Priorities for Action

Access the full report of the conference here. This will provide clear priorities for action for shaping the future for entrepreneurship education as drawn from all facets of the 2007 IEEC. Our debate was stimulated through invited keynote contributions from the US (Kauffman and MIT), China, Denmark and UK; and complemented by workgroups facilitated by leading and experienced faculty and practitioners.Below is an initial summary structured around 4 main themes, each commenting on current experiences, development challenges and priorities for change.
1. Policy and Concept
Current experiences and future aspirations

  • IEEC07 reaffirmed that the government policy environment has been instrumental in the growth of entrepreneurship education in higher education across many countries
  • Existing policy initiatives are providing some higher education institutions with funding to sustain operations
  • Further education in the UK has no explicit policy for supporting entrepreneurship education
  • Growing activity and experience in schools is not connected to post-compulsory support for entrepreneurship education
  • Unclear connection of entrepreneurship across broader policy priorities, e.g. employability

Development challenges and opportunities

  • There is concern for the sustainability of entrepreneurship education developed around short-term project funding
  • Future growth in provision is likely to be affected by changes in the policy environment. Future uncertainty threatens future growth.
  • There is an unlevel playing field for exposure to entrepreneurship education depending upon the region, institution, or discipline
  • There is a strong need to connect entrepreneurship education across the education system
  • There is a need for clarity and coherence about the nature of the desired outcomes sought from entrepreneurship education
  • Holistic approaches are to be encouraged
  • Current indicators and performance measures do not encourage change in institutional culture or behaviour for improving the environment for entrepreneurship education

Priorities for Action

  • National strategies for connecting entrepreneurship education provision across schools, vocational and higher education to deliver clear desired economic and social outcomes
  • Adjust indicators and measures to affect institutional change
  • Building effective impact measures
2. Institutional Development
Current experiences and future aspirations

  • High numbers of higher education institutions engaged in a number of leading countries. Others – such as China, Eastern Europe currently growing their provision
  • Huge variations in institutional commitment, leadership and support for the provision of entrepreneurship education across the campus

Development challenges and opportunities

  • Institutional change is fundamental to long term sustainability and innovation
  • Creating strong leadership to champion the development of entrepreneurship education across the institution
  • The need for recognised exemplars and role models
  • Greater opportunities for learning across institutions and countries
  • Demonstration of need across institutions
  • Overcoming cultural barriers and obstacles and creating ‘can-do’ risk-taking attitudes

Priorities for Action

  • Offer institutional strategies
  • Create reward/award systems
  • All-campus cases and models
  • Exchanging experiences with Kauffman Campus Project Leaders
  • Create handful of exemplary institutions with support for leadership development in building entrepreneurial universities and institutional cultures that are conducive for entrepreneurship
3. Curricula and Pedagogy
Current experiences and future aspirations

  • Much general provision driven by business and management schools, or by dedicated centres external to faculty/school structures
  • A wide range of pedagogies are available but not widely disseminated or used

Development challenges and opportunities

  • Embedding entrepreneurship into learning outcomes and assessment practices/outputs
  • Exchanging of pedagogies and assessment practices across faculties

Priorities for Action

  • Capturing more of existing practice, publication and dissemination through workshops and educator programmes (see below)
4. Educator Development
Current experiences and future aspirations

  • Many new educators entering the area at all levels in the education system from a diversity of backgrounds and experiences
  • New opportunities for educator development are beginning to emerge but these are small and embryonic in development – USA, UK, Denmark
  • There is a demand for professional development and learning
  • Some faculty seek to legitimise their activity through recognition

Development challenges and opportunities

  • Extending the scope for learning and development across the entrepreneurship education community from novice to expert.
  • Building professional and academic qualifications
  • Interdisciplinary approaches
  • Exchanges across institutions and countries

Priorities for Action

  • Building a wider number of programmes and access points for educator development
  • Wider promotion of opportunities for development
  • More partnerships with key stakeholders to support educator development