‘’Entrepreneurs are people who try to think outside the pre-established frameworks.‘’
European Union is characterized as the leading power of technological process ,continuous innovation and development but what are we actually doing to achieve this vision of tomorrow? In order to make the EU a competitive partner it is important to invest in young peoples’ education. Even though the EU faces social and economic challenges it is very important to pay particular attention to its most exceptional asset – the Europeans, starting with the youth. For example there is a lack of digital education.
By Martina Dlabajova , who is a member of the European Parliament, the right answer is the focus on teaching entrepreneurial skills on all educational levels.
In a rapidly changing global world, it is mainly skills that will become the engine of our competitiveness. There is a change in the way we are working, and education can no longer lag behind.
It is stated that there was a problem about launched to introduce concrete actions aiming at improving the quality and relevance of training, with many activities specifically focused on skills and tackling their mismatches, which is still a considerable obstacle on the labour market. But , it is noted that many people after several years of studies at university or after obtaining their vocational training, finally enter the labour market and discover that their knowledge and skills do not correspond with the market’s demand.
Developing an entrepreneurial mindset doesn’t mean that every young individual must become a businessman or businesswoman. It is rather a new way of dealing with upcoming challenges that inevitably arise as the digital revolution progresses. Due to the technological development , skills that we teach at school today, might be considered outdated tomorrow.
There is and will be a need for specific technical IT and digital skills, but we also can’t forget about the increasing importance of the cognitive skills, strong interpersonal and soft skills such as creativity and emotional intelligence or adaptability. Moreover, such features as being a free-thinker, a problem solver, being willing to take risks and being innovative must become crucial elements in youngster’s education scheme.
Motivation from an early age should be one of the ways on how the entrepreneurial attitude can be fostered. A smoothest transition from school the work fieldcould be ensured if young people should be able to get in touch with the responsibilities and the work-life experience even before they finish their studies. There are different formats of how to make this happen, including various apprenticeships and traineeships.
There is a high percentage of companies which are struggling to find qualified staff .While, the unemployment rate among young people aged from 15 to 25 in Europe has started to be alarming. This means that governments, businesses and the world of education need to be involved in the establishment of educational programmes and modules.
In order to keep up with the pace of innovation and changes, it is necessary to reform the logic of our education systems and to establish a much closer link between theoretical and practical knowledge. Young people are our future and it is our duty to ensure they are obtaining the best education possible so that they can learn to think “outside of the box”.