EDUCATION

Training a new generation of entrepreneurs

Enterprise Europe, Brussels, 31 March 2004 – Teaching entrepreneurship will greatly improve Europe’s competitiveness in the long run, says a new expert report entitled “Education for Entrepreneurship”, coordinated by the European Commission. However, education must be incorporated into an all-round policy strategy involving national and local authorities.

The report looks at ways of teaching entrepreneurship in primary and secondary schools in 26 European countries. In its aim of fostering an entrepreneurial culture in Europe, the report and its conclusions mirror many of the priorities identified by the recently published Entrepreneurship Action Plan. Key to progress in this area is enhanced cooperation between different departments of the national administrations, notably industry and education.

The report goes on to say that the inclusion of entrepreneurship teaching in a national curriculum is only a partial solution. Incentive and support measures are also needed, capitalising on the considerable autonomy enjoyed by many schools and teachers. While such measures are being developed in some countries, it emerges that too few teachers are being trained in entrepreneurship.

The good news, adds the report, is that several countries benefit from the assistance of international networks and NGOs – either sponsored by private partners or supported by public authorities. These bodies are taking the lead, especially by means of programmes which offer students hands-on experience of enterprise.

Examples of positive policy action across Europe are laid out in the report, though the authors acknowledge the difficulty of disseminating these results to the wider world. The publication contains more than 20 recommendations on policy-making and initiatives, addressing the authorities, educational institutions, the business world, NGOs and the Commission itself.

The report was written by a group of national experts and follows the Best Procedure project under the Multiannual Programme for Enterprise and Entrepreneurship (2001-2005).