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

and the entrepreneurship agenda, possibly accounting for the lack of formal
careers guidance for entrepreneurship and the array of non-formal guidance in
place. Guidance provided through non-formal channels is also more widespread
across Europe than formal guidance in relation to entrepreneurship and
entrepreneurship learning. Non-formal guidance also still lacks consistency in
terms of its quality and number of activities on offer across Member States.

6.3. Engaging young people in entrepreneurial

activities

The study identifies a number of lessons regarding the role of guidance in
engaging young people in entrepreneurship learning and related activities.
Awareness-raising and information provision (i.e. printed and digital information
and guidance on becoming an entrepreneur) is still the most common method of
engagement for VET and HE institutions across Europe. However, while such
methods are common and have an important part to play in information-
dissemination, they may not necessarily be the most effective method of
engaging students in entrepreneurial learning. Non-formal guidance methods,
utilising the power of recommendation in the form of student ambassadors and
student led clubs and networks, prove very successful at informing, and thereby
engaging, students in entrepreneurship learning. In some universities, up to 80%
of learners have been engaged through this method. It is particularly useful to tap
into the enthusiasm and motivation of former students who have just participated
in entrepreneurship learning and guidance.
Awareness-raising through taster sessions about entrepreneurship provide
an alternative method of informing young people about entrepreneurial concepts
and approaches. Guidance services have an important role to play in progressing
interested young people from such familiarisation activities towards
entrepreneurship education that will allow them to deepen their knowledge and to
develop the entrepreneurial ability to identify and capitalise on business
opportunities, to launch a business and manage its growth.
Events and festivals can be an effective way of reaching large groups of
students at one time, but focus on events and other project-based approaches
tends to rely on short-term funding which makes such approaches fragile.
Consequently, they need to be combined with approaches that have a more long-
term view and higher impact on entrepreneurial skills and competences.
Although some of the newer media methods are criticised by some, case
studies indicate that social networking sites are another successful way of

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