Erasmus+

Projekt „Entrepreneurship Training Program in Education" / description of the project „Entrepreneurship Training Program in Education"

Nagłówek

Erasmus+

Seminaria, szkolenia, spotkania

Opis projektu „Entrepreneurship Training Program in Education” / description of the project „Entrepreneurship Training Program in Education”

Opublikowane 19.09.19

Presentation of the project
The Entretoy project was born during a contact seminar in Copenhagen in November 2015 organised by the Danish agency whose theme was the development of the entrepreneurial spirit. "The challenge of Teaching Entrepreneurship in Education and training"
It was an opportunity for a meeting between representatives of Estonia, Poland, Greenland and Belgium. Very quickly, points of convergence emerged between these different potential partners.
The Estonian partner was aware of an earlier project on the development of a methodology called TOY whose principle is to put students in a situation. This project was developed by Sasky, a consortium of Finnish schools.
The first four partners were joined by Spain and Finland. In addition to the Institut d'Enseignement de Promotion sociale de Jemappes in Belgium, which coordinates the project, it involved NIUERNERMIK ILINNIARK in Greenland, TARTU ART SCHOOL in Estonia, CEEI BURGOS in Spain, WOJEWODZTWO PODALASKIE - WOJEWODZKI URZAD PRACY W BIALYMSTOKU in Poland, SASKY in Finland.
TOY is the acronym for the Finnish terms "Työssäoppiminen yrittäjänä" or Entrepreneurship-based Learning (EBL in English, AbE in French). Its main objective is to offer students the opportunity to develop both their professional and entrepreneurial skills during their internship periods.
TOY (http://iepsjemappes.be/entretoy/tools-methodes/) is an alternative method that allows students to complete their periods of practical training. As such, the model is different from the traditional way of studying. In the traditional model, learners will develop their professional skills in companies or other organizations, but in the TOY model, they create and work in a cooperative educational society in an entrepreneurial rather than an employee role.
The learning environments of the TOY model are educational cooperatives. Professional skills and entrepreneurial spirit are learned in practice by carrying out assignments for real customers.
The model also includes a team coaching process (http://iepsjemappes.be/entretoy/coaching-or-project-mixing-methods-introduction/) where cooperative or team learning methods are used. This team coaching process takes between 7 and 10 days. These days give the whole process a "rhythm" that ensures that the practical training period runs smoothly according to a certain schedule. Team coaching days allow learners to reflect on their experiences together as a team. The dialogue facilitated by the coach during these coaching days leads the learners to deepen and develop what they have learned in practice.

In Belgium, the « Agence pour l'Entreprise & l'Innovation » (AEI) is the structure set up to offer efficient support and assistance services for the economic, technological and digital development of Wallonia. It thus structures, manages and evaluates a network of operators. The Agency promotes entrepreneurship, growth, innovation and the digital transition of Wallonia, relying in particular on its subsidiary, the Agence du Numérique.
The AEI developed the "entrepreneurial school" which was created on the basis of the observation that a certain number of secondary schools or colleges had characteristics (practices, strategies, operations) favouring a structural and dynamic presence of entrepreneurship, which was really perceived as a support for the future for their learners.
The purpose of this tool (http://iepsjemappes.be/entretoy/tools-methodes/) is to ensure that, in their role, everyone, director, teacher, entrepreneurial referent, learner, questions the practices in place and that a path is designed to integrate more intimately, more consciously, the characteristics of the business school within the structure.

Methodology of the ENTRETOY project
The innovative nature of the Entretoy project lies in the combination of these two methods, namely to make a diagnosis on the entrepreneurial nature of the structure and following this diagnosis, to launch the target group in the construction of an entrepreneurial project by working on the basis of coaching of the beneficiaries rather than on the basis of a knowledge transfer.
In addition to using the Toy and Business School models, the Finnish partners proposed the use of tools developed by IDEAPAKKA (www.ideapakka.com). These tools in English allow the trainer to work on the basic principles of Finnish teaching centres
This coaching-based methodology is very destabilizing at first for the teaching teams since the program is built according to the learners and no longer according to a guideline given by the teacher.
It must be noted that, after the time of the first concerns, the course develops in a dynamic way and makes it possible to achieve objectives that are difficult to achieve in a course with a classical methodology.
This is all the more important in the context of entrepreneurship development, where the aim is to enable candidates to acquire the key qualities for success.
Indeed, the entrepreneur must demonstrate the following qualities:
Determination
To succeed, the entrepreneur must be determined, he must know what he must do to move forward and not be discouraged by the obstacles encountered. Be careful, however, not to confuse determination with obstinacy.
Perseverance
The entrepreneur must also be persistent: no success has ever been achieved without failure (loss of a customer, resignation of an employee...

Have dreams
According to Bill Gates, "The main difference between a successful entrepreneur and another is the size of their dreams. »
Generosity
Should we talk about our ideas or hide them?
It is imperative to share your ideas with partners because they can bring complementary skills, knowledge and ideas.
Passion
Starting a business is a complex task. However, the entrepreneur is his own boss, he is not accountable. His motivation to succeed must be his passion for what he does.
Creativity
It is creativity that makes the company prosper. It is what makes customers want to be interested in the product or service.
Be organized and know how to plan everything to move forward
A good entrepreneur is supposed to be organized. As a professional, he has to plan everything (the coming months) and knows exactly what to expect. His credo? Make a plan and follow it, and make another if it is necessary to adapt to a constantly changing world.
Rigour
The most rigorous companies always emerge victorious. To succeed, the entrepreneur must be disciplined, he must stick to the plan and must not let himself go.
Contact Pro
A sense of contact and being particularly sociable is a major asset in the creation of a company. The network is essential to develop a business.
Integrity
An entrepreneur must work to earn a living, but above all must work to satisfy his customers in order to build their loyalty. Its integrity will be its trademark and if times become difficult, it will allow it to sail in troubled waters without being started by flattery.

Results
The ENTRETOY project has been tested in the various partner countries and has been very successful with learners in adult education institutions, secondary and university schools and job seekers' support centres.
It allowed them to develop their entrepreneurial skills and key competencies such as self-confidence, creativity, teamwork and communication. It has also increased their employability in the labour market.
The method has also enabled teachers to improve their ability to teach entrepreneurship, institutions to develop an accurate idea of their entrepreneurial spirit and develop coaching methods rather than working on front-line teaching.

Conclusion
By embarking on an Entretoy project, you will assess the state of the entrepreneurial spirit within your organization. You will work on the different qualities that a candidate entrepreneur must acquire in an innovative and interactive way. You will guide the learner in the concrete realization of his project through the TOY methodology by using coaching techniques that have proven their effectiveness in the Nordic countries.

This project was funded with the support of the European Commission. This publication (communication) reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein.