Greening the EntreComp Framework to Reconcile Economic Development and Environmental Security Erasmus Project

Project Title

Greening the EntreComp Framework to Reconcile Economic Development and Environmental Security

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for vocational education and training

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Environment and climate change; Entrepreneurial learning – entrepreneurship education; Cooperation between educational institutions and business

Project Summary

In response to climate change, there has been a growing interest in the development of a ‘green’ or ‘low carbon’ economy as a means of reconciling economic development and the environment. However, research on green entrepreneurs to date has focused on individual green entrepreneurs, neglecting wider economic and social contexts within which they operate. In addition, the green entrepreneurship movement is often presented as a non-profit motivated business sector that belongs to the ‘social entrepreneurship stable’. While the emerging green megatrend has brought green entrepreneurship into sharp focus, it is still seen and regarded by many as an add-on to the market economy comprising business ventures that address and satiate the consumer habits of environmentalists and green activists.

Entrepreneurs are frequently thought of as national assets to be cultivated, motivated, and remunerated to the greatest possible extent. Great entrepreneurs can change the way we live and work. If successful, their innovations can improve standards of living, create wealth and jobs and contribute to a growing economy. The European Commission first referred to the importance of entrepreneurship education in 2003, in the European Green Paper on Entrepreneurship in Europe. By 2006, the European Commission had identified a ‘sense of initiative and entrepreneurship’ as one of the eight key competences necessary for all members of a knowledge-based society. The 2008 Small Business Act for Europe, the 2012 Communication on Rethinking Education, the 2013 Entrepreneurship Action Plan 2020, and more recently the New Skills Agenda for Europe, have kept the need to promote entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial learning under the spotlight.

Realising the pivotal role that education plays in the development of entrepreneurship the EntreComp framework was developed by the Joint Research Centre, the European Commission’s in-house science service. It aims to provide evidence-based scientific support to the European policy-making process. EntreComp was developed to become a reference de facto for any initiative aiming to foster entrepreneurial capacity of European citizens. It consists of 3 interrelated and interconnected competence areas: ‘Ideas and opportunities’, ‘Resources’ and ‘Into action’. Each of the areas is made up of 5 competences, which, together, constitute the building blocks of entrepreneurship as a competence.

Consortium partners are of the opinion that the EntreComp framework needs to be reconsidered; it needs to incorporate and reflect the green objectives of our time. It is not sufficient to have some green entrepreneurs; rather every entrepreneur needs to incorporate environmental and ecological factors into their business from the very beginning. While greening existing businesses will be a long and arduous task most likely influenced by carbon taxation and other policy measures, the emphasis for Vocational Education and Training should be firmly placed on greening the entrepreneurship actions of next generation entrepreneurs. Greening EntreComp, as the key benchmark for entrepreneurship education is now an essential first step.

Intellectual Outputs
IO1 – Green EntreComp Framework – The following groups of partners will work in teams to green the different areas of the EntreComp Framework as follows: Ideas & Opportunities will be led by UPB with support from SRC and UoP; Resources will be led by UPIT with support from CALLIDUS and ISQ; Into Action will be led by CARDET with support from BFU and BFI Burgenland. These groups of partners will revise and re-draft the 3 competence areas and the 15 key competences to reflect essential sustainable entrepreneurship values and replace or revise the associated learning outcomes for each competence.
IO2 – Business Modelling for Circular Economy Businesses – The following groups of partners will develop a suite of business modelling training resources that address each of the following recognized circular economy business models: SRC will lead The Co-creation of Products/Services Model supported by BFI Burgenland and UPIT; CALLIDUS will lead the The Sustainable Consumption Model supported by UoP and CARDET; and BFU will lead the The Collaborative Recycling/Reuse Model supported by UPB and ISQ.
IO3 – In-service Training – UPIT and UPB will lead the development of the in-service training programme supported by CALLIDUS and ISQ
IO3 – Green-4-Future MOOC – CARDET and SRC will lead the development of the Green-4-Future MOOC

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 419013 Eur

Project Coordinator

UNIVERSITAET PADERBORN & Country: DE

Project Partners

• Callidus ustanova za obrazovanje odraslih
• CENTRE FOR ADVANCEMENT OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT IN EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY LTD-CARDET
• Spectrum Research Centre CLG
• Berufsförderungsinstitut Burgenland
• UNIVERSITY OF PELOPONNESE
• INSTITUTO DE SOLDADURA E QUALIDADE
• BURGASKI SVOBODEN UNIVERSITET