
lower levels of education, including IVET. It is, however, still fair to say that in
most HEIs career centres are still more focused on providing information to
students about employment positions rather than about self-employment roles. In
those countries where career services do offer guidance for entrepreneurship,
they usually inform students of the career option and then organise working life
familiarisation opportunities, placements or business coaching. Business support
is less frequently available in career centres, and guidance professionals
themselves do not feel that they are well-equipped to provide this form of

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