Entrepreneurship Anonymous Erasmus Project

Project Title

Entrepreneurship Anonymous

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 2018

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Entrepreneurial learning – entrepreneurship education; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses

Project Summary

Developing entrepreneurial competence is a key EU policy objective, which features in many recent policy documents including the Entrepreneurship Action Plan 2020 (EC, 2013), the New Skills Agenda for Europe (EC, 2016) and the Council Recommendation on Key Competences (EC, 2018),with continuing reference to the importance of “promoting entrepreneurial mindsets” and “nurturing entrepreneurship competence, creativity and the sense of initiative especially among young people”. Despite this, there is still no consensus on what entrepreneurship competence is, with the final report of the Expert Working Group on Education for Entrepreneurship (EC, 2014) reminding us that the benefits of entrepreneurship education are not limited to boosting start-ups and new jobs, confirming wider potential for the development of creativity and self-confidence amongst all learners.

Recognising that VET teachers have been slow to embrace the change required to embed entrepreneurship training across the curriculum and targeting increased competence and confidence among VET teachers and trainers with a view to securing improved entrepreneurship teaching in the future, partners from 4 European countries (UK, FI, ES, NL), each having confirmed low levels of early stage entrepreneurial activity came together to identify, adapt, develop and test a series of tools and approaches that would be able to assist VET teachers/trainers in the modernisation of teaching approaches. The project sought to produce four intellectual outputs – a Targeted Analysis Report (TAR), exploring the free availability of existing tools, programmes and materials within and beyond the participating countries and regions, an Outline Training Programme (OTP); multi-language Toolkit for Teachers and Trainers (TTT) and a series of Regional Development Plans (RDPs). Each of these tools was intended to foster confidence and capacity-building, among VET teachers and trainers.However, the project suffered from two significant problems. The first of these was a retardation in achieving the anticipated schedule of project activities and the second – and most crucial – was the winding-up of the coordinating institution.

The principal factor from which the first problem emerged was the delayed production of the first intellectual output – the Targeted Analysis Report (TAR). However, this was eventually achieved and a copy of it is attached to this report. The second problem, which effectively terminated the project prior to its completion was the decision taken by the Board of the West of Scotland Colleges’ Partnership to wind-up the company. Having made this decision, the Board implemented it rapidly. Nonetheless, the project partners had commenced working on developing the second and third intellectual outputs, by defining the elements that would be essential components of both.

In the application, delivery of the project is outlined in terms of seven work phases (initiation and ratification; identification and analysis; development and adaptation; user validation; design and testing; discussion and agreement; dissemination and exploitation) leading to the production of the four intellectual outputs (TAR, OTP, TTT and RDP). However, the premature termination of the project meant that only the first two phases were completed and the third was commenced.

Whilst VET teachers and trainers were the intended primary beneficiary audience for Entrepreneurship Anonymous, and VET learners and graduates were an important, secondary audience, the output which has been produced is likely to be of less interest to either and more useful for either teacher training institutions or staff development professionals who are concerned with developing resources for delivering entrepreneurial education to students or in building the competence of teachers from all disciplines to do so.

Project Website

http://www.citeerasmus.com

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 53085 Eur

Project Coordinator

WEST OF SCOTLAND COLLEGES PARTNERSHIP & Country: UK

Project Partners

• TAMPEREEN KAUPUNKI
• Stichting voor Interconfessioneel Beroeps- en Algemeen Vormend Onderwijs en Volwassenen- Educatie voor Rotterdam en omstreken
• ASOCIACION DE CENTROS DE FORMACION TECNICO PROFESIONAL DE INCIATIVA SOCIAL DE EUSKADI HETEL HEZIKETA TEKNIKOKO ELKARTEA DE DURANGO (BIZKAIA)
• College Development Network