Entrepreneurial education programme to develop young people’s entrepreneurial skills
The Ministry of Education and Research has launched an entrepreneurship training programme to encourage the enterprising spirit in Estonian students and teachers, and to ensure that creating the enterprising attitude and developing entrepreneurial knowledge and skills will become a natural part of education.
WHY? We are confident that by developing an enterprising mindset and acquiring entrepreneurial knowledge, skills and experiences, everyone will have more freedom in shaping their career, irrespective of what they want to be in future – an enterprising employee, an entrepreneur or just an active citizen.
WHAT WE DO? We encourage and instruct teachers, lecturers, directors of schools and business people to raise the entrepreneurial attitude in young people through all subjects and the organisation of school life. The programme pays particular attention to entrepreneurship education. For the first time, all those who study in Estonia at the level of general, vocational and higher education will have an opportunity to complete activity-based entrepreneurship training, as this is the best way for young people to obtain experiences for future.
HOW? Programme activities are divided into different directions, which include developing the methodology of entrepreneurship training, preparing teaching resources and instructional materials, and conducting training courses for teachers, teaching staff at universities, business mentors and support staff. As a result, entrepreneurship study modules are devised, piloted and put into use at all levels of education. In the three largest universities, pre-incubation centres or support centres for developing business ideas have been established − STARTERtech, STARTERlab and STARTERcreative – which involve students of all levels of study, supported by mentors, and where each semester ends with a business idea competition. Programme monitoring and entrepreneurship surveys are conducted. Information on ongoing activities is available on the home page www.ettevõtlusõpe.ee and www.starteridea.ee and Facebook, as well as in the newsletter published four times a year.
WHO? All programme partners and participants in the cooperation network contribute to spreading the enterprising spirit and entrepreneurial knowledge and skills – all the major institutions of higher education in Estonia – University of Tartu, Tallinn University of Technology, Estonian University of Life Science, Estonian Business School, Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre, Estonian Entrepreneurship University of Applied Sciences, Tallinn University, Estonian Academy of Arts, Estonian Business School, general education schools and vocational education centres, as well as the Estonian Chamber of Commerce, Estonian Employers’ Confederation, Estonian Service Industry Association, Innove Foundation, Junior Achievement Estonia, county development centres, business incubators etc. The programme is led by the Ministry of Education and Research.
WHO FINANCES? The total programme cost in the years 2016−2018 will be 5.4 million euros, including 4.6 million from the European Social Fund and 0.8 million euros is co-financing by the state. Development of entrepreneurship training is a part of the programme aiming for closer connection between the labour market and studies. The programme has been prepared for the implementation of the Estonian Lifelong Learning Strategy and its aim is to bring study opportunities into concordance with the needs of the labour market.