GREEN-4-FUTURE Imprimare

Title and acronym: Greening the EntreComp Framework to Reconcile Economic Development and Environmental Security [Green-4-Future]

Project type: Erasmus+ KA2 Project, Strategic Partnership for Vocational Education and Training

Ref. no.: 2020-1-DE02-KA202-007429

 

Promoter /Coordinator: Universitaet Paderborn, Germany

Duration: 01/09/2020 to 31/08/2023

Total project grant: 419.013 Euro

Total expenditure (grant) for the University of Pitești: 35.972 Euro

Local coordinator for the University of Piteşti: Assoc. Professor Dr. Dumitru CHIRLEȘAN


Summary:

            In response to climate change, there has been a growing interest in the development of a ‘green’ or ‘low carbon’ economy as a means of reconciling economic development and the environment. However, research on green entrepreneurs to date has focused on individual green entrepreneurs, neglecting wider economic and social contexts within which they operate. In addition, the green entrepreneurship movement is often presented as a non-profit motivated business sector that belongs to the ‘social entrepreneurship stable’. While the emerging green megatrend has brought green entrepreneurship into sharp focus, it is still seen and regarded by many as an add-on to the market economy comprising business ventures that address and satiate the consumer habits of environmentalists and green activists.

            Entrepreneurs are frequently thought of as national assets to be cultivated, motivated, and remunerated to the greatest possible extent. Great entrepreneurs can change the way we live and work. If successful, their innovations can improve standards of living, create wealth and jobs and contribute to a growing economy. The European Commission first referred to the importance of entrepreneurship education in 2003, in the European Green Paper on Entrepreneurship in Europe. By 2006, the European Commission had identified a ‘sense of

initiative and entrepreneurship’ as one of the eight key competences necessary for all members of a knowledge-based society. The 2008 Small Business Act for Europe, the 2012

Communication on Rethinking Education, the 2013 Entrepreneurship Action Plan 2020, and more recently the New Skills Agenda for Europe, have kept the need to promote entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial learning under the spotlight.

            Realising the pivotal role that education plays in the development of entrepreneurship the EntreComp framework was developed by the Joint Research Centre, the European Commission’s in-house science service. It aims to provide evidence-based scientific support to the European policy-making process. EntreComp was developed to become a reference de facto for any initiative aiming to foster entrepreneurial capacity of European citizens. It consists of 3 interrelated and interconnected competence areas: ‘Ideas and opportunities’, ‘Resources’ and ‘Into action’. Each of the areas is made up of 5 competences, which, together, constitute the building blocks of entrepreneurship as a competence.

            Consortium partners are of the opinion that the EntreComp framework needs to be reconsidered; it needs to incorporate and reflect the green objectives of our time. It is not sufficient to have some green entrepreneurs; rather every entrepreneur needs to incorporate environmental and ecological factors into their business from the very beginning. While greening existing businesses will be a long and arduous task most likely influenced by carbon taxation and other policy measures, the emphasis for Vocational Education and Training should be firmly placed on greening the entrepreneurship actions of next generation entrepreneurs. Greening EntreComp, as the key benchmark for entrepreneurship education is now an essential first step.     

 

Objective:

To reconsider the EntreComp framework thus to incorporate and reflect the green objectives of our time.

 

Outcomes:

  • IO1: Greening the EntreComp Framework - The EntreComp framework consists of 3 interrelated and interconnected competence areas: ‘Ideas and opportunities’, ‘Resources’ and ‘Into action’. Each of the areas is made up of 5 competences, which, together, constitute the building blocks of entrepreneurship as a competence. The framework develops the 15 competences along an 8-level progression model and proposes a comprehensive list of 442 learning outcomes. Green-4-Future will review each of the 15 competences and reinterpret them from a sustainable development perspective. The list of learning outcomes associated with each of the 15 competences will be redrafted to incorporate the necessary green perspective.
  • IO2: Business Modelling for Circular Economy Businesses - Partners will work in teams of 3 to develop a suite of business modelling training resources that address each of the following recognised circular economy business models: The Co-creation of Products/Services Model; The Sustainable Consumption Model; and The Collaborative Recycling/Reuse Model.
  • IO3: In-service Training for VET Tutors - Partners will develop a bespoke in-service training programme to support the continuous professional development of VET tutors to ensure that they are fully committed to the concept of green entrepreneurship and suitably trained to support the business modelling activities of business.
  • IO3: Green-4-Future MOOC - Partners will develop a Green-4-Future MOOC to present the in-service training materials developed for VET tutors and business modelling training resources developed for entrepreneurs and would be entrepreneurs.

 

Partnership:

  1. Universitaet Paderborn (coordinator), Germany
  2. Centre for Advancement of Research and Development in Educational Technology Ltd - CARDET, Cyprus
  3. Callidus ustanova za obrazovanje odraslih, Croatia
  4. Berufsförderungsinstitut Burgenland, Austria
  5. Spectrum Research Centre CLG, Ireland
  6. Universitatea din Pitești, Romania
  7. University of Peloponnese, Greece
  8. Burgaski Svoboden Universitet, Bulgaria
  9. Instituto de Soldadura e Qualidade, Portugal