Enterprise:101 - What is Enterprise Education?

1.WHAT IS ENTERPRISE EDUCATION?

Over recent decades, the pace of change in our world has highlighted that the purpose and content of education needs to take into account of the dynamic interplay between knowledge and skills. Students must be able to fulfil their potential as lifelong learners, active citizens and members of the workplace.

Enterprise Education is all about taking an enterprising approach to learning and teaching; and through this, encouraging all young people to learn and experience education in a way that meets their needs and develops skills for learning, life and work.

This all sounds positive and exciting, but what then is an ‘enterprising approach’?

Enterprise 101 is here to support all practitioners to unpack the abundance of educational resources and jargon to simplify and promote an understandable model for enterprise education.

Having an enterprising approach to education means simply, that you’re adding value for your learners by supporting them to combine a set of enterprising skills and competences so that they may, in turn, create value for others.

One common area of confusion arises from the use of the words ‘enterprise’ and ‘entrepreneurship’ in the context of education. A deeper dive into the literature available might not help to clarify the issue as this is still often debated in academia, the world of business, education and beyond.

In an attempt to help clarify the topic for those working with 3–18- year-olds in Scotland, we view enterprise education as focusing on an active learning pedagogy which lends itself to the development of personal skills and behaviours, the use of enterprising skills and the knowledge needed to thrive as a part of society.

What does an 'active learning pedagogy' mean to you?

In addition, we see entrepreneurship education coming under the ‘enterprise education’ umbrella term as a way to maximise opportunities for developing these enterprise skills by focusing primarily on starting a business along with a solid understanding of the processes of business start-up, growing and developing the skills and behaviours required to run a business or be self-employed.

Enterprising educators apply their own skills to open up a range of opportunities beyond the classroom, which facilitate young people’s development and awareness of the world of work. One aim of incorporating this enterprising stance into learning and teaching is that stronger links between schools and potential employers can be developed. Through the Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) agenda, schools are already cultivating these relationships, and further connections can be forged through mock interviews, work placements, careers talks and mentoring, among a whole host of opportunities to link with entrepreneurs, small businesses and self-employed individuals to expose our young people to these avenues as possible future career paths.