New Policy Briefing on Entrepreneurial Learning

The new ETF policy briefing “Entrepreneurial Learning: Keystone to an Entrepreneurial Future” considers the challenges and potential of strategic promotion of entrepreneurial learning. Primarily targeted at policy makers from transition and emerging economies, it argues for a model of lifelong entrepreneurial learning, in which policy development and systemic reforms are benchmarked and assessed.

The context
Increasingly open markets, volatile economies and concerns about unemployment are the backdrop to a dialogue among European Union (EU) countries on how governments, the private sector and civic society meet the challenges of competitiveness and jobs. Addressing this challenge, the EU has made entrepreneurship promotion a top priority.

Entrepreneurial learning and EU neigbours
Anthony Gribben, ETF expert in entrepreneurial learning and the author of the briefing, writes that integral to the EU’s entrepreneurship drive is encouraging countries in neighbouring regions undergoing significant institutional and policy reforms to adopt more strategic approaches to entrepreneurial learning across their education and training systems. This forms part of a wider support package, which includes the ETF’s services, to help economies to be competitive and inclusive.

Key role of teachers
The document also highlights the need for education authorities to engage the teaching profession at all steps in promoting entrepreneurial learning. Teachers’ buy-in and their technical preparation are crucial for entrepreneurial learning programmes to succeed.

What is entrepreneurial learning?
The term ‘entrepreneurial learning’ centres round two core principles:

• All individuals should be encouraged to be more entrepreneurial whether or not they have ambitions to start a business. Entrepreneurial employees will be innovative and adaptable in fast-changing economies, seeking out opportunities and making for efficient resource managers – the entrepreneurial traits that are essential for a productive workplace.
• Entrepreneurial learning comprises all forms of education and training – formal, non-formal (what is learnt outside standard education curricula) and informal (what is learnt incidentally) – contributing to a more entrepreneurial mind-set and behaviour.

Read more in the policy briefing