IEEC 2012

Below is an initial summary structured around 4 main themes, each commenting on current experiences, development challenges and priorities for change.

• IEEC07 reaffirmed that the government policy environment has been instrumental in the growth of entrepreneurship education in higher education across many countries
• Existing policy initiatives are providing some higher education institutions with funding to sustain operations
• Further education in the UK has no explicit policy for supporting entrepreneurship education
• Growing activity and experience in schools is not connected to post-compulsory support for entrepreneurship education
• Unclear connection of entrepreneurship across broader policy priorities, e.g. employability

• There is concern for the sustainability of entrepreneurship education developed around short-term project funding
• Future growth in provision is likely to be affected by changes in the policy environment. Future uncertainty threatens future growth.
• There is an unlevel playing field for exposure to entrepreneurship education depending upon the region, institution, or discipline
• There is a strong need to connect entrepreneurship education across the education system
• There is a need for clarity and coherence about the nature of the desired outcomes sought from entrepreneurship education
• Holistic approaches are to be encouraged
• Current indicators and performance measures do not encourage change in institutional culture or behaviour for improving the environment for entrepreneurship education

• National strategies for connecting entrepreneurship education provision across schools, vocational and higher education to deliver clear desired economic and social outcomes
• Adjust indicators and measures to affect institutional change
• Building effective impact measures

• High numbers of higher education institutions engaged in a number of leading countries. Others – such as China, Eastern Europe currently growing their provision
• Huge variations in institutional commitment, leadership and support for the provision of entrepreneurship education across the campus

• Institutional change is fundamental to long term sustainability and innovation
• Creating strong leadership to champion the development of entrepreneurship education across the institution
• The need for recognised exemplars and role models
• Greater opportunities for learning across institutions and countries
• Demonstration of need across institutions
• Overcoming cultural barriers and obstacles and creating ‘can-do’ risk-taking attitudes

• Offer institutional strategies
• Create reward/award systems
• All-campus cases and models
• Exchanging experiences with Kauffman Campus Project Leaders
• Create handful of exemplary institutions with support for leadership development in building entrepreneurial universities and institutional cultures that are conducive for entrepreneurship

• Much general provision driven by business and management schools, or by dedicated centres external to faculty/school structures
• A wide range of pedagogies are available but not widely disseminated or used

• Embedding entrepreneurship into learning outcomes and assessment practices/outputs
• Exchanging of pedagogies and assessment practices across faculties

• Capturing more of existing practice, publication and dissemination through workshops and educator programmes (see below)

• Many new educators entering the area at all levels in the education system from a diversity of backgrounds and experiences
• New opportunities for educator development are beginning to emerge but these are small and embryonic in development – USA, UK, Denmark
• There is a demand for professional development and learning
• Some faculty seek to legitimise their activity through recognition

• Extending the scope for learning and development across the entrepreneurship education community from novice to expert.
• Building professional and academic qualifications
• Interdisciplinary approaches
• Exchanges across institutions and countries

• Building a wider number of programmes and access points for educator development
• Wider promotion of opportunities for development
• More partnerships with key stakeholders to support educator development