Why is embracing entrepreneurship in education so important?

It is estimated that approximately 18% of the global workforce is self-employed. These people started, created and are building businesses that they run. Every day they are attempting to grow their businesses, generate innovative ideas to help increase sales and come up with creative ways to be as resourceful as they can be to save money. Over the last 10 years, this statistic has risen and is predicted to grow. Therefore, approximately 2 out of every 10 children at your school are likely to be self-employed in the future and your school will produce more entrepreneurs than most other well-known professions such as teaching, medicine, law or engineering.

It is likely that as a school you will also be producing ‘intrapreneurs’. An intrapreneur is an individual who acts like an entrepreneur but in an already existing business or a government organisation. An intrapreneur is a leader within these organisations, a manager, a teacher, a coach, a team player, a creative spark, a motivator and a superb communicator. It’s these individuals, which take businesses and organisations forward. Those outstanding teachers within your school, are indeed intrapreneurs.
 

It’s very likely that your students will become an entrepreneur or an intrapreneur and because of this, it’s vital that every school embraces entrepreneurship in education, not because it’s a hot topic or a fad, but because it’s vital to equip your students with the skills they need for the future.

Embracing entrepreneurship has additional benefits. It encourages those who take part to reflect on their strengths, weaknesses and key values. It can help address practical skills such as oral and written communication, and skills such as being creative, being able to influence and negotiate, and being flexible and open-minded. It can encourage a ‘can do’ confidence, a creative questioning, and a willingness to take risks. All life skills necessary for whatever path a student takes.
 

These skills can be enhanced the first day a student walks through the school gates, by continually and repeatedly encouraging innovation inside and outside the classroom, whatever their age. It is the responsibility of every Headteacher to make sure that a culture of entrepreneurship is being developed so that every child can have the opportunity to unlock their entrepreneurial spirit. This can be done in many ways, from how lessons are conducted, having enterprise activity days, running business courses or creating hubs of innovation. It’s vital that it’s given the same amount of by the senior leaders within a school as other mainstream subjects as you simply can’t ignore the statistic I started this article with. 

Please stop and think and ask yourself – what are we doing to support the next generation of entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs in our school? If you’re not, please start embracing entrepreneurship within your school today. 

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David Harkin is CEO at 7billionideas, an ideas company which exists to connect the 7 billion people on the planet with their own ideas. They do this via a number of different routes, including their education arm. 7billeducation has worked with 50,000+ students all over the world via their activity days, competitions and unique Entrepreneur in Residence packages at international schools. They aim to unlock the entrepreneurial spirit in every student but encourage them to think big and dream big.