Joining Forces: US and European
Best Practices in Promoting
Entrepreneurship Education
Presented by: Dana T. Redford, PhD
November 14th, 2010
Columbus, Ohio, USA
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Dana Thacher Redford, PhD
Post Doc Visiting Scholar
&
International Development
• Entrepreneurship & Intrapreneurship
• Internationalization & Corporate Strategy
• Government Affairs
Assistant Professor of Management
Consultant to EU Presidency
EU Project Coordinator
Associate and Strategic Consultant
Director, American Chamber of Commerce
International Entrepreneur
Lead Market Research Consultants
Previously, in Houston, Texas, Market Research Manager of
WHAT IS ENTREPRENEURSHIP
AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
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Background on Entrepreneurship
• More than 95% of businesses in most
countries are small (<100 employees)
• In most countries, more than half of all
employees work in small businesses
• In many countries more than half of gross
domestic product comes from small
businesses
• They tend to be more flexible and responsive
to customers
• They are more innovative than large
businesses
Entrepreneurship as a Strategy
The Strategy for 21st Century in the US & EU
• Strategies for Entrepreneurs
– Competing with BIG Business
– Complementing BIG Business
– Cooperating with BIG Business
• Strategies for Big Business
– Tool for Accelerating Innovation
• Strategies for Public Policy
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What is Entrepreneurship?
 A process
 Not a person
 About BIG companies that happen to be
small
 Not about small business
 Important to BIG business
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Entrepreneurship
The pursuit of Opportunity beyond
the Resources you currently control
Harvard Business School
Working Definition
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CULTURAL DIFFERENCES AND
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
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Cultural Environmental Factors
What
People
Think About
Entrepreneurs
Business
Norms and
Behavior
Cultural
Traditions,
Preferences,
and
Behaviors
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Culture: United States
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Culture: Europe
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IN SEARCH OF BEST PRACTICES
FOR ENTREPRENUERSHIP
EDUCATION IN THE US & EU
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Theoretical & Empirical Research Model
Entrepreneurship Support & Promotion Infrastructure
Cross-Industry Associations
Entrepreneur Associations
Labor Unions
National Entities
Regional Entities
Local Entities
Regulatory Bodies
Transnational Entities
Government
Chambers of Commerce
Trade Associations
Grade-School &
Secondary Education
Business Associations
Journals
Television
Internet
Radio
Broadcasters
Reporters
Foundations
Agencies
Administrators
Teachers
Parents
Higher Education
The Media
Community
Organizations
(Private)
Entrepreneurship
Support &
Promotion
Researchers
Professors
Business Plan
Competitions
Technology
Transfer Offices
Community
Organizations
(Public)
Semi-Governmental
Agencies
Think Tank
Associations
Service Providers
Mentor/Counselors
Accountants
Lawyers
Consultants
Incubators
Technological Parks
Funding Sources
Entrepreneurs
Self-Employed
Small Business Owners
Entrepreneurs
Economic
Development Offices
Venture
Capitalists
Friends, Family
& Fools
Banks
Business Angels
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The Role of Entrepreneurship Education
1. Show Entrepreneurship as a possible career
choice
2. Advocate the mindset and type of creativity
employed in entrepreneurial endeavors
3. Give students the technical and business skillset necessary to have a successful
entrepreneurial career
4. Assume the responsibility as educators to
advancing the body of knowledge
associated with the entrepreneurial
phenomenon. Their findings should not only
be disseminated to students but also to
policy-makers and the public at large
Source: Redford, 2007
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Entrepreneurship Education & Training
• Public policy solution to solve the deficit of
entrepreneurship in Europe
– Oslo Agenda for Entrepreneurship
– Various European Commission report
– Organizations for Economic Cooperation and
Development (OECD)
• Look at public policy models from other
countries
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Research into Dutch Public Policy
Dutch Model for Entrepreneurship Education
• From 2006 to 2012, €97 million
• 75,000 students, 4,400 teachers
in over 500 schools
• Stimulate the creation of entrepreneurship
centers that join several universities
• Holland Program on Entrepreneurship (HOPE)
– HOPE = Erasmus U Rotterdam,
TU Delft, U Leiden, mayor
companies, 100+ entrepreneurs
• Accompany national develop with monitoring
and research
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The Dutch Model
2000
Upcoming awareness
2005
Partnership Leren Ondernemen
An initiative of 2 ministries:
– Ministry of Economic affairs
– Ministry of Education
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Dutch Model Continues
2007
Stimulating projects on EE
Primary and secondary schools - € 5 million
Higher education - €12 million
(Centers of Entrepreneurship)
2008
Developing an Actionprogramme:
More structure, quality: organizing
joined efforts
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Dutch Model Today
2009
Actionprogramme Education and
Enterprise € 33 million
(2009-2012)
Versus Other countries or regions?
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Range in Europe – Grade & High School
The Netherlands
(16.3 million pop.)
500 schools
75,000 students
Portugal (10.5 million pop.)
98 schools & ~ 4,700 students
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Source: Redford, 2009 & 2010
Interconnection is Key
Conceptualizing the Relations
Schools
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Research into American Public Policy
The Consortium for Entrepreneurship Education
Has existed in the United States since 1982
Vision:
• An organization recognized as the national leader in
advocating entrepreneurship education as a lifelong
learning process.
Mission:
• The Consortium Champions Entrepreneurship Education
and Provides Advocacy, Leadership, Networking,
Technical Assistance, and Resources nationally across all
levels and disciplines of education, promoting Quality
Practices and Programs.
Website:
• http://www.entre-ed.org/
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Creation of Best Practices in Portugal
Centro de Educação do Empreendedorismo
em Portugal
• Policy Advocacy & Development
• IMPLEMENTATION OF NATIONAL
RESEARCH
• Training of Teachers
• Don’t reinvent the wheel – take good
practices from other countries and
organizations
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Global Best Practices
One of Eight Good
Practices in
Entrepreneurship
Education in
the OECD in 2010
Masters – Entrepreneurship,
Leadership and Opportunity
Recognition
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Researching Student Attitudes
• Track Students Attitudes towards
Entrepreneurship
– 81.2% want to work for others and only 16.1%
want to create their own business
• Track Students Attitudes related to Risk
and Obstacles
– 49.9% of the respondents point to the
bureaucracy of governmental entities and
fears going bankrupt (58%)
Source: Redford, 2009
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Researcher Career Choices & Education
• During 2005/2006 only 826, or 0.2%, of students
at the post-secondary level participated in an
entrepreneurship class in Portugal
• Only 14.8% of students believe that the
Portuguese educational system develops a state
of mind that encourages the creation of new firms
• 63.7% of students believe in the possibility of
owning their own business in the future
• After graduation only 16.1% want to create their
own business whereas 81.2% want to work for
others
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Learning about Obstacles for Students
Starting Early in the Educational Cycle &
Educating for the Future
63.7% of students believe in the possibility of owning
their own business in the future
Risk Taking  Need for a Discussion of Risk
49.9% of respondents point to the bureaucracy of
governmental entities and fear going bankrupt (58%)
Practical Experiences in Class
Experiential learning practices for class assignments
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Further Policy Considerations
• Youth Employment and Entrepreneurship
• Regional and Socio-Economic Differences
• Gender Consideration in Entrepreneurship
• Prominence of the Public Sector in the Mindset of
Post-Secondary Students
• Advancing Entrepreneurship Education as part of
the EU’s Lisbon Strategy
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Conclusions: Policy Development
Benchmarking and Evaluation
• Educational System and Entrepreneurship
Promotion
• Capacity Building of Entrepreneurship Education
• Post-Secondary, Secondary and Primary Education
– Entrepreneurship Offerings
• Students Attitudes towards Entrepreneurship
• Students Attitudes related to Risk and Obstacles
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Thank You
Professor Dana T. Redford
Email: Dana.Redford@RedfordResearch.com
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