ENHANCING ENTREPRENEURIAL ABILITIES FROM REAL-LIFE EXPERIENCES

Although entrepreneurial skills can be innate or learned, there is a common belief that previous educational opportunities during the formative years are important to becoming a successful entrepreneur in an entrepreneurship ecosystem. This belief has been strongly argued in the literature, and is explained as a logical sequence between the association of formal contents and personal development; however, less attention has been paid to including real-life experiences in the learning process. We find that introducing the learning of entrepreneurship from other entrepreneurs is hugely important in this process. On our higher education courses, we organize visits, seminars and case studies to immerse students in real situations. We also explore other resources used at secondary education level to identify any possible patterns that encourage entrepreneurial intentions. We conclude that in the context of entrepreneurship the training and learning process should be based more on developing personal attitudes and less on knowledge.