Page 63 - 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

an important vehicle for developing sense of initiative and entrepreneurship in
Estonia and Sweden (ibid.).
At least nine countries (Estonia, Spain, Cyprus, Luxembourg, Hungary,
Austria, Poland, Romania and the UK) report that nearly all (90-100%) VET
students participate in entrepreneurship programmes at some point during their
VET studies (ibid). In some other countries the share of beneficiaries is much
smaller, making just 5-15% of all IVET students (e.g. Bulgaria).
Entrepreneurship learning in IVET is delivered in both formal and non-formal
settings (European Commission, 2006a). Overall it is recognised that for
successful delivery, it must include some real life ‘immersion’ into the project, and
a variety of techniques have commonly been used. These include simulations,
student competitions and mini-enterprises, as well as through contact with real
entrepreneurs, either through guest lectures, visits or even collaborations
(Onstenk, 2003). Most commonly used methods in VET include lectures,
computer simulations and business games, student companies, project and
group work, company visits and work placements. Less frequently mentioned
techniques include coaching and mentoring, role play, discussions and
brainstorming, and case studies.
One of the key challenges concerns IVET teachers. There is a need to
improve the ability of teachers and trainers to understand and to teach
entrepreneurship. A lack of trained and motivated teachers is a barrier to the
implementation of entrepreneurship programmes and courses (European
Commission, 2004b). Teachers, specifically, need to be trained in the following
areas to deliver entrepreneurship education (European Commission, 2010a):
• project management skills (e.g. planning, setting personal targets, evaluating);
• pedagogical skills (e.g. suggesting and guiding rather than giving instruction);
• personal skills (e.g. active listening, negotiation, team work).

2.5.3. Entrepreneurship learning in HE
The first entrepreneurship education programme was introduced by Harvard
University in 1945 to stimulate the USA’s post-war economy. Other universities
followed suit and the concept of entrepreneurship education was born. From the
early 1970s, there was dynamic development and from the 1980s onwards
entrepreneurship education spread to Northern Europe, then to Central and
Southern Europe and to the rest of the world from the mid-1990s (Volkmann et
al., 2009).
However, the development of entrepreneurship education was much slower
in Europe than in the USA (albeit with a number of notable exceptions). In most
Western European countries relevant degrees and modules were developed only

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