Reflecting on entrepreneurship education
Recently I’ve been researching the concept of entrepreneurship and in particular, entrepreneurship education. Traditionally, we thinking of entrepreneurship as starting a business. That’s fine but if this is the accepted definition of entrepreneurship then entrepreneurship education will be limited to teaching people how to start a business. This is a limited view of entrepreneurship and its potential to create value for society.
Entrepreneurship as starting a business
Starting a business is undoubtedly a vital aspect but there are other ways to be entrepreneurial.
Intrapreneurship
We can be entrepreneurial within our organisations. For teachers this might mean setting up an after-school programme to enrich students’ lives. For people working in industry, it might mean developing a novel product that revolutionises existing practices.
Social entrepreneurship
The entrepreneurial spirit isn’t tied to a business alone; it can also fuel social change. Consider the realm of social entrepreneurship. By leveraging an entrepreneurial spirit, we can address and tackle issues in our classrooms, communities, cities and countries. At the heard of entrepreneurship is seeing the world as it is now and having a vision for how it could be better.
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Cultivating an entrepreneurial spirit
These are all outward manifestations of entrepreneurship. There’s another area that I’ve been thinking about — personal empowerment through entrepreneurial thinking. This concept is presented beautifully by Dr. Yvonne Crotty in her PhD where she discusses what she calls an ‘educational entrepreneurial spirit.’ This involves aligning educational values with qualities like passion, safety, creativity, excellence, and care, essentially weaving the entrepreneurial spirit into our very character. This brings me to asking very personal questions such as how can I, Sean Donnelly, be a better man, son, husband, friend, student, and educator?
Towards a holistic approach to entrepreneurship education
Reflecting on these areas, I am convinced that a more holistic approach to entrepreneurship education is required. Entrepreneurship education should not be limited to teaching people how to set up and manage a business. Entrepreneurship education should also aim for for personal growth and personal transformation. It should equip students with the knowledge, skills and mindset that empower them to become agents of change to to create value for themselves and others.
I’ve been trying to visualise what an approach to entrepreneurship education that includes starting a business, intrapreneurship, social entrepreneurship and developing a personal entrepreneurial spirit might look like and this is what I’ve come up with. Comments and critique are welcome!
In my view, an entrepreneurial education should include an understanding of what it means to be entrepreneurial in business, society, within one’s practice and also within oneself. Equally, entrepreneurship education should foster an action-oriented thinking style, tools to empower learners to create value in their lives, their workplaces, their communities, and their ventures. Whether they choose to become entrepreneurs, intrapreneurs, social entrepreneurs or entrepreneurial individuals, the underlying skills and mindset are the same.
As I ponder these thoughts, the idea of entrepreneurship takes on a new light. It’s not a mere commercial act. It is a way of being that can be integrated into every facet of life. Entrepreneurship doesn’t just build companies. It shapes individuals, communities, and societies, making the world a better place, one innovation at a time.
