Final report - European Commission - Europa

KEY NOTE SPEECH, MR. DAG TERJE ANDERSEN,MINISTER OF TRADE AND INDUSTRY OF NORWAYI would like to welcome you all to Oslo. It is a great pleasure for The Norwegian Government to host this conferencein cooperation with the European Commission. We would like to thank the Commission for its initiative. This conferencewill bring attention to, and emphasis on, the important subject of entrepreneurship in education.Entrepreneurship in education is important for the future. In order to make efficient use of our knowledge today andin the future, we need entrepreneurs that see the opportunities and make them work. Human capital is the mostimportant factor in Norway’s wealth creation. Human capital constitutes 80 percent of Norway’s national wealth.Today’s pupils and students represent tomorrow’s workforce and hence the foundation of our future welfare.It is paramount that Norway establishes a strategy for ensuring future entrepreneurial activity. This will strengthenpeople’s ability to identify and apply opportunities in economic, social and cultural context. Promoting entrepreneurshiphas several long-term benefits:It drives personal development,it strengthens our ability to innovate and adapt, and hence our ability to make efficient use of our resources,and it contributes both to increased equality among individuals and to necessary diversity in business life.The Norwegian Government nourishes a positive attitude to entrepreneurship, adaptation and innovation in educationand in society as a whole. The education system plays a vital role in fostering attitudes and behaviour thatenhance cooperation, creativity and innovation among children and young people. Students must believe in theircapabilities and ability to spend resources in order to create wealth and jobs.The Norwegian Government encourages extensive cooperation between authorities, educational institutions andbusinesses. This brings mutual benefits, at local, regional, national and international level.Pupils and students will benefit from taking part in establishing companies, such as through Junior Achievement-Young Enterprise (JA-YE) Norway’s Company Programme. This will give them practical experience and know-how inaddition to the theoretical knowledge they otherwise obtain at school. In our opinion, entrepreneurship should bepart of basic training in schools; providing for a better understanding among pupils of how society works.An important initiative in this regard is the Norwegian Government’s partnership with the organisation JuniorAchievement - Young Enterprise (JA-YE) Norway. This organisation is working to make entrepreneurship in educationaccessible for students at all levels of education. And for increased interaction between learning institutions andbusinesses. JA-YE Norway also develops programs to help promote positive attitudes toward important issues suchas sick leave and black economy.Companies established by pupils and students constitute an important part of entrepreneurship in education inNorway. Flush is a good example of a successful company that was created as a result of their activities throughJunior Achievement-Young Enterprise (JA-YE) Norway. Flush was in Maastricht this year proclaimed to be the best studentcompany in Europe. I encourage everyone to visit their stand during this conference.The Norwegian Government aims to be a driving force and partner in the work on entrepreneurship in education. Ourgoal is deeply agreed in the Government, and several ministries are working together in the same direction. Thisweek, we have published a revised strategy on entrepreneurship in education, “See the opportunities and makethem work!”. The Minister of Education and Research will present the main points of this strategy shortly.The European Commission gave several recommendations in its report ”Fostering entrepreneurial mindsets througheducation and learning”. We follow these recommendations:10Entrepreneurship Education in Europe: Fostering Entrepreneurial Mindsets through Education and Learning