Abstract:

The creation of polytechnic education in Portugal is positioned to respond to the labour market expectations in terms of human resources. From a developmental perspective, it intends to reinforce equality in access to higher education, adapts the contents and practices to different population groups, and encourage continuous training and recurrent education. Entrepreneurship Education is today a polytechnic goal that covers this higher education institution national network, which has a recognized methodology for entrepreneurship teaching and learning education, shared in terms of methods, contents and coordination. It reaches a wide range of students in different areas of specialization to develop their skills and abilities, create their own business, or register new patents. The analysis presented is the result of a study carried out on the training paths of students at the Polytechnics of Guarda, Leiria and Viseu. As self-employment is one of the mechanisms that promote the transition to the labour market, it was intended to observe the extent to which it is referred to as an option for accessing higher education. At the same time, it was envisioned to verify how entrepreneurial skills were learned and perceived by the finalists during their academic careers, bearing in mind the assessment made to the courses attended.

Keywords:

Polytechnic Education, Transition to Work, Entrepreneurial assessment.