Boosting Entrepreneurship in Adult Education

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1 European Conference 7 March 2008, Nicosia Key Topics Entrepreneurship as key competence for growth, employment and personal fulfilment Promoting entrepreneurship through education European reality PECAE project initiative to foster entrepreneurial mindsets 1

2 Entrepreneurship as key competence for growth, employment and personal fulfilment Entrepreneurship refers to an individual s ability to turn ideas into action. It includes creativity, innovation and risk taking, as well as the ability to plan and manage projects in order to achieve objectives. This supports everyone in dayto-day life at home and in society, makes employees more aware of the context of their work and better able to seize opportunities, and provides a foundation for entrepreneurs establishing a social or commercial activity.* * Commission proposal for a Recommendation on Key Competences for Lifelong Learning COM(2005)548 final Entrepreneurship as key competence for growth, employment and personal fulfilment Entrepreneurship is a key competence for all, helping people to be more creative and self-confident in whatever they undertake and to act in a socially responsible way. Europe has too few entrepreneurs, or at least too few who actually take the decisive steps to launch their own business. There is a need to create a more favourable climate in society for entrepreneurship. 2

3 Entrepreneurship as key competence for growth, employment and personal fulfilment Encouraging the enterprise spirit is a key to creating jobs and improving competitiveness and economic growth throughout Europe. Although entrepreneurship (actual or potential) may be influenced by a number of different factors, there is certainly a cultural aspect that needs to be taken into account. In this respect, education may offer an important contribution. Promoting entrepreneurship through education The European Commission recognises that the entrepreneurship competence should be acquired throughout lifelong learning. The Education & Training 2010 Work Programme included entrepreneurship in a reference framework of eight key competences for lifelong learning, necessary for personal fulfilment, social inclusion, active citizenship and employability.* * Commission proposal for a Recommendation on Key Competences for Lifelong Learning 3

4 Promoting entrepreneurship through education Recently, the importance of entrepreneurship is widely recognised as a basic skill to be provided through life-long learning, and various steps have been taken already in European countries. Although numerous initiatives on entrepreneurship education are under way, they are addressed mainly for young people (primary and secondary education). Many of those year-olds (44%) feel that their education played a predominant role in giving them an interest in becoming an entrepreneur. Even slightly higher figures are seen for those currently benefiting from the European educational system.* * Flash EB Series #192, Entrepreneurship Survey of the EU (25 Member States), United States, Iceland and Norway; April 2007 Promoting entrepreneurship through education The current situation in Europe still faces a major gap in entrepreneurship adult education. The Commission adopted a communication on fostering entrepreneurial mindsets in February 2006*, which seeks to promote entrepreneurial attitudes and in particular to make entrepreneurship education and training central to curricula at all levels of education. * Fostering entrepreneurial mindsets through education and learning, COM(2006) 33 final 4

5 European reality All Member States are well aware of the need to integrate entrepreneurship training into the curriculum. The Commission is therefore working to encourage them to learn from each other s successes, and to develop a more systematic approach. The aim is that the learning process in all Member States includes elements of entrepreneurship education, so that potential entrepreneurs have a better skills base. Furthermore, the better the understanding of the entrepreneurial environment amongst citizens in general, the more supportive they are likely to be to such attitudes. European reality There has certainly been a significant shift in culture, as entrepreneurship is now widely recognised as an important attitude to be promoted. However, and although examples of good practice can be found in all countries, there is a strong need for further improvement and consolidation. 5

6 PECAE project initiative to foster entrepreneurial mindsets PECAE stands for Promoting Entrepreneurial Culture in Adult Education and it emerged as an initiative to respond to the identified shortage by contributing to create more pro-active and entrepreneurial culture in the society. It aims to develop a course for adult trainers, teachers and educators to support them in including entrepreneurial component in adult curricula (in any field). PECAE project initiative to foster entrepreneurial mindsets Project Partners: 6 organisations / 6 countries Duration: 2 years (October 2006 September 2008) Target group: adult trainers, educators and teachers in various fields, who are providing courses to adults below university degrees (employed and unemployed). Those adult educators will be able to enrich the provided adult education courses by applying techniques and methodologies to stimulate entrepreneurial spirit among the participating adult learners. 6

7 PECAE project initiative to foster entrepreneurial mindsets The specific project objectives for the development of the PECAE project: To create the PECAE course curriculum; To organize two Pilot Courses, in Poland and the Czech Republic; To organize an European Conference; To organize two International Courses: in Porto, Portugal 7-11 July 2008 in Vienna, Austria 7-11 September 2008 PECAE project initiative to foster entrepreneurial mindsets Soft - skills categories Decision making skills Creative thinking and Innovation skills Communication and Interpersonal skills Self-related skills Soft skills for each category Analysis and problem solving Information management Proactive attitude Risk analysis & risk tolerance Creative thinking Flexibility Intuitive intelligence Active listening Assertiveness Team working Presentation skills Courage Resilience and tenacity Responsibility Self-awareness/ Self confidence /Self knowledge 7

8 Thank you! We hope to see you again at one of our PECAE Courses For further information, please visit: 8