Enterprise

Approaches to enterprise in education should be based on the values, purposes and principles of A Curriculum for Excellence. Against these values, purposes and principles, children and young people can develop, test, challenge and shape their world view. Excellence through Enterprise 2006.

The Learning and Teaching issues related to EiE link with many other topics in this Toolkit.

Points Arising from Research

It is important for Scotland’s economic future to promote a healthy enterprising culture
Enterprise can be handicapped when there is a fear of failure
Negative national attitudes to failed entrepreneurs can reduce the entrepreneurial instinct
Societies have different collective attitudes to the independence of individuals
Education can influence the country’s climate for entrepreneurship
Traditional educational practice may tend to inhibit enterprising and risk-taking behaviour

Key Elements of Enterprise

What Enterprise in Education means

It promotes a “Can do - Will do” philosophy
It develops self-confidence and determination
It involves making informed choices/decisions
It stimulates action - both individual and collective
It emphasises awareness of rights and responsibilities
It involves elements from the following: Team working; Taking responsibility for learning; Decision-making; Risk taking; Innovation; Community involvement; Business involvement; Contexts related to the world of work; Career planning; Creativity; Entrepreneurship; Running a business; Cross-curricular initiatives; Use of ICT; Vocational contexts for learning across the curriculum; Experiential learning
Schools can develop three key areas:
- Awareness of how the business world operates and an understanding of developments and opportunities in the workplace
- Attitudes to the role of enterprise/entrepreneurship
- Specific skills useful in the business world (eg management skills, financial organisation, business planning)
Whilst entrepreneurship may involve individual self-interest, pupils are helped to understand mutual interest, eg in terms of job creation (NB Daniel Goleman’s work on Emotional Intelligence and its power in the workplace - see Toolkit section on this)
EiE can be closely linked with the local business situation (where, for example, tourism might be important, or fishing, or crafts etc)
It is linked to the Sustainable Schools agenda

The rationale for promoting Enterprise in Education

Although an individual’s capacity to be enterprising is to some extent related to personality, the skills and attitudes required can be taught
In a constantly changing society, pupils need to be adaptable and need to be able to respond positively to new situations
There is a need for pupils to develop skills which are transferable out of the subject-specific context and into the world of work and business - that is, “systems thinking” rather than “reductionist” education
Such skills are important in employees, as well as in employers and entrepreneurs
EiE links with the National Priorities, particularly raising achievement, promoting inclusion and developing participation in the educational process

National developments

The document Determined to Succeed made 20 recommendations for developing EiE
The Scottish Executive adopted these recommendations, with significant implications for schools, some of which are as follows:
- Pupil entitlement to an enterprise experience in each year
- Accredited vocational education available for 14+
- Quality Indicators used in school inspections will include items relating to EiE
- School clusters will establish partnerships with local business and appropriate organisations
- Initial teacher training will cover EiE issues
- Teachers will be guaranteed access to CPD opportunities in EiE
EiE is an important aspect of developing flexibility in the curriculum
Business is seen as having a role in identifying funding and personnel to facilitate EiE

Enterprise in Education Policy in Highland

Enterprise Education will enrich the school curriculum through:

An emphasis on creative learning and teaching
Embedding entrepreneurial skills
Providing vocational enrichment relevant to subject content
Promoting experiential learning in a vocational context
Developing ICT and other skills for the future

The four key priorities of Highland’s implementation policy for Determined to Succeed are:

Priority 1: Provide enterprise experiences for all pupils P1-S6 on an annual basis
Priority 2: Further develop vocational learning for pupils over 14
Priority 3: Create supportive networks for all partners: school staff, parents, carers, Local Businesses, Local Enterprise Companies
Priority 4: Further develop Continuing Professional Development opportunities for Head Teachers, Senior Management and Class Teachers in relation to Enterprise in Education programmes and activities.

Implementation

Teachers must be self-motivated and adopt creative approaches to teaching and empower pupils rather than coercing them
An active, participative style of teaching is needed
Pupils should be encouraged to participate in enterprise activities
Work Experience involvement should be encouraged and facilitated
Excellence in Education through Business Links (EEBL) promotes teacher placements in business and industry
Teachers can take advantage of opportunities to become more familiar with business practices – EEBL can facilitate partnerships which allow a two-way exchange of information between schools and businesses
Teachers need awareness of the materials available for developing EiE
SMT support will be important
The 2GETHER document in the references below gives many examples of practical approaches to the implementation of EiE initiatives

Reflection and Discussion

Does your teaching contain Enterprise elements?

Could you usefully introduce/adapt curricular items which would fit the EiE programme?

Are there CPD areas which you would like to know more about?

Some Activities Relating To the Issue of Enterprise

Key element	Objective	Action
Some examples and suggestions
What EiE means	Schools can develop three key areas	Each of these areas may appear in various curricular contexts. Consider whether you could use a block of work to develop pupils’ business awareness, attitudes or skills. One piece of work could address one, two or all three of these elements. Thus pupils could create and “market” a product in many different curricular areas.
The rationale	Pupils need to be adaptable and need to be able to respond positively to new situations	Can you provide curricular situations in which this kind of adaptability would be required? Such situations could include: role-playing; open-ended tasks which require pupils to structure the work themselves; problem-solving tasks requiring creative solutions; choices within the curriculum etc
National developments	The document Determined to Succeed made 20 recommendations	The Scottish Executive response to Determined to Succeed gives a concise insight into the recommendations and the Executive response. See the references below and take a look at the response document.
Implementation	2GETHER gives many examples of practical approaches	Take a look at this document for ideas. There are examples of many initiatives of different types and scale. See references below. Selected References