Page 61 - 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

become important partners for schools, training institutions and authorities by
providing significant expertise and alternative methods to teaching
entrepreneurship, mainly through mini and virtual companies, business
competitions and other awareness-raising activities. They have also had an
important impact in creating close linkages to private companies, which often act
as partners, sponsors, mentors and jurors in entrepreneurial activities run by
these organisations. This has also meant that many entrepreneurial activities in
Europe have been driven by external actors rather than the education system
itself (European Commission, 2004b).
The key reason for the ad hoc approach to entrepreneurship learning in
Europe is the lack of appropriate national strategies; the inclusion of
entrepreneurship in the curriculum and/or national strategy is usually a good
indicator of political commitment. In 2007, only six Member States had embedded
entrepreneurship in the national curriculum for compulsory education. These
included Spain, Ireland, Cyprus, Poland, Finland and the UK (Rodríguez, 2009).
The situation had improved quite considerably by 2009 with more countries
having incorporated entrepreneurship in the curriculum (e.g. Austria, Hungary)
(McCoshan et al., 2010). Further, around a third of European countries had
created a strategy on entrepreneurship learning (see Table 3) and a further nine
countries were in the process of doing so. A number of other countries had
integrated entrepreneurship in other key strategies, such as the one on lifelong
learning (e.g. Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia and Luxembourg).

Table 3. National strategies for entrepreneurship learning

National strategy in place National strategy planned
Belgium (Flanders), Denmark, Finland, Austria, Belgium (Walloon), Estonia, Iceland,
Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Ireland, Malta, Poland, Slovenia and Spain
Sweden and UK

Source: McCoshan et al., 2010.

Entrepreneurial learning pedagogy is typically characterised by interactive
and experiential methods, which require students to take an active role in the
learning process, which is based on real-life situations and simulations. These
include: group learning and assignments; interactive methods with businesses
and entrepreneurs, including visits to companies; practical, hands-on learning
(trial and error); developing creativity; problem-solving; business simulations and
games; student run businesses; and business competitions. New teaching

network offers them the opportunity to exchange knowledge and experience and also work
together on international projects. Available from Internet: http://www.jadenet.org/ [cited
03.09.2010].

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