Are entrepreneurs born or made? The answer is clear: entrepreneurs can indeed be made and it’s time to invest more seriously in that process.
Professors of the Central University of Technology from South Africa acknowledge a place for theory in entrepreneurship education, but there needs to be far more emphasis on practical experience in a real working environment. Students should go out to work in companies in their second year.
The confidence in the ‘teachability’ of entrepreneurship and commitment to embedding it into the curricula and internal systems of universities stems in part from his wide exposure to successful entrepreneurship education programs around the world.
Among the impressible institutions is JAMK University of Applied Sciences based in Finland, where entrepreneurship education is embedded into the curriculum from the first year of study. The JAMK emphasis on practical skills, real-life challenges and group work means students are ready to commence viable businesses by the time they complete their bachelor degree.
Entrepreneurship education for South Africa is very important, given the high level of youth unemployment in the country (54%).