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

Figure 2. Analytical framework

Formal guidance

Formal guidance offered by trained guidance professionals working either in chambers of
commerce, associations of entrepreneurs, PES, etc., or within education (VET and HE
institutions)

Non-formal guidance
Mentoring and business coaching
Practical teaching methods, including assignments for companies or entrepreneurs, and mini
and virtual companies
Online services, including interactive career assessment tests for entrepreneurs, business
support tools, web platforms and virtual entrepreneur communities
Business incubators
Community based holistic interventions for hard-to-reach groups
Engagement with entrepreneurs through lectures by and meetings with successful business
owners
Entrepreneurship centres
Awareness raising activities, including dedicated days, meetings, weeks and festivals on
entrepreneurship, enterprise ambassadors and role models, enterprise awards and
competitions and other media activities on entrepreneurship (e.g. TV and radio programmes,
and professional magazines dealing with entrepreneurship)
Work placements, company visits and shadowing opportunities
Private sector interventions

Informal guidance
Networks of entrepreneurs and other peer learning opportunities

1.4. Methodology

This report is based on a three-stage research process that used secondary
research, primary research and comparative analysis. The key methodological
tools used included literature reviews, mapping, interviews and case studies. Two
surveys were also carried out: a telephone-based interview of entrepreneurship
education experts and, to validate the findings of the previous research phases,
an online survey targeted at Ministry level guidance experts to inform the study
about the most up-to-date developments in guidance and entrepreneurship
learning in initial vocational education and training (VET) and in higher education
(HE).
The research process began with a thorough review of international,
European, national and regional publications which documented

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