Education for entrepreneurship can be particularly effective in initial vocational training, as students are close to entering working life and self-employment may be a valuable option for them. Entrepreneurship is included in the national curricula for vocational education in a majority of European countries, at least to some extent. However programmes and activities included in those figures may differ greatly in intensity and effectiveness. In any case, there is in general a perception that there is still a gap to be filled. Some major reasons for the gap identified are the following: (1) entrepreneurship is not included in all parts of the VET system; (2) student participation is limited; (3) teaching methods are ineffective; (4) the practical element of entrepreneurship is missing; (5) teachers are not fully competent; (6) entrepreneurship is not linked to specific training subjects or professions; (7) business people are not sufficiently involved. Despite some encouraging data, it appears that the uptake and the effectiveness of entrepreneurship education in European vocational schools are still far from being fully satisfactory.

The partners of the present project to a larger or smaller extent observe the majority of the above mentioned drawbacks in their curricula, especially in relation to the technically-oriented programs. It has been proved, that regardless of the vocational training area, the most effective way to teach entrepreneurship is to have students participate in practical projects and activities, in which learning by doing is emphasized and real experience with entrepreneurship is gained. Problem-driven and experience-oriented education is essential to fostering entrepreneurial mindsets and abilities.

The present Erasmus+ strategic partnership project titled "Meaningful Entrepreneurial Mindsets. Ideas to Actions" (MEM: Ideas to Actions) has 4 partners, 3 of which are secondary VET institutions providing educational programmes in different areas and the 4th is a non-governmental organization also engaged in VET activities. The project joins forces of Latvia - Liepājas Jūrniecības koledža, Germany - Berufliche Schule des Kreises Nordfriesland in Husum, Turkey - Ulusoy Denizcilik Teknolojisi MTAL and Cyprus - DOREA Educational Institute. Through projects learning activities for learners and staff, as well as through the developed intellectual results, and an international conference at the end of the project the partners hope to increase the sense of initiative and entrepreneurship among the players of the VET sector and promote education for entrepreneurship. The partners will commonly develop an educational online platform, which will include an introductory course about starting a business in English aimed at secondary-level VET learners. This educational platform and the online course incorporated within it will be a starter-pack to creating a businesses. It will cover a progression of topics necessary for successful business creation.

The WEB platform will have several sections., e.g. 1. Project description; 2. Online course – freely available to the general public; 3. Success Stories – interviews with young businesses; 4. Video lectures; 5. Interactive map of support providing organization, and other sections devoted to business development and implementation, and more.

The aims of the present project ,among others, are developing those personal attributes and generally applicable skills that form the basis of an entrepreneurial mindset and behavior, raising students’ awareness of self-employment and entrepreneurship as possible career options, boosting entrepreneurship in education through creation of an attractive teaching and learning tool, and providing specific business skills and knowledge of how to start and successfully run a business.

Disclaimer: This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained here.