Abstract:

Entrepreneurial competence has become a central requirement within Vocational Education and Training (VET), particularly in sectors dominated by micro-enterprises such as arts and crafts. While existing research has mapped learner and labour-market skill needs, the entrepreneurial capabilities of VET teachers remain insufficiently understood, despite their crucial role in preparing students for increasingly complex and entrepreneurial professional pathways. This paper presents results from the transnational Erasmus+ MOSAIC project, which conducted a mixed-methods skills-gap analysis across seven countries to identify current and future competence demands in the arts-and-crafts sector and to translate these insights into teacher-oriented training.

The study combines 290 survey responses with data from six focus groups involving 36 companies. Quantitative analysis revealed high demand for entrepreneurial competences, including opportunity recognition, business modelling, pricing, and customer engagement, alongside rapidly growing requirements for digital entrepreneurship skills such as e-commerce, online branding, and the use of digital design tools. Qualitative findings further highlighted the importance of sustainability-oriented skills—eco-design, sustainable material selection, and circular-economy principles—as well as transversal abilities including autonomy, adaptability, self-evaluation, and proactive problem-solving. These competencies collectively indicate a shift in the craft sector from traditional craft mastery toward hybrid craft-entrepreneur profiles.

Based on these findings, an online training course was developed to strengthen entrepreneurial competence among VET teachers. The course integrates four evidence-based modules addressing entrepreneurial mindset development, business fundamentals, digital and sustainable entrepreneurship, and inclusive pedagogical strategies. It is designed to support teachers in embedding entrepreneurial learning activities within hands-on workshop and studio environments.

The paper argues that strengthening teacher-level entrepreneurial competence is essential for aligning VET provision with sectoral transformation, enhancing institutional innovation capacity, and supporting the transition toward digitally enabled, sustainable, and inclusive craft entrepreneurship. The study contributes empirical evidence on sector-specific skill needs and offers a pedagogical model for integrating entrepreneurship more systematically into VET teacher education.

Keywords:

Entrepreneurship, Vocational Education and Training (VET), Teacher Training, Skills Gap, Arts and Crafts, Digitalisation, Sustainability.