Page 89 - 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

further 36% of the respondents planned to establish one within the next three
years.
Other studies have provided similar conclusions. A survey conducted in
Sweden on students who had participated in the Young Enterprise mini-company
programme since 1980 recorded that 7% of students were still running a
company and a further 13 % had at some stage started their own company (Ung
Företagsamhet, 2002).
A study of Norway (Johansen and Clausen, 2009) concluded that
participation in mini-company activities has a more significant impact on career
choices than other variables (e.g. gender, immigrant background, parents’
education and academic skills).
Strong links with the business sector and the local community are critical to
mini-companies. They play a role as sponsors (especially in many Eastern
European countries) and they ensure access to mentors and advisers with first-
hand knowledge of the business world. Companies are interested in participating
as it gives them a platform to be seen engaging with young people in educational
activities.

3.5. Training and supporting teachers and guidance

professionals

Teachers and guidance professionals have a critical role to play in the
entrepreneurial activities of vocational schools (European Commission, 2010a;
McCoshan, 2010; Volkmann et al., 2009). However, one central weakness in the
system for entrepreneurship education in Europe is the apparent inconsistency in
the competence and ability of teachers delivering entrepreneurship education
(European Commission, 2010a). The main obstacle facing teachers is their lack
of practical experience of entrepreneurship. While it is the case that most
countries offer teachers some level of training on entrepreneurship, this is
generally provided by external organisations and delivered on an ad-hoc basis,
not usually as part of a coherent, systematic approach to entrepreneurship
training delivery (ibid.).
Our European survey of policy-makers and practitioners with a guidance
remit also concluded that guidance professionals in most European countries
lack the necessary skills to offer support to students interested in becoming
entrepreneurs. Respondents believed that guidance practitioners have limited
experience of working with students interested in becoming entrepreneurs and
with companies. Further, some respondents identified that there is a lack of

83