Abstract:

In all European countries the entrepreneurship education is becoming an increasingly important field of study. The Council of the European Union adopted a recommendation on key competences for lifelong learning where eight key competences essential to citizens for personal fulfilment, a healthy and sustainable lifestyle, employability, active citizenship and social inclusion are identified, including entrepreneurship competence (European Union, 2018).

Already in the Entrepreneurship 2020 Action plan (European Commission, 2013) is highlighted the importance of entrepreneurial mindset and skills and stated that the entrepreneurship skill can be learned and justified based on the evidence that entrepreneurial individuals are more employable and more likely to start with their own business.

The Estonian Education strategy 2021–2035 (Estonian Ministry of Education and Research, 2022) states that meaningful and open collaboration between educational institutions and employers as well as cooperation in the implementation of career and entrepreneurship education throughout basic and upper secondary education are among main targets for 2035. One challenge mentioned in the strategy is that the level of career and entrepreneurship education and opportunities to learn about the world of labor and the full spectrum of professions are uneven and therefore it is important to develop entrepreneurship skills at all levels and in all types of education including increasing the willingness of learners to start a business as well as ensuring the next generation of university teachers.

The systematic development of entrepreneurial spirit and entrepreneurship education at all levels of education started already in 2016 within the Entrepreneurship Education Programme “Edu ja Tegu“ with aim to provide entrepreneurship training opportunities to students at all level of education as well as encourage and train teachers to raise the sense of initiative and entrepreneurial mindset and competencies in young people through all subjects by providing continuing education courses for teachers and other professionals involved in teaching process.

This paper will give a brief overview of the implementation of entrepreneurship education in Estonian educational institutions and takes a deeper look at in-service teacher training activities and the results of the “Edu ja Tegu” programme based on programme monitoring reports between 2016 and 2022.

References:
[1] European Union (2018), Key Competences for Lifelong Learning, https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/297a33c8-a1f3-11e9-9d01-01aa75ed71a1/language-en
[2] European Commission (2013). Entrepreneurship 2020 Action Plan, https://www.eesc.europa.eu/en/our-work/opinions-information-reports/opinions/entrepreneurship-2020-action-plan
[3] Estonian Ministry of Education and Research (2022), Eesti haridusvaldkonna arengukava 2035, https://www.hm.ee/ministeerium-uudised-ja-kontakt/ministeerium/strateegilised-alusdokumendid-ja-programmid?view_instance=0&current_page=1#haridusvaldkonna-are Entrepreneurship and Career Education Programme, Monitoring reports 2016-2022

Keywords:

Entrepreneurship education, in-service training, teacher training, continuing education.