Abstract:

The entrepreneurship and career education program Edu & Tegu was brought to life in 2016 by the Estonian Ministry of Education and Research with support from European Social Fund to promote entrepreneurship and career education and an entrepreneurial attitude at all levels of education. Developed career and entrepreneurship competences give more freedom to shape one's career, either to be an entrepreneur, an entrepreneurial employee or an active citizen. The goal is to support the development of each student throughout one's education to become a person who wants and knows how to implement her ideas.

In order to assess the expansion and impact of the Edu & Tegu program, monitoring interviews are conducted with key staff members, qualitative and quantitative data is gathered, analysed and presented in a quarterly monitoring report. From 2016 to September 2022, more than 120 monitoring interviews and 24 reports have been completed.

As of September 2022, teacher(s) from 58% of education institutions have taken part in at least one activity of the program. Teachers participating in the program are provided with various tools, materials, training, knowledge & advice to start implementing career and/or entrepreneurship education in their schools. As of September 2022, career and entrepreneurship education is implemented in 38% of education institutions.

The Edu & Tegu program has had a substantial impact on the development and expansion of career and entrepreneurship education in Estonia. However, there is still considerable room for growth, especially regarding pre-schools and basic and secondary schools, both in program participation and implementation of career and entrepreneurship education. The aim is to reach as many schools as possible by the end of 2023.

Keywords:

Entrepreneurship education, career education, entrepreneurship competence, career competencies, entrepreneurial education, Estonia.