Topic 2 Concept and Meaning of Entrepreneurship Education

“A country’s competitiveness starts not on the factory floor or in the engineering lab. It starts in the classroom.”

Henry Ford

Jones and English (2004) define entrepreneurship education as “a process of providing individuals with the ability to recognize commercial opportunities and the insight, self-esteem, knowledge and skills to act on them” (Jones and English, 2004, p. 2 ).

Entrepreneurship education at a grassroot level will be the key driver in empowering our youth. Entrepreneurship education has the mandate to equip the youth with functional knowledge and skill to build up their character, attitude and vision. It has vital role in developing eco-system that promotes innovation (European Union, 2006). QAA (2012) remarks its importance for providing the base for innovation and creating a value system; and developing entrepreneurial culture, which drives wealth creation and gives further push to innovations.

According to various researchers, (Shane &venkataraman,2000;NKC,2008;Timmons,1989), entrepreneurship education is study of source of opportunities and process of discovery (Shane &venkataraman,2000;NKC,2008;Timmons,1989), in which an individual endeavours ability of creativity, risk taking and turn their ideas into action. Some researchers have pointed out that entrepreneurship education is training for uncertain future (Kratko, 1997), which provides the capabilities of venture creation (Kirby, 2004; Garavan and O’Cinneide, 1994). However, fostering entrepreneurial attitude, skill, managerial attributes seems to be the most important focus of more researchers.

(Manish, 2015)