Entrepreneurship in Higher Education – Does it Promote Employability, Creation of own Enterprise and/or Entrepreneurial and Innovative skills?

Author(s):

Liv Anne Støren(presenting / submitting)

Conference:

ECER 2013

Network:

22. Research in Higher Education

Format:

Paper

Session Information

22 SES 01 C, Employability and Transition to Work of Higher Education Graduates

Paper Session

Time:

2013-09-10

13:15-14:45

Room:

STD-401

Chair:

Jani Petri Ursin

Contribution

General description

The proposed paper addresses the conference theme that focuses on education as “means to foster creative competences and innovative skills among the next generation”. It will deal with graduates from higher education and their experience with entrepreneurship in education and the development of entrepreneurial skills.

Entrepreneurship in education has been high on the European agenda the last 5–10 years. Many countries, among them Norway, have launched action plans to promote entrepreneurship education, not at least in higher education. The aim is to foster innovative and entrepreneurial skills, and that more young persons would establish own enterprises. The paper will use results of a survey among higher education graduates mapping the extent to which the graduates have participated in different forms of entrepreneurship education; their labour market situation six months after graduation, including whether or not being self-employed, and future plans concerning establishing of own enterprise. These questions allow for comparing the situation among graduates with and without experience with entrepreneurship education. Furthermore, the survey also includes follow up questions to those who have experience with entrepreneurship education, as they are asked several questions about the learning outcomes of this type of education.

The study is explorative as none other similar survey is known, at least at the European level. Nevertheless, the study builds on previous studies of the prevalence of entrepreneurship education and forms of entrepreneurship education (Dickson mfl. 2008; EU 2012; Hannon 2005; Kuratko 2005, Nabi, Holden og Walmsley 2010; NIRAS mfl. 2008; Rae mfl. 2012; Vestergaard mfl. 2012), and the development of intrapreneurship competencies (Bjørnåli and Støren 2012), the importance and possible effects of entrepreneurship education (Dickson mfl. 2008; EU 2012; Matlay 2008; Vestergaard mfl. 2012) as well studies concerned with learning outcome and employability more generally.

Research questions:

How many graduates have had entrepreneurship in education during their study time?
How many have taken different types of entrepreneurship education, that is, about, for, or through entrepreneurship? How comprehensive has the entrepreneurship education been?
Are there any differences between graduates who have had entrepreneurship in education and other graduates with regard to the risk of unemployment, or with respect to the relevance of the education for the job they have?
Are graduates who have had entrepreneurship in education more often self-employed than other graduates? Do they often think about starting up own business?
What is their experienced, specific benefit of entrepreneurship education, in terms of knowledge and ideas on business creation, innovation processes, etc.?

Method

The analyses will be based on a graduate survey among masters from all fields of study, and bachelors from the fields engineering and business and administration, graduating in the spring term 2011. The data collection took place during the period November 2011 - March 2012. All questions about employment situation focused on a reference week in November 2011. Different forms statistical methods will be used; frequency tables, linear and logistic regression analyses and factor analyses.

Expected Outcomes

The effects of entrepreneurship education on labour market situation are minor, particularly for master graduates, however positive effects are seen for bachelors in engineering and business and administrations with respect to avoid being unemployed or in irrelevant work. Further; graduates who have had entrepreneurship in education are not more often than other graduates self-employed, and the effects on their future plans with respect to starting own business are also minor. Moreover, the reported learning outcome of the entrepreneurship education is – overall – not large. However, on this issue there are important nuances in the results. Entrepreneurship in education, especially if it is of a certain extent and scope, and especially if it takes place as education through entrepreneurship (i.e. as a teaching method) seems to help increase knowledge about innovation processes, and in general to an increase in what might be called 'generic' entrepreneurial skills (increased ability and confidence to take own initiatives, increase in creative and innovative skills, increased knowledge about innovation processes). Participation in education for entrepreneurship, tend in turn to increase the 'instrumental' benefit. Most of entrepreneurship graduates, however, participated in education about entrepreneurship, apparently with lesser benefit.

References

Bjørnåli, E. & L. A. Støren (2012). Examining competence factor that encourage innovative Beahviour by European higher education graduate professionals. Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, 19 (3): 402–423. Dickson, P.H., Solomon, G.T. & K.M. Weaver (2008). Entreprenurial selection and success: does education matter? Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, 15 (2): 239–258. European Commission (2012). Effects and impact of entrepreneurship programmes in higher education. Hannon, P.D. (2005). Philosophies of enterprise and entrepreneurship education and challenges for higher education in the UK. International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, 6 (2): 105–114. Kuratko, D. F. (2005).The Emergence of Entrepreneurship Education: Development, Trends, and Challenges. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 29 (5): 577–598. Matlay, H. (2008). The impact of entrepreneurship education on entrepreneurial outcomes. Journal of Small Business and enterprise Developmen, 15 (2): 382–396. Nabi, G., Holden, R. & A. Walmsley (2010). Entrepreneurial intentions among students: towards a re-focuses research agenda. Journal of Small Business and enterprise Developmen, 17 (4): 537–551. NIRAS Consultants, FORA, ECON Pöyry (2008). Survey of Entrepreneurship in Higher education in Europe. Main Report. Rae, D., Martin, L., Antcliff, V. & P. Hannon (2012). Enterprise and entrepreneurship in English higher education: 2010 and beyond. Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, 19 (3): 380–401. Vestergaard, L. Moberg, K & C.Jørgensen (red.) (2012). Impact of Entrepreneurship Education in Denmark – 2011. Odense: Fonden for entreprenørskap/The Danish Foundation for Entrepreneurship – Young Enterprise.

Author Information

Liv Anne Støren (presenting / submitting)

NIFU Nordic Institute for Studies in Innovation, Research and Education, Norway

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