Abstract
The study explores to what extent, and how, the dimensions of entrepreneurial learning ecosystems support acquiring entrepreneurship competence in VET, and which policies, methods, tools and approaches best support embedding entrepreneurship competence in VET. For the study, entrepreneurship competence is defined as a key competence which applies to all spheres of life: from nurturing personal development to actively participating in society, (re-)entering the job market as an employee or as a self-employed person, and starting new ventures. The concept of an entrepreneurial learning ecosystem helps embed entrepreneurship competence in VET as an interplay between elements at policy-making, provider and learning environment levels. There is no specific (dedicated) overarching strategy for promoting entrepreneurship competence in VET in Italy. However, there is a broader strategy for secondary education. At national level, nurturing entrepreneurship competence is embedded in VET mainly through the Pathways for transversal skills and orientation programme [Percorsi per le competenze trasversali e per l’orientamento] (PCTO) (MIUR, 2019b) and the Curriculum for entrepreneurship education in upper secondary school [Educazione all’Imprenditorialità: Sillabo per la Scuola Secondaria di Secondo Grado] (the 2018 Curriculum) (MIUR, 2018b, 2018c), comprising an extensive list of learning outcomes linked to entrepreneurship. The broad definition of entrepreneurship as a key competence for lifelong learning has been generally adopted in the 2018 Curriculum; it is referred to as ‘entrepreneurship education’ and defined as ‘Ability to turn ideas into action. Creativity, innovation and risk-taking, planning and managing projects, seizing opportunities which can lead to establishing or contributing to social or commercial activity. Realisation of entrepreneurial autonomous activity’ (MIUR, 2018b, p.1). Field research with stakeholders, including policy-makers and VET providers, also signalled the use of (implicit) definitions for entrepreneurship competence, including competence for employability ( 1 ),a sense of initiative and competence for business (start-up) creation. While business creation is strongly promoted by the national curriculum for entrepreneurship education, the present study shows that entrepreneurship competence in Italy is primarily connected to the development of VET learner employability.
Explicit learning outcomes for entrepreneurship competence are included in the 2018 Curriculum and in the State VET curricula reformed in 2016. The learning outcomes for entrepreneurship competence can also be implicit, revolving around understanding how companies work and their value in society, as well as teamwork and communication in work environments. Even when entrepreneurship competence is intentionally promoted, explicit learning outcomes are often difficult to find in the curricula. While the 2018 Curriculum
assumes that entrepreneurship is a key competence for all, in the field, it is signified as both a key competence and a competence for employability.
In 2020-21, there was an acceleration in regional policies (the EmiliaRomagna as notable example – see Section 4.3) that supported building local entrepreneurial learning environments, mostly in northern Italy. Further, the Parliament’s mandate to VET providers to create learning ecosystems has put
them at the centre of broad community networks (Parlamento Italiano, 2015), offering schools more autonomy. Availability of funding (e.g. Operational Programme for Education) (MIUR, 2014) is also key to translating national policies on entrepreneurship competence into practice, especially in initial VET
(IVET).
The study found rather limited alignment between the IVET provider practice and what is written in the policy documents. Teachers and school management who participated in this study were often unaware of the 2018 Curriculum for entrepreneurship education, even though it was republished in 2019 as an attachment to the PCTO guidelines (MIUR, 2019b) which they knew well. VET experts and social partners suggested that this gap in awareness arose partly because education priorities have been changing since the curriculum release,
not least due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Only a few schools under scrutiny included learning outcomes related to entrepreneurship education in their 3-year plan of the formative offer (2). Certain challenges in promoting entrepreneurship competence are typical in VET and other education settings. For example, the advocated approach to teaching in IVET is generally disciplinary and knowledge-based rather than
focusing on interdisciplinarity which, according to research, is vital for cultivating key competences. Most interviewees viewed the time devoted to PCTO interdisciplinary programmes as insufficient for nurturing entrepreneurship competence. Also, since teachers are paid per hour spent in class teaching their subjects, it is often hard for them to allocate time for extracurricular activities supporting the development of entrepreneurship competence. As well, most of the interviewed teachers had not received training in entrepreneurship, and very few had significant experience of working in industry. Teacher recruitment is rigid and follows rules that value mainly academic qualifications and years of service.
The above pertains mainly to State IVET rather than to regional IVET. The latter is subject to policies that vary considerably by region. There is a lack of initial and in-service teacher training in entrepreneurship. Regarding methods, tools and approaches supporting acquisition of entrepreneurship competence, the PCTO guidelines suggest ‘practice enterprise’ and ‘enterprise in action’ as methods, and service learning (where learners apply academic knowledge and critical thinking skills to address genuine community
needs) as didactics (MIUR, 2019b). In IVET, most of the observed activities supporting the development of entrepreneurship competence were one-off pilot projects, notable exceptions being Junior Achievement Italy’s Mini-Enterprise model and a practice enterprise model Simulimpresa (Centro Studi Opera Don
Calabria, 2021; J.A. Italia, 2017). Another programme, popular for instance in Trentino, develops entrepreneurship competence through simulating the creation of a social cooperative. In the field, the study also found several interesting programmes seeking to develop entrepreneurship competence, one of which
dealt with start-up creation in the Puglia region.
VET features that help nurture entrepreneurship competence include strong connections with industry and professional networks, the professional practice of teachers, qualifications which naturally lead to start-ups or provide the ideal ground for developing innovative ideas (e.g. through business studies), and
hands-on experience of learners at enterprises. There is also a substantial difference in the minimum compulsory hours of PCTO: 210 hours in vocational schools [istituti professionali] and 150 hours in technical schools [istituti tecnici] compared to only 90 hours in general education [licei].
The study also reveals how digital technology helps in the entrepreneurial teaching and learning activities, making subjects more compelling and closer to the interests of young people. While the COVID-19 pandemic boosted teacher and learner digital competences by enforcing the use of the same digital tools as
in industry, lack of face-to-face learning made it more difficult to run entrepreneurship programmes during the pandemic period.