Final report - European Commission - Europa

“THE STAIRS TO ENTREPRENEURSHIP”Stig Hanssen, Entré Entrepreneurial development, County of Gävleborg, SwedenEntré has been working with Enterprise and Entrepreneurship education since 2000, focusing on teachers and educatorsand aiming to put enterprising students and enterprising teachers together.Entré is subsidized by the Ministry of Industry, Employment and Communication as a national pilot project in entrepreneurship.Our work is based on education and method development in the education system from preschool to upper secondaryeducation. We are mainly working on entrepreneurial learning and abilities development, in cooperation witheducators.We know, from our experience, that it is necessary to focus on different abilities when working with small children oryoung students.To start the journey of enterprising, young people need courage enough to take some risk and knowledge of theircapabilities.In preschool we focus on methods that increase the abilities of self-confidence, self-esteem and self-image. This is,according to us, the ground for entrepreneurship.In primary and secondary school we focus more on creativity, inventions and problem solving methods, and cooperationbetween schools and the local business community.Flexibility is a principle, since each school is free to create methods of enterprise training and learning. Nevertheless,we are connecting everything we do to the national curriculum.We are also working closely together with Young Enterprise (mini companies) in the region. Young Enterprise in ourregion has been in a growing phase, and the number of companies represented on the yearly fair has increased from40 in 2000 to 130 in 2006Considering that 22 % of the students going through the Young Enterprise project are starting up their on businessbefore the age of 28, working on entrepreneurship education is very important for our 280 000 inhabitant region.The next step in our work in entrepreneurship education is to start a Teachers Academy of entrepreneurshipdevelopment together with European partners.69Entrepreneurship Education in Europe: Fostering Entrepreneurial Mindsets through Education and Learning