Page 43 - 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

Council, 2000). The Lisbon conclusions underlined that entrepreneurship is a
competence that society as a whole should value and that a spirit of enterprise is
required. Education should provide opportunities to acquire skills needed to set
up and run a business.
Since the Lisbon Strategy there has been a constant increase in the number
of references to entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship education in Commission
communications. As an example, the European Charter for Small Enterprises
was adopted in 2000 within the context of the Lisbon Strategy. It commits
Member States to 'nurture entrepreneurial spirit and new skills from an earlier
age'. It recognises the need for 'general knowledge about business and
entrepreneurship … to be taught at all levels' along with 'specific business-related
modules' to be an 'essential ingredient' of education at secondary level and
above (European Commission, 2000).
In 2004 the Commission published an EU action plan on entrepreneurship
that stated that entrepreneurship is ‘a major driver of innovation, competitiveness
and growth’ (European Commission, 2004a). The action plan sets out five
strategic policy areas, two of which are directly related to this study: fuelling
entrepreneurial mindsets and encouraging more people to become
entrepreneurs, particularly women and people from ethnic minorities. It highlights
the need for individuals to match their interests, skills and personal situation with
the right entrepreneurial activity, such as part-time, cooperative ventures or
expansion-driven. Entrepreneurship education is seen as a key element in
developing entrepreneurial skills and encouraging young people and adults to
become entrepreneurs.
The European Commission communication on ‘fostering entrepreneurial
mindsets through education and learning’ noted that formal education in Europe
has not generally supported entrepreneurship and self-employment. It identified
the need for cooperation between different ministries, particularly those
responsible for education and enterprise, and relevant stakeholders from the
business world, in order to develop and implement effective entrepreneurship
education (European Commission, 2006b). Education systems can have an
important impact on the success of entrepreneurship in the EU, as individuals are
shaped by attitudes and cultural references at an early age. Education can
contribute to encouraging entrepreneurship, by fostering the right mindset, by
raising awareness of career opportunities as an entrepreneur or a self-employed
person, and by providing the relevant business skills (European Commission,
2004b). By promoting entrepreneurship throughout the education system, young
people will be encouraged to see that entrepreneurial activities and self-

37