International schools are the perfect place to incubate the next generation of entrepreneurs, Hazel Kay

International schools are the perfect place to incubate the next generation of entrepreneurs

Hazel Kay analyses the results of a new report

In April 2019, ACS International Schools launched a research report called ‘Inspiring Entrepreneurship in Education’ at the House of Lords in London. Surveying a third of universities in the UK, we conducted the research via an email questionnaire sent to Heads of Enterprise. The aim of the research, undertaken in partnership with the National Centre for Entrepreneurship in Education (NCEE), was to provide an overview of the state of entrepreneurship in our schools and universities and to explore if, as we hoped, international schools are a good environment in which to nurture the next generation of entrepreneurs.

At ACS, our aim is not just to help children secure places at leading universities, but also to help them find their place in the world, with confidence and success, to be ready for whatever the future holds. Given the pace of change and disruption across the planet now, it is easy to see why the word ‘entrepreneurial’ sums up the qualities needed to thrive. The qualities of International Baccalaureate (IB) learners – inquirers, knowledgeable, thinkers, communicators, principled, open-minded, caring, risk-takers, balanced and reflective – are a close fit to the qualities of an entrepreneur. The Financial Times defines a person with an entrepreneurial mindset as someone who is often drawn to opportunities, innovation and new value creation. A social entrepreneur is often described as someone who is a leader or pragmatic visionary; they want to establish an enterprise with the aim of solving social problems or effecting social change.

A McKinsey report focussing on banking and insurance, energy and mining, healthcare, manufacturing, and retail in the US and in five European countries found that automation will accelerate a transformation in the workforce skills that companies have relied on so far this century. Demand for social and emotional skills, as are required in leadership and managing others, will rise by 24 percent, to 22 percent of hours worked, says the report, which adds that “Among all the skill shifts our analysis indicated, the rise in demand for entrepreneurship and initiative-taking will be the fastest growing, with a 33 percent increase in the United States and a 32 percent rise in Europe” (OECD, 2019).

Commentators from all walks of life are highlighting the importance of developing entrepreneurial skills. The word ‘entrepreneur’ could perhaps be exchanged, for instance, for ‘versatilist’, described by Andreas Schleicher, Director for Education and Skills at the OECD, in proposing that: “The knowledge world is no longer divided between specialists and generalists. A new group – let’s call them “versatilists” – has emerged. They apply depth of skill to a progressively widening scope of situations and experiences, gaining new competencies, building relationships and assuming new roles. They are capable not only of constantly adapting, but also constantly learning and growing in a fast-changing world. In a flat world, our knowledge becomes a commodity available to everyone else. As columnist and author Thomas Friedman puts it, because technology has enabled us to act on our imaginations in ways that we could never before, the most important competition is no longer between countries or companies but between ourselves and our imagination”.

Just being part of an international community confers an advantage, our research has suggested, as shown in Table 1.

Highly beneficial Slightly beneficial Makes no difference Slightly detrimental Highly detrimental Not stated % 64 26 8 0 0 2

Table 1: What benefit, if any, would you say having exposure to different nationalities and cultures at school has on students’ entrepreneurial outlook when they arrive at university?

There are lots of practical steps that schools can take to support entrepreneurship, with the provision of specific entrepreneurial activities being the most important, but the general ethos of the school is rated very highly too, as suggested by Table 2.

The provision of specific entrepreneurial activities or events in school The general ethos of the school Teachers trained in entrepreneurship The school student’s peer group The school teaching specific characterbuilding skills 86

69 65 44

34

Table 2: Which if any of the following factors at school would you say have a positive impact on the development of a student’s interest in enterprise /entrepreneurial activities by the time they arrive at university? This ethos is something international schools can really champion for their children, and gives added importance and relevance to the discussion aired in recent issues of this magazine about the relevance of an international mindset. Clearly such a mindset is vital as a building block to an entrepreneurial mindset.

The exciting news is that entrepreneurship is a powerful motivator for young people too, not just a theory which motivates educators, as the universities in our survey report a large increase in entrepreneurial activity and interest among their new students (Table 3).

Increased Decreased Stayed the same % 64 5 31

Table 3: Do you think interest in enterprise / entrepreneurship activity among school students, on arriving at university, has increased or decreased over the last three years?

Harnessing this interest is a great way to inspire youngsters to learn and succeed at school. It can motivate all sorts of positive behaviours. We had a great example of this in practice at our Hillingdon schools recently where a group of children created their own 3D printer. The students wanted the printer for their classroom but were told no money was available to buy one. Rather than just accepting this setback, they were energised to research how to make one themselves. By combining their skills and ingenuity – not least in persuading people to hand over random pieces of kit, such as cables or piping that they didn’t need – they built the 3D printer themselves, at no cost, from parts they could find around school. This is a perfect example of the sort of applied learning we talk about with the IB approach, using knowledge to solve problems, and