Teacher’s pain:how to manage cooperation with local companies: practical cases in vocational and higher education

Abstract In this workshop cooperation between educational organizations and local companies will be described with two practical cases: one case from vocational education and another from higher education. From the theoretical point of view this is a qualitative case study based on authentic learning. The background of this study rises from a regional entrepreneurship education strategy, which was done by using participatory method of strategy building. Entrepreneurship education in schools is seen to be significant in developing welfare in Europe. In Finland entrepreneurship education has been systematically developed. In Northern Ostrobothnia entrepreneurship education has been put into practise in various different ways. In the beginning of 2016 the common strategy for entrepreneurship education for the whole region was published (www.minunpolkuni.fi). Goal of the common strategy is to unify and develop entrepreneurial competencies in all levels of education from kindergarten until university. To make sure that the strategy will be implemented to practise in teaching, the teachers were involved in this strategy process. Putting the strategy in practise means continuous development in education and curricula. One important element in entrepreneurship education in vocational and higher education is practical cooperation with local companies. During the strategy building process some data has been collected also through web-based measurement tool for entrepreneurship education. Through the results of this survey we have got results of the level of entrepreneurship education practices in vocational and higher education. One element measured with this tool is cooperation with local businesses. It is remarkable that most of the companies in our area are SME’s. To deepen our knowledge concerning the cooperation some teachers were interviewed both in vocational education and higher education organisations. During the workshop we describe two different cases of cooperation — one from vocational education and another from higher education. In this workshop we will focus on the question: How to manage cooperation with local companies? By presenting these practical cases of cooperation we share our experiences and the audience will be inspired. They will also get ideas to be used when developing entrepreneurship education in different levels of education

Ihmettelyä yrittäjyyskasvatuksen mittariston äärellä

Tiivistelmä Yrittäjyyskasvatuksen kehittäminen Pohjois-Pohjanmaalla (Ely/ESR) -hankkeessa käytetään yrittäjyyskasvatuksen nykytilanteen hahmottamiseksi ja tulevien toimenpiteiden ja koulutusten suunnittelun pohjana Lappeenrannan teknillisen yliopiston kehittämää Yrittäjyyskasvatuksen mittaristoa. Tässä opettajan itsearviointityökalussa yrittäjyyttä käsitellään laaja-alaisesti. Eri teemoja ovat yritysyhteistyö, yrittäjyys opetuksessa, yrittäjänä toimimista tukevat pedagogiset ratkaisut ja niiden arviointi, yrittäjämäisten valmiuksien ohjaaminen sekä minä itse yrittäjyyden edistäjänä työyhteisössäni Hankkeen käyttöön saadaan mittariston tuloksia halutuilla kriteereillä alueellisesti kouluasteittain. Tässä esityksessä keskitytään Pohjois-Pohjanmaan tuloksiin vertaillen yrittäjyyden näkymistä ammatillisen toisen asteen opetuksessa kaupungissa (=Oulu) ja maaseutumaisilla harvaan asutuilla alueilla (= muu Pohjois-Pohjanmaa). Alustavat mittaristosta saadut tulokset ovat herättäneet kysymyksiä joihin tarvitaan lisäselvitystä. Pohjois-Pohjanmaalla ammatillisen toisen asteen mittaristoon vastasi 68 (5 %) henkilöä 1 335 opettajasta, joka on vastaava osuus kuin koko Suomessa, 678 (5 %) 13 682 opettajasta (Tilastokeskus 2013). Vastausten edustavuutta alueesta voidaan pitää kohtuullisena. Tarkasteltaessa mittaristosta saatuja tietoja teemassa Yrittäjyys opetuksessa, näyttävät muun Pohjois-Pohjanmaan tulokset positiivisilta kaupunkialueeseen verrattuna. Yrittäjyys opetuksessa -teemaan sisältyy neljä kysymystä: Montako kertaa opettaja on 1) mahdollistanut oppijoiden yritys- tai työelämälähtöisen projektin, 2) teettänyt liikeideatehtävän, 3) mahdollistanut että oppijat ovat ideoineet markkinointi- tai muuta materiaalia yritykselle ja 4) mahdollistanut oppijoiden harjoitusyrityksen tai oman yrityksen kehittämisen. Näiden kysymysten vastauksia tarkasteltaessa havaittiin eroja kaupunkialueen ja maaseutumaisen alueen vastausten välillä. Suurinta poikkeama oli kysymyksessä: Montako kertaa opettaja on mahdollistanut harjoitusyrityksen tai oman yrityksen kehittämisen viimeisen puolen vuoden aikana. Vastausten keskiarvo osoitti, että maaseutumaisilla alueilla tämä on toteutunut keskimäärin 2 kertaa useammin kuin kaupungissa. Vastausten ero herättää mielenkiintoisia kysymyksiä. Onko mahdollisesti niin, että kaupunkialueen isommissa yksiköissä yritysyhteistyö on määritelty vain joidenkin opettajien tehtäväksi tai löytyykö selittävä tekijä vastaajien ikäjakaumasta tai vastaajan oppiaineryhmästä, jossa vastaaja opettaa. Onko kaupunkialueen vastaajissa mahdollisesti enemmän henkilöitä, joilla ei ole opetustehtäviä? Tämä rajalliseen vastaajien määrään perustuva esiselvitys on herättänyt lisää kysymyksiä ja jatkotutkimuksen aiheita. Jatkossa olisi aiheellista selvittää onko Pohjois-Pohjanmaan vastaajien muilla taustatekijöillä vaikutusta vastauksiin. Jatkossa tämän tutkimuksen tuloksia olisi hyvä verrata muun samansuuntaisen kaupunki-maaseutu -rakenteen omaavan alueen tuloksiin. Maaseutumaisen harvaan asutun alueen ja kaupunkimaisen alueen toimintaympäristöjen erilaisuus vaikuttaa myös ammatillisen koulutuksen yrittäjyyskasvatuksen toteuttamiseen, jonka vuoksi eroja lienee löydettävissä

Presence of central elements in entrepreneurial education:a case study in Northern Finland

Abstract The European Commission’s Entrepreneurship 2020 Action Plan names school-based entrepreneurship education as a key issue for ensuring the development of the European welfare. Accordingly, the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture announced national guidelines to ensure it reaches its entrepreneurship education objectives by 2015. To comply with these guidelines, the various Finnish regions have initiated targeted development actions for improving entrepreneurship education. Practitioners and researchers share a common understanding of the central elements that a coherent entrepreneurship education pathway should include. This study aims to analyse how these central elements are incorporated at various education levels. This is a cross-sectional multiple-case study based on a semi-structured web-based questionnaire. It takes various education levels, including the comprehensive-school level, the secondary-school level and the polytechnic school and university levels, as its units of analysis and seeks to form a comprehensive picture of the entrepreneurship education pathway in Northern Finland. The questionnaire was sent to headmasters and education managers at the comprehensive- and secondary-school levels, as well as education planners and study advisors (n=67). The data revealed that a coherent entrepreneurship education pathway is not being realized in the target region. This is because the resources for teaching entrepreneurship education are not optimally allocated between the elements. For example, some elements are repeated at almost all levels of entrepreneurship education, while others are nearly absent. This study highlights the need for strategic joint action. Additionally, this paper discusses gaps in the entrepreneurship education pathway and suggests action for developing a joint strategy for meeting the entrepreneurship education objectives

Influences of a participatory strategy process on entrepreneurship education practices

Abstract The European Commission’s Entrepreneurship 2020 Action Plan mentions school-based entrepreneurship education as a key issue in ensuring the development of the European welfare. Already in 2009, the Ministry of Education and Culture in Finland announced national guidelines for reaching the objectives for entrepreneurship education by 2015. Therefore, regions started targeted development actions towards improved entrepreneurship education. In Northern Ostrobothnia, both a strategy and an operating model for entrepreneurship education were created as a participatory strategy process during 2015. A total of 200 individuals from education, private enterprises and the public sector were involved in the strategy process. Practitioners and researchers share a common understanding of the central elements to be included in entrepreneurship education. Presence of these central elements in different levels of education in northern Finland was investigated in 2013. The investigation showed that some central elements of the coherent pathway of entrepreneurship education were not being realized at the target region, and the resources were not optimally allocated between the central elements. Some of the central elements were repeated at almost all levels of education while others were nearly absent. The study pointed out there was need for a joint entrepreneurship education strategic action. This paper presents a cross-sectional multiple-case study seeking to form a whole picture of an entrepreneurship education pathway in Northern Finland in spring 2017, and to compare it with the earlier investigation from 2013. The aim of this study is to recognize and analyze potential changes in entrepreneurship education practices one year after the participatory strategy process and publication of the strategy. The data is based on a web-based semi-structured questionnaire, which was sent to headmasters and other management of basic and secondary level education, education planners, and study advisors. The units of analysis are different levels of education (comprehensive school, secondary school, polytechnics and universities). The findings will show whether entrepreneurship education strategy guides education practices in schools. The result will be useful in implementation of and informing on entrepreneurship education strategy