Basic concepts of entrepreneurship in education on 16.11.2022

"Basic concepts of entrepreneurship in education "

There were discussions how to call entrepreneurial learning in Europe, which brought confusions to use terminology. In Finland used terms of internal entrepreneurship as synonyms of both enterprises education and intra

intrapreneurship (See for example 

Burgelman, 1983).

 External entrepreneurship used term as synonyms of entrepreneurship education.  Enterprise education as internal entrepreneurship was more focus on personal development, mindset, skills and abilities. Entrepreneurship education as external entrepreneurship focused on both becoming self-employed and venture company  (QAA, 2012, Mahieu, 2006). To discuss about both internal and external entrepreneurship without confusion, entrepreneurial education was mentioned by Erikkilä(2000). 

If I imagine myself as a society subject teacher in adult education field in the future, I would consider on facts such as student's already acquired or need to develop skills, abilities, mindset and knowledge to support student's internal entrepreneurship. I would like to especially read carefully about student's personal development plan before giving advices to know student's personal educational background, goal, and study support needs. And as society subject teacher, I would like to focus on exactly related in chapter to teach such as entrepreneurship, social policy such as to set up venture, how to get funds from government and economic development to support student's entrepreneurship education. It is because entrepreneurship history and education, Finnish social policy and economic development chapter will provide practical knowledges. Student can imagine to make potential creative jobs as being self-employed or entrepreneurs with innovative and creative minds. Knowledge on Finnish society and social policy will provide for student trusts based businesses mind and supportive feeling by Finnish government. 

Interesting statistics during Tiina's teaching session time: Entrepreneur number 368 622, 89% of enterprises with less than 5 employees, average entrepreneur's age as 50s.

When we had teaching session webinar on this topic, Tiina asked to comment via padlet for all participants about what are entrepreneur's skills and attitudes. Tiina's teaching session was good to know how higher education field( SeAMK) is strongly related in promoting entrepreneurial education with local business and work network in Seinäjoki. Her teaching on entrepreneurial education was introduced to develop skills and attitudes, because entrepreneurship is to take action on idea as individual.  Tiina and Majid's teaching sessions mainly talked about higher education field. It was good that I had time to tell other participants about my study experiences in vocational school as practical nurse in Finland. I was taught to have entrepreneur mind at vocational school especially when I had entrepreneurship course as general subject and as of my demonstration plan and evaluation's criteria. Majid's teaching session time, his padlet request were very interesting and gave time to wonder what can be good answer.

  

 "The social significance of entrepreneurship  "

During teaching sessions time, I have asked to Majid about opinions of social entrepreneurship, because social company's function and entrepreneurship were missing. It gave me thoughts to think about how different companies and entrepreneurs important to society and individuals. As Tiina mentioned before during her teaching time, Interesting statistics are

1.  Entrepreneur number 368 622, 89% of enterprises with less than 5 employees, 

2. average entrepreneur's age as 50s.

It means that there are many entrepreneurs as small company to produce their own business idea or products. Own creativity bring innovation to market to provide service or products. It gives compete, to learn competences, collaboration to work together for better innovation and creativities, social skills. As we discussed during teaching day, social company in Finland require to hire disabled people only until 2030. It gives chances not to be isolated into labor market for disable people. Their labor market's participation and devoting society as actively employed member give chance to feel inclusion into society. Society requires more qualified teachers to teach special needs students according to their needs and want for qualification especially in adult education and higher education. General working life competences or skills are required to have for employee. Competences or skills can vary but interaction skills, problem solving skills, digital skills, literacy skills, cognitive skills are necessary. 
 

 

"Teacher's working life networks and business cooperation"

Padlet assignment was given to students to fill out as pre-task before teaching day.  Padlet assignment was comparable to see other aspects what they have learnt according to different work experiences. I personally had time to think how working life experiences influences to my skills to use learning materials according to student's  needs and differencies.  Here I share my comments.

Padlet's question: 

How your working life experiences have/could support your teaching and vice versa?

I answered as: "As special need assistant in special classroom at comprehensive school, We use both public and commercialized visual materials to support autistic student's learning. We are encouraged to learn and use visual learning materials which are images and sign languages via  Gotalk, Broadmaker, YouTube, Papunet , Yle Lapset, games etc. We review and order all kind of tools to stimulate and motivate to learn senses and cognitive skills,  even for student's relax.  In conclusion, I learn not only visuality's importance but also learn to use applicable visual products focus on special need student's needs. "

Source: 

https://padlet.com/majidaleem/wleandteaching/wish/2376921781

Majid have mentioned and pointed out to what is factors of entrepreneurial mindset. For example,  taking ownership, self-directed, action oriented, high engagement and resilient, resourceful, and solution oriented curiosity, creativity, critical thinking etc. It gave an idea for students to have positive attitude towards entrepreneurship when they are having team based learning and problem solving in my opinions. But it requires problem and assignment to be completed. Entrepreneurial mindset need to practice as well. 

Majid had taught us about mainly entrepreneurial mindset to consider such as project/problem  based learning, service learning in class + NGO, community engagement, work based learning (internship). 

Work related to work based learning procedure were interesting part from Majid's teaching session time to know how IB course in University of Turku globalized. It showed that how work related learning transform to work based learning. It introduced additionally how cooperation works with other countries such as Mexico, Singapore, Pakistan in different level of team based learning for students, team based teaching for teachers, utilizing network such as industry partners. 

Interview 

Interview an entrepreneur of your choice with the questions below and reflect the answers you receive:

Interview has been done by email in written.

Interview date: 21.12.2023

Interviewee's introduction: 

Interviewee's name is agreed to be seen as  anonymous in blog. 

 Interviewee has started to build new startup company in Finland related in fields of multimedia and multi-platform production.  Company's goal is to enhance viewer's experiences. Interviewee had previous work experiences as entrepreneur in the states.

 Prepared three questions were delivered to participant to answer. 

1. Do companies and educational institutions cooperate enough? 

" I don't think so, I think many institutions are too busy trying to all go for the same big companies, while there are many start ups and potential companies that can benefit from partnerships. Entrepreneurial students should be familiarized with all levels of start up, in order to see a full scope of the process, and to properly set expectations. "

2. What kind of cooperation entrepreneurs could / would do with the educational institution? 

" There could be better cooperative hack-a-thons, as well as more direct talent scouting from educational institutes. The educational institutes could work with entrepreneurs to provide more hands-on learning and experience."

3. What kind of experiences the entrepreneur has had with the students learning at workplace / on the job training? 

"Honestly none, my experiences have been starting a business and learning as I go and gaining practical knowledge."

  

My reflections on interviewee's answer:

Interviewee's answers explained perspectives on selective collaborations between educational institutions and already grown up enterprise. I infer that many start up company's entrepreneurs have difficulties to have partnerships or network connections with educational institutions according to interview's answer.  As an interviewee described about entreprenuer's expectation on entrepreneurial students,  entrepreneurial students are required to have competences, mindsets and attitudes to became an entrepreneur as self employed person for the future or to play special role in collaboration with entrepreneur.

According to interviewee's answer 2, Educational institutes's capacity to provide for students learning and experiences in workplace or job training are very important. Vocational teacher's role is significant to let students help to acquire proper qualification, competence skills, having entrepreneueship attitudes, basic legislation knowledge on how to build up company in Finland and mindset, to accept failure, how to evaluate about failure and success. Vocational teacher could have a role to find and organize network communications between enterpreneurs and students for student's working life and student's work based learning. Vocational teacher's guidance, feedback, demonstration assessment on entrepreneurship education criteria are highly recommended in their fields. 

According interviewee's answer 3, Interviewee try to build up start up company based on learning by doing method. Experiences are gathering by doing so. Interviewee possibily confronts to recruit students to provide them work based learning at workplace or job training as start up company in the future. Entrepreneur should be prepared for accepting or recruiting students to participate in their partnership or job training. Student's qualification or demonstration skills can vary. 

Newly establishing start up company's entrepreneur should be able to consider facts that entrepreneurial student's or students background are essential to get supports from vocational teachers or lecturer with learning by being coached method and real world problem solving method at least. Vocational teacher's guidance can be focused on student's performances, learning competence skills and facilitation to make process easy.  Students can seek for advices with mind such as open to talk and accepting about failure to teachers. 

In brief, vocational teacher is required to have good communication skills to teach students. Role can be interpreter and mediator between enterpreneur and students by giving precise learning skills or attitudes related in advice during work based learning and demonstration time.

In case that students have learning difficulties to undertake job training in their field, Vocational teacher could give advices. It is possible that vocational teacher  asks for study advisor and school nurse to discuss about student's own goals and plan to reach goals with school's available help if student wants more help, and need help. 

School welfare service is available for student to talk with, for example school psychologist, if learning difficulty or any health issue have been occurred. Students can personally visit municipal health care service if needed as well. Insurance should be warranted between school and job training place before starting apprenticeship in workplace.

Vocational teacher's role 

  Entrepreneur themselves's taking risk are high and required to have self discipline by experiences and by doing so. 

Lecturer or vocational teachers are great connections for student to be reached their own learning and achievements. 

It is critically important that vocational teacher and lecturer could provide advice that how to demonstrate their occupational qualification skills according to demonstration creteria.

 As social studies subject teacher in vocational school, it is available teach them practical topics such as how to apply for start up funds, social policies in Finland. 

Teachers could try to suggest educational reforms by suggesting to the Finnish National Agency for Education. Teacher's action could be organizing working group with members of teacher's labor unions or group with same purpose to hand in proposals on educational reforms suggestions. 

Closing,

I great thank for interviewee's interview participation. It deepen my knowledge to have reflection on vocational teacher's role,  current educational institutes and entrepreneurship. 

Source:

Entrepreneurial education 16.11.pptx

https://padlet.com/majidaleem/wleandteaching/wish/2376921781

Entrepreneurship Education Wha,t Why, When, How (Martin Lackéus, 2015)