The problem is that, "Entrepreneurship is far from being considered a core academic subject."despite all this goodwill, entrepreneurship still remains on the fringes of education. While some forward thinking schools have created entrepreneurship clubs or have signed up for entrepreneurial events – entrepreneurship is far from being considered a core academic subject. At best it is an after-school club activity enjoyed by an enthusiastic minority of star pupils.
While I believe any school promoting some form of entrepreneurship activity should be commended, much more needs to be done if we want to give students the best chance of success after they leave school or university. In short, I believe we need to change the curriculum so that all students across the country have the opportunity learn basic entrepreneurial skills, not just the best and the brightest pupils who are lucky enough to be in a particular school. After all, the disengaged pupil at the back of the classroom could be the most likely to be tomorrow’s next big thing.
But why is entrepreneurship such an important subject?
The simple answer is that the world is changing at a rapid pace. Despite the doom and gloom headlines about youth unemployment and the growing skills gap, we are living in an age of opportunity – all around us billions are being pumped into accelerator and incubator programmes designed to harness the entrepreneurial talent and fast track innovation at breakneck speed. But to fully take advantage of this, you need to have a basic set of entrepreneurial skills, which most young people are lacking.
It’s also worth pointing out that entrepreneurial education isn’t just relevant to those who want to start a business. I do a lot of work with the National Careers Service, and employers are crying out for individuals who can think creatively, outside of the box and help them innovate their organisations"The best entrepreneurial teaching reinforces core subjects." as intrapreneurs within larger organisations. Entrepreneurs are in demand at every level of the career ladder – the question is, how can we meet this demand?
These skills can be taught not just in the form of extra curricular clubs, but as fully formed courses that take place over an academic year. Far from being a distraction from core academic subjects (like English, Maths and Science), what I’ve learned is that the best entrepreneurial teaching reinforces these subjects by providing them with a context. For example, in order to understand profit and loss you need a strong understanding of Maths. In order to understand distribution you need to understand Geography, while English is essential for communication etc.
Reach out to local entrepreneurs, develop lesson plans around starting businesses, use YouTube videos to bring concepts alive – just always to remember keep it relevant to the real world and make sure it’s inspirational. Entrepreneurship teaching is about opening student’s eyes to a world of possibilities so that, when they eventually leave school or university, they are full of ambition, drive and determination and not fear of the unknown.
Do you teach entrepreneurship in your school? Let us know below!
