VETENTRE_IO1_Toolkit_FV

Unit 1: Overview and framework for VET & Entrepreneurship education Overview This unit provides an overview of definitions of entrepreneurship and the added value that arises from the combination of entrepreneurial skills and Vocational Education and Training (VET). It also introduces the European and National Qualifications Frameworks on VET and relevant information and requirements. Finally, this unit presents the European Competence Framework “EntreComp”, developed by the European Commission, and how it can benefit VET educators. The “EntreComp” Framework and practical ways it can be used are discussed in greater detail in other units of this toolkit. Definitions of entrepreneurship and its role in VET There is not only one but myriad definitions of what entrepreneurship is. For example, Professor Howard Stevenson called entrepreneurship the “pursuit of opportunity beyond resources controlled”. 1 However, there is not only one type of entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship can take the form of a small business, such as a restaurant; it can be a scalable startup or a new division within a large company, even a social enterprise that is not driven by profit but by helping the world. 2 When entrepreneurship takes place within an established organisation, it is often termed as ‘intrapreneurship’. In contrast to entrepreneurs who create something from scratch, intrapreneurs are using the resources of their organisation. As professor Michael Cusumano put it, intrapreneurs “are creating something that hasn’t been done before or done quite the same way”. 3 For VET educators and learners, both entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship are relevant and need to be explored. VET learners might be or want to become entrepreneurs by creating something of their own. VET learners could also work for an organisation and need entrepreneurial skills during their day-to-day work or engage in intrapreneurship. Thus, VET educators need to be aware of the different ways and situations requiring entrepreneurial skills and nurturing an entrepreneurial mindset in their students. Beyond creating an organisation, entrepreneurial skills are seen in a broader sense as competence or a set of competences, rather than a skill. Consequently, different definitions or frameworks on entrepreneurial skills include a broad spectrum of competences. The EntreComp Framework is an example of this. It presents entrepreneurial skills as a set of three 1 Eisenmann, T. (2013). Entrepreneurship: A Working Definition. Available at: https://hbr.org/2013/01/what-is- entrepreneurship 2 Hayes, A. (2021). Entrepreneur. Available at: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/e/entrepreneur.asp 3 Somers,M. (2018). Intrapreneurship, explained. Available at: https://mitsloan.mit.edu/ideas-made-to- matter/intrapreneurship-explained