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 opportunities
Making 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 Spirit
Entrepreneurial Person: My own PROJECT
Generic Competences: Indicating a goal and working towards
it / Creativity

Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneur: my own BUSINESS
Generic Competences: Persevering / Sense of profit /
Decisiveness; Independence / Persuasiveness
Specific Business Management Competences
The Action Plan
6 Actions
1. 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
• Categories
 Documents on policy and research reports
 Contacts and interchange education  business
 Models, Methods (+) and Course materials (+)
 Networks concerning ‘Entrepreneurial Learning’
 Training for trainers, teachers and educators
 Screening instruments for entrepreneurial
competences
 Contests
 Specific 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