Non-formal entrepreneurial university curriculum: experiences and perspectives

Abstract

Rethinking the curriculum in general, especially the university one, is a major coordinate of educational reforms. The aim of these transformations is to adapt educational structures to the profound changes of the world where we live, emphasizing the proactive dimension of the educational effort. We proposed to analyze the evolution of the non-formal entrepreneurial university curriculum, highlighting university experiences in this regard. Entrepreneurial education (EE) is one of the fastest growing areas of education in the world. We integrate entrepreneurial education within “the new educations”. Investing in entrepreneurial education is one of the most profitable investments Europe can make: research shows that participating pupils and students are 3 to 6 times more likely to open a business later, at some point in their lives, compared to the ones who do not benefit from entrepreneurial education. One of the eight key competences established at the EU level (2006) was entrepreneurial competence. Research has led to the creation of the entrepreneurial university, which was under the sign of a triple helix: university-industry-government. The key to a knowledge-based economy is research, education and innovation. The communication presents concrete action directions for the development of students' entrepreneurial skills through non-formal activities at USAMV Iași (Student Entrepreneurial Society, postgraduate entrepreneurship education courses, funding projects, trips and visits to agricultural companies and firms, internships).