ISBE and Education

P1 – introduction
P2 – education strategy
P3 – actions in 2009

Introduction

Learning and education are vital enablers for enterprise. Through enterprising learning, people recognise and develop their entrepreneurial potential, form ideas which create opportunities, and develop the skills needed to start, grow and develop businesses and other ventures. Without such learning, there can be no enterprise.

The rapidly changing economic climate has major effects on enterprise educators, institutions, students at all educational levels, and people starting their careers or new businesses. As students and young people face increasing difficulty starting or re-starting their working lives, educators have to ensure they are able to learn and develop entrepreneurial capabilities to become more prepared for this adverse environment.

Educators face both big challenges and opportunities in providing the inspiration, optimism, confidence, enterprising skills and tools to inspire and enable students to start or resume their lives and careers and to contribute to economic and social regeneration. Every learner needs to be flexible, adaptable, confident of their abilities, resourceful – in short, enterprising. Entrepreneurial learning is a vital capability in enabling learners to become more self-employable.

Enterprise education has an important contribution to make in introducing ethical frameworks for responsible entrepreneurial behaviour, to demonstrate that enterprise is inclusive (enterprise is for all, regardless of gender, ethnicity, educational level or ability); and that it should be practised in socially responsible and environmentally sustainable ways to contribute positively to the advancement of society. So enterprise education is not simply an economic driver but also carries a moral responsibility for encouraging socially constructive entrepreneurship and discouraging irresponsible entrepreneurial activity.

ISBE makes important contributions to research on education for enterprise and entrepreneurship through its conference and in other ways. See the education strategy to learn more.

The strategy

The goal of ISBE’s education strategy is to: ‘Research, share, promote and encourage excellence in enterprising learning and entrepreneurship education.’ This is consistent with the overall mission of ISBE.

The education strategy will accordingly:

1. Research:

• Foster excellent and innovative research through the doctoral programme, the annual conference enterprise education track, and by other means.
• Encourage research by education practitioners, entrepreneurs, learners and community and professional networks.

2. Share:

• Encourage and provide opportunities for the dissemination of high quality research through publication and by other means
• Connect networks of researchers, educators, entrepreneurs and learners through a growing range of groups, such as:
• National Council for Graduate Enterprise 
• Enterprise Educators UK
• Higher Education Agency Special Interest Group
• National Association of College & University Entrepreneurs
• Higher Education Entrepreneurs Group
• IntEnt 
• and others, both in the UK and internationally.
• Recognise and develop thematic interest groups in enterprise education, such as those in different educational levels, regions, subjects, learning methods, assessment, etc.

3. Promote and encourage:

• Use the outcomes of research to inform policy and practice in enterprise education by government, educational and professional institutes.
• Encourage the availability and take-up of high quality enterprising learning at all educational levels from primary to higher education, and including lifelong and work-based learning, aiming to move towards enterprise being available to all students.
• Encourage and develop champions of enterprising learning, among educators, entrepreneurs and learners.

What progress have we made? See actions in 2009 to learn more.
 

Actions in 2009

For 2009, the scope and themes of the former enterprise education track of the ISBE conference were reshaped to ensure their continuing currency and relevance. This is now entitled:

Learning for Entrepreneurship and enterprise education
This includes four sub-tracks which explore facets of entrepreneurship education and learning in both formal educational settings, from Schools to Higher Education, as well as learning in practical settings, from experience and through informal approaches.

1. Entrepreneurship and enterprise education – Higher Education and post experience education

2. Entrepreneurship and enterprise education - School, College and formative education

3. Entrepreneurial and experiential learning theory and practice beyond the classroom

4. Enterprise education methods, technologies, and assessment

 The conference track has attracted a record number of high quality submissions, demonstrating the relevance and profile of this area.

Publications

A special issue of Industry & Higher Education was published in July 2009 including many of the best articles from the 2008 ISBE conference enterprise education track
http://www.ippublishing.com/ihe.htm

There will be a further special issue of Industry & Higher Education in 2010 featuring papers from the 2009 conference as well as other publication opportunities.

Partnerships and events

There is regular contact between the networks and groups with interests in enterprise education including NCGE, EE-UK, NACUE and HEEG. This aims to support collaboration and to enable people in these different communities to draw on and contribute to the ‘knowledge base’ of enterprise education offered by each network. There is a shared aim to promote interaction between these organisations, for example through:

• Shared enterprise education conference tracks and special sessions at the ISBE conference and the International Enterprise Educators Conference organised by EE-UK
• A regional enterprise educators event in 2010 between ISBE, EE-UK and NACUE

Collectively, these organisations aim to attract resources to support the research, sharing and promotion of enterprise education and learning.

Professor David Rae
Vice-president, Education
drae@lincoln.ac.uk