Commission tables plan to promote business spirit in schools and universities

Citation

(2006), "Commission tables plan to promote business spirit in schools and universities", Education + Training, Vol. 48 No. 5. https://doi.org/10.1108/et.2006.00448eab.009

Commission tables plan to promote business spirit in schools and universities

If Europe wants to maintain its social model, it needs more economic growth, more new firms and more entrepreneurs willing to embark on innovative ventures, says the European Commission, which has outlined recommendations aimed at enhancing the role of education in creating a more entrepreneurial culture in Europe. Starting from an early age, says the Commission, school education should stimulate children’s awareness of entrepreneurship as options for their future, give them the means to develop basic entrepreneurial skills and help them to be more creative and self-confident in whatever they undertake. At a later stage, universities and technical institutes should integrate entrepreneurship as an important part of the curriculum, spread across different subjects, and require or encourage students to take entrepreneurship courses.

The Commission recommends that:

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  national and regional authorities should establish co-operation between different departments, to develop a strategy with clear objectives and covering all stages of education;

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  school curricula at all levels should explicitly include entrepreneurship as an objective of education;

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  schools should be given practical support and incentives to encourage take-up of entrepreneurship programmes;

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  special attention should be given to training teachers and to raising the awareness of head teachers;

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  co-operation between educational establishments and the local community, especially businesses, should be encouraged;

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  the use of student mini-companies at school should be further promoted;

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  higher education institutions should integrate entrepreneurship across different courses, notably within scientific and technical studies;

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  public authorities’ support is especially needed to provide high-level training for teachers and to develop networks that can share good practice; and

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  teacher mobility between university and the business world should be encouraged, together with the involvement of business people in teaching.

Methods of promoting a more open attitude towards entrepreneurship include practical project work, role-playing and visits to local enterprises. Mini-companies, run by secondary-school pupils, are among the most effective ways of promoting the entrepreneurial spirit of youngsters, says the Commission, adding: “Education in entrepreneurship increases the chances of start-ups and self-employment. Around 20 per cent of participants in mini-company activities in secondary school, for example, go on to create their own company after their studies.”