Entrepreneurship Education in Training firms Austrian experiences with a unique principle of education and a challenging teaching method Gerhard Geissler Vienna, 11th march 2015

How do you think about this thesis? that it does not prepare young graduates for self-employment and business entrepreneurship. It encourages the students to follow the tradition of job-seeking. I. Patil, Director of the Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai University The weakness of our education system is

Agenda  The curriculum for higher vocational schools in Austria  First discussion session  Entrepreneurship  Entrepreneurship Education  Training firm  Entrepreneurship Education and the Training Firm  Final discussion session

The curriculum for higher vocational schools in Austria

Clusters of the curriculum for higher vocational schools Clusters Forms IIIIIIIVVΣ Personality and Career Language and Communication Entrepreneurship – Economy and Management Society and Culture Mathematic and Natural Science Focus Subjects

Excerpt of the curriculum: The cluster „Entrepreneurship – Economy and Management“ Subjects Forms IIIIIIIVVΣ Business Accounting and Management Control Business Training, Project Management, Training Firm, Case Studies Informatics Office Management Law Economics

Excerpt of the curriculum: The cluster „Entrepreneurship – Economy and Management“ Subjects Forms IIIIIIIVVΣ Business Accounting and Management Control Business Training, Project Management, Training Firm, Case Studies Informatics Office Management Law Economics

Competence structure model of the education standards for the cluster “Entrepreneurship – Economy and Management”

Normative basis of the competence structure model of the education standards for “Entrepreneurship – Economy and Management” The education standards are based on:  An economic understanding of an eco-social-market economy  An understanding of enterprises based on the new management-model of St. Gallen  An understanding of competencies based on the definition of Franz Weinert  A polyvalent understanding of formation that allows a general entrance into a professional field  An understanding of education that fosters entrepreneurship education as a principle in the curriculum

Eco-social market economy

St. Gallen Management-Model

Definition of competencies – Franz Weinert “Competences are those cognitive abilities and skills, motivational, volitional and social dispositions and abilities that are needed for the process of problem solving in variable siutations.” (Weinert 1999, 2001)

First discussion session

??? How would you adopt this normative basis of Austrian vocational schools into the curricula of your country? What type of economy do want? What is your opinon on the „nature of an enterprise“? What should school graduates do after school and which vocational competencies do they therefore need?

Entrepreneurship

What do we know about successful entrepreneurs? RequirementsProcesses The new enterprise Person demographic characteristics human capital (content) traits (personality) values business idea motivation entre- preneurial behavior networkteam Organi- zation business plan location strategy finance marketing organization Extern dimension micro-social environment market oppor- tunitiy current situation structure of the sector general macro-economic and social environment

Which of these key factors of successful entrepreneurs can be taught in arranged teaching/learning processes? RequirementsProcesses The new enterprise Person demographic characteristics human capital (content) traits (personality) values business idea motivation entre- preneurial behavior networkteam Organi- zation business plan location strategy finance marketing organization Extern dimension micro-social environment market oppor- tunitiy current situation structure of the sector general macro-economic and social environment

How should we teach? School promotes independent thinking and behavior and enhance self-responsible acting. It is supposed to convey the knowledge and skills that will develop my personality and a wide range of task specific competencies that allow my orientation in a modern world. Nice! Sit down!

Entrepreneurship Education

Entrepreneurial autonomy Founding companies Setting up businesses Professional autonomy Employees as co-entrepreneurs Level I: Entrepreneurship – business education Level IV: Entrepreneurship – promoting an “entrepreneurial spirit” i.e. attitudes such as independence, assumption of responsibility etc. Level III: Entrepreneurship – promoting civil society (social entrepreneurs)... through development of pedagogic objectives such as maturity, responsibility & a well-informed outlook Level II: Entrepreneurship – economics education (context and conditions of market economy) … Understanding market economy – introduction to micro and macroeconomics & economic policy Entrepreneurship education between entrepreneurial/professional autonomy and promotion of civil society

Portfolio of competencies of an entrepreneur Entrepreneurial competence Professional competence Metho- dological competence Self- competence Social competence Entre- preneurial teaching- learning gap Know-howKnow-whatKnow-whyKnow-whoKnow-when Basic economic knowledge + Knowledege about how to start a business + general knowledge Procedural knowledge + Strategic knowledge Entrepreneurial attitudes: Curiosity, creativity, achievement orientation etc. Ability to comunicate, sensibility + Ability to act autonomously + Ability to act in Solidarity Beyond the possibility to be developped at school or university.

Training firm

The training firm is a place of learning for training and further training of business people where practical knowledge is trained in an action-oriented manner. A training firm is a virtual enterprise, acting like a real enterprise. The traded goods and the money do not really exist. What is a training firm?

Entrepreneurship Education in the Training Firm

Business plan as subject-specific didactic approach to link up business knowledge and skills Level I Understanding the market economy – including complex economic issues Level II Entrepreneurship Entrepreneurship as a curricular/didactic orientation to determine content of curriculum and skills Level III – “Entrepreneurship as basic qualification of the citizen” (cf. Faltin/Zimmer 1998, p. 261) Social business as entrepreneurship’s contribution to a dynamic civil society and thus to the promotion of counter-hegemonic projects Promotion of entrepreneurial virtues ranging from the spirit of innovation and motivation to the assumption of responsibility for oneself and society Level IV – Transmission of attitudes and skills for a dynamic economy and society “Principles of construction” for the curriculum of a training firm on the basis of the four-level model of entrepreneurship education

Final discussion session

??? 1.What was new? 2.What was interesting? 3.What was surprising? 4.What do like to know?

Prof. Mag. Dr. Gerhard Geissler, MSc Department of Management Institut of Business Education Building D2 Welthandelsplatz Vienna Thank you!