The aim of this project is to develop a methodology that can be used to support youth in the transition from basic schooling to vocational education and prevent early school leaving by giving pupils hands-on experiences with entrepreneurship.
The focus of the project is to strengthen young people’s strategic career development through entrepreneurship. 10th grade pupils will as part of their school program develop small enterprises. The idea is to create a network whereby the pupils learn together and substantiate their career plans by carrying out their own ideas. This in turn we see as way to give them a strategic approach to VET. The enterprises created in the 10th grade will continue to be developed in the second year of the project as the pupils continue in initial vocational education and training programs.
The project will draw on a triangulation of good practice in other EU countries and combine methods for networking and situated learning, strategic career development, entrepreneurship learning and social entrepreneurship. We are therefore looking for methods that supplement more traditional forms of career counseling to give youth concrete perspectives with relation to the working world as well as developing entrepreneurial competences - and thereby increasing their employability and chances for completing VET.
We are specifically interested in the following:
1. Methods for creating networks where young people’s individual career-development takes place through participation in “learning communities of practice”
2. Methods leading to learning processes whereby young people shift perspective and see themselves in a new light in order to develop a strategic approach to getting or creating jobs for themselves. In other words learning processes which make it clear to them what competencies they need to acquire as well as how this can be done through VET.
3. Methods for entrepreneurship education whereby concrete experiences with entrepreneurship constitute a tool useful for strategic career development. In other words hands-on methods based on concrete experiences rather than conversation-based career counseling.
4. Methods that include a dimension of altruism in young people’s career development – for instance methods used in social entrepreneurship.
We plan to apply for EU-funds under the Life Long Learning Program, Leonardo da Vinci – Multilateral Projects, priority 3.2.6: Leonardo-multinational - transfer of innovation - Strategies to reduce the number of drop-outs in iVET. Deadline for applications January 31, 2013.
If you are interested in participating in the further planning of this project please contact:
Barbara Day, Associate professor
VIA University College, School of Continuing Education
Hedeager 2, 8200 Aarhus N, Denmark
Phone: +45 87 55 18 03 E-mail: [email protected]