Spoonfeeding Entrepreneurship?

Entrepreneurial Education Action Plan(Flanders)

Ben.bruyndonckx@syntravlaanderen.be

The main threats

• Lowest degree of entrepreneurship (GEM: 3,05%)– Main reason: Social Security

• Flemish coalition agreement 2004-2009:

“More entrepreneurship, more employment” & the plan to create more jobs

• “Eduction kills entrepreneurship”

The opportunitiesMaking young people more

entrepreneurial= developing important general personal

competencies

= improving the quality of life of the individual

= a first step towards more entrepreneurship in our society

= in the end: more (sustainable) economic growth (incl. employment)

Management

Steering Committee with representatives from:

• Minister and Department of Education

• Minister and Department of Economy

• SYNTRA Flanders (Depending on the Minister of Labour)

The objectives

Within education (all levels):

• Sensibilisation on entrepreneurship

• Development of entrepreneurial attitudes

• Learning of the basic general entrepreneurial competences

• Learning of the basic specific entrepreneurial competences

A dilemma: “Spoonfeeding Entrepreneurship to children and young people” is an oxymoron (contradictio in terminis) …

Spoonfeeding 1) feeding someone (as a baby) from a spoon

2) teaching in an overly simplified way that discourages independent thought

Entrepreneurship :The disposition to generate ideas about possible objectives,

to come up with initiatives starting from one’s own situation and to take actions leading to the realisation of perceived chances by fully taking advantage of the available means. This results in pushing out frontiers and creating something new on a long-term basis which enhances the quality of life

Pathway

Entrepreneurial SpiritEntrepreneurial Person: My own PROJECT

Generic Competences: Indicating a goal and working towards it / Creativity

EntrepreneurshipEntrepreneur: my own BUSINESS

Generic Competences: Persevering / Sense of profit / Decisiveness; Independence / Persuasiveness

Specific Business Management Competences

The Action Plan

6 Actions1. Knowledge Centre

2. Ondernemersklasseweek (Entrepreneurial Class Week)

3. Research on drivers for success

4. Call for projects, building a bridge between Economy and Education

5. Funding of some initiatives

6. Initiatives around the Bussiness Management Certificate

1. Knowledge Centre

• Developement of a virtual Knowledge Centre on initiatives (including materials, information, events, …) to stimulate the entrepreneurial Spirit and Entrepreneurship

• Main target public: Trainers and teachers within the educational System

• www.competento.be (in Dutch)

1. Competento Database structure

• CategoriesDocuments on policy and research reportsContacts and interchange education businessModels, Methods (+) and Course materials (+)Networks concerning ‘Entrepreneurial Learning’Training for trainers, teachers and educatorsScreening instruments for entrepreneurial

competencesContestsSpecific courses

2. Ondernemersklasseweek

• Main objective: to highlight actions on entrepreneurship in Schools and Training Centres

• During one week

• Theme 2008: a sense of initiative

• Included: scription-contest

• Advantage: Perseved as NEUTRAL

• European dimension???

3. Research

2 activities, organized by :

• Study on “How to promote Entrepreneurship within and via Education”

• Symposium on the subject (okt. 24th.)

4. “Bridge Projects”

• Call for projects, building a bridge between economy and education

• Main aim: enhancing the spirit of entrepreneurship

• Call 2006: 2.500.000 euro– max. 50% per project– Max. 250.000 per project

• 14 projects selected

5. Structural funding of initiatives

• 2 different initiatives on Mini-enterprises in schools are being funded – www.vlajo.be – www.leeronderneming.be

6. The Business Management Certificate• What NOT:

– NO specific objectives on entrepreneurial spirit or entrepreneurship in education

– NO national curriculum on Business Management (freedom of education)

• New Federal law on the basic elements of the Business Management Certificate (for Sept. ’08)

6. Initiatives

• “Qualification Framework” Experiment

• Integration of the generic entrepreneurial (ENTRE-) competences

• Competence-based approach, linked with Business Plan

• Pilot = SYNTRA Vlaanderen