According to the entrepreneurship policies provided under the Ministry of Education and Culture, the aim of entrepreneurship education is to increase positive attitudes related to entrepreneurship, strengthen entrepreneurial activities, develop knowledge, skills and capabilities, and to recognise one's own competence and create new entrepreneurship. Experimentation and functionality, such as projects related to entrepreneurship and working life and business cooperation, play an important role in the implementation of entrepreneurship education.
In North Ostrobothnia, the model for entrepreneurship education was reformed through extensive regional cooperation. The renewed model was published in early 2023. A key part of the reformed entrepreneurship education model is the learning outcomes of sustainable development, digitalisation and internationalisation for each level of education. The entrepreneurship education website of North Ostrobothnia minunpolkuni.fi/en/homepage/ serves as a concrete source for the implementation of entrepreneurship education. The website contains the content of the renewed model, tools for practical implementation and learning outcomes by school level.
The renewed model for entrepreneurship education was published in March 2023 at the final seminar of the VÄKEVÄ project, which compiled the model. The contents and their tools were considered successful and very useful. The next step is to implement and establish operations in the area in accordance with the reformed model. The new model was built on the previous Strategy for Entrepreneurship Education in North Ostrobothnia, built in 2015–2016, the contents of which are still largely topical.
The changing operating environment and working life also require changes from education and training. Sustainable development will be a critical factor determining competitiveness. Digitalisation creates opportunities for new entrepreneurship, and as a result of internationalisation, companies must operate in different cultures. As a result of these trends, sustainable development, digitalisation and globalisation of the operating environment must also be taken more and more into account in education. The common objectives of the renewed model for entrepreneurship education for all school levels are: 1. Entrepreneurship education is used to build a sustainable future, 2. Entrepreneurship education strengthens competence identity and entrepreneurial and working life skills, 3. Entrepreneurship education creates an entrepreneurial culture together and 4. Identifying, sharing and utilising good practices and operating models. The model also includes development and learning outcomes for each school level from early childhood education to higher education. Read more about the model and find out more about the tools here.
Based on the discussions held at the closing seminar and the feedback provided, better consideration of the transition phases and taking the strategy into a more concrete, "tool-like" direction were considered the best aspects of the reformed model. In addition, cross-cutting themes, i.e. digitalisation, internationalisation and sustainable development, were considered good. Various events, seminars and visits to educational institutions were hoped for introducing the model. Above all, teachers and teaching experts from North Ostrobothnia hoped for a network and coordinated regional entrepreneurship education, where good experiences and feelings of success can be shared. During the project, the North Ostrobothnia Entrepreneurship Education Network PYRYTYS, coordinated by the City of Oulu and BusinessOulu, was established. Read more and join the entrepreneurship education network here.
Author:
Suvi Tulonen, Project Researcher, MSc (Admin), University of Oulu, Kerttu Saalasti Institute, research group on micro-entrepreneurship MicroENTRE®
In Kerttu Saalasti Institute's blog we write about the topics of the Institute's research groups, micro entrepreneurship education and the Institute's general topics. The authors are researchers, experts and members of networks.
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