Entrepreneurs in the Classroom

Abstract

The British Council in Europe is running a project called CENTRES (Creative Entrepreneurship in Schools), which takes the entrepreneurial spirit to young people in secondary schools. It takes place in eight EU countries: UK, Estonia, Poland, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland and Latvia.  As the EU is one of the biggest exporters of creative goods, and creative industries are acknowledged as the most potentially innovative of all EU sectors, the project focuses on fostering students’ entrepreneurship in this area.

Entering schools with new ideas, or indeed, changing the curriculum, is traditionally a difficult task in most of the participating countries. Schools tend to be closed systems that do not readily communicate with the local, let alone the international, environment; they are worlds unto themselves. Children remain in these institutions for a considerable number of years, through a period of their life which defines how they will think and act, and what they will aspire to become as adults. At the same time, we are battling with recession, sluggish economies and general lethargy in our countries. Entrepreneurship, education and employability are important parts of the recovery and the future development of economies.