PROJETO APOIO AOS DIÁLOGOS SETORIAIS UNIÃO EUROPEIA - BRASIL BENCHMARKING: ENTREPRENEURIAL CAPABILITY POLICY & SKILLS IN EUROPEAN UNION.

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1 BENCHMARKING: ENTREPRENEURIAL CAPABILITY POLICY & SKILLS IN EUROPEAN UNION Carls Rivera

2 2 CONTATOS Direçã Nacinal d Prjet /4928/5082/4134 cntat@dialgssetriais.rg

3 3 CONTENTS INTRODUCTION... 5 BENCHMARKING: METHODOLOGICAL APPROACH... 8 BACKGROUND: THE ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN EU ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN EU ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATION IN EU EC&SP IN EU THE EC&SP IN NORWAY THE EC&SP IN FINLAND THE EC&SP IN DENMARK THE EC&SP IN SWEDEN THE EC&SP IN FLEMISH REGION, BELGIUM CASES ANALYSIS LESSON LEARNED FOR BRAZIL CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ANNEXES I. DOCUMENTS CONSULTED II. LIST OF THE NATIONAL INSTITUTIONS RELATED IN EACH COUNTRY 86

4 4 ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS APL Lcal Prductive Arrangement ASA Administrative Simplificatin Agency (Belgium) ASE cnmique (Belgium) BDS Business Develpment Services BNDES Banc Nacinal de Desenvlviment Ecnômic e Scial BSO Business Supprt Organizatins BSS Business Supprt Services BRICS Brazil, Russia, India, China, Suth Africa CORDIS EU C y R r h D v p I f r S rv COSME EU Pr r f r h C p v f rpr SME DG DEVCO DG Develpment and Cperatin DG ENTR DG Enterprise and Industry DG R&I DG Research and Innvatin DG TRADE DG Trade EC Eurpean Cmmissin ECP Entrepreneur Capability Plicy EEN Enterprise Eurpe Netwrk ECE Eurpean Cluster Excellence EMBRAPII Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa e Invaca Industrial ESF Eurpean Scial Fund EURYDICE Netwrk educatin specialists in the EU FDI Freign Direct Investment FP7 7th Framewrk Prgramme fr Research and Technlgical Develpment GEM Glbal Enterprise Mnitr HORIZON 2020 EU Research and Innvatin Prgramme Prpsal fr IADB Inter American Develpment Bank IEL Institut Euvald Ldi IWT Flanders institute fr the prmtin f innvatin by science and technlgy IMF Internatinal Mnetary Fund ITS Internatinally Traded Services LA Latin America LAC Latin American Cuntries MCITI Ministry f Science, Technlgy and Innvatin MDIC Ministéri d Desenvlviment, Indústria e Cmérci Exterir NIP Natinal Indicative Prgramme NEP Natinal Entrepreneurship Plicy PSD Private Sectr Develpment PPP Purchasing Pwer Parity SME Small and Medium-sized Enterprises SMI Small and Medium-sized Industries SEBRAE Serviç Brasileir de Api às Micr e Pequenas Empresas UNCTAD United Natins Cnference n Trade and Develpment VET Vcatinal Educatinal and Training

5 5 INTRODUCTION 1. The Brazilian gvernment, specially the Ministry f Develpment, Industry and Freign Trade (MDIC) is designing a Natinal Entrepreneurship and Business Plicy (NEBP). The main aim f the NEBP is cnslidate an effective crdinatin and articulatin f existing institutinal framewrk, prgrams and actins that prmte and supprt entrepreneurship, in rder t address it at ecnmic, scial and innvative aspects f Brazil. Mst f the gvernance instruments already exist, nevertheless, it s deemed necessary the inceptin f new instruments t fill specific gaps. In a cmplementary way, it was launched n 2008, the framewrk f EU-Brazil Sectral Dialgues, which has the verall bjective is t further and deepen the bilateral EU-Brazil relatin thrugh fstering sectr dialgues n themes f mutual interest. The specific purpse is t facilitate and supprt the exchanges between relevant stakehlders invlved in specific sectr dialgues, especially in the areas f scial develpment and chesin, envirnment sustainability, reginal develpment and territry integratin, accrding t the agreements made and guidelines issued by the plicy decisin levels 1. Meanwhile the specific bjectives f the Dialgue are: Imprved institutinal, regulatry and industrial dialgues between bth regins; Increased institutinal capacity t assist the develpment f the NEBP, PNCA and similar initiatives; Deliverance f subsidies t plicy develpment and gvernment prgrams implementatin in the vicinity f the scpes f NEBP and PNCA; and Linkage and harmnizatin f NEBP and PNCA with ther Brazil-EU ecnmic jint initiatives. In this cntext, the EU-Brazil Sectr Dialgues Supprt Facility was created with a view t cntributing t the advancement and enhancement f the strategic partnership and bilateral relatins between Brazil and the EU, by fstering greater exchanges f technical knw-hw. The prject is crdinated jintly by the Brazilian Ministry f Planning, Budget and Management thrugh the Natinal Prject Directrate and the Delegatin f the Eurpean Unin t Brazil (DELBRA). Currently, there are 29 Dialgues identified between Brazil and the EU n a wide range f themes, based n the principles f reciprcity and cmplementarity, aiming t fster the exchange f knw-hw and experiences in areas f mutual interest. The sectral Dialgues Brazil-EU f Develping Entrepreneurial Capabilities and Skills fr Small Business is ne f them. The dialgue between Brazil and the Eurpean Unin n the develpment f entrepreneurial skills and capabilities fr small businesses is based n the exchange f infrmatin related t best practices in supprting plicies that develp entrepreneurship and human resurces. This shuld be achieved with a fcus n enhancing mutual insights int plicies, 1 Please, see the website:

6 6 prgrammes and ther gvernance tls t supprt small and medium-size businesses. The Ministry f Develpment, Industry and Freign Trade (MDIC), in partnership with the private sectr and ther stakehlders, is develping the Natinal Plicy n Entrepreneurship and Business (PNEN), which addresses entrepreneurship with a fcus n ecnmic, scial and innvatin aspects. The MDIC has created a wrking grup t develp a natinal plicy fr the develpment f entrepreneurial and human resurce skills, tentatively called the Natinal Plan fr Training and Imprvement f Micr and Small Businesses and Entrepreneurship (PNCA in Prtuguese). This plan shuld prvide the basis t create a gvernance system ver all vlunteer executive stakehlders (federal, state, cunty and municipal agencies f the executive branches), nn-gvernmental rganisatins f a semiautnmus nature - Sebrae, Senac amng thers -- and ther similar public and private institutins respnsible fr training prgrammes aimed at individual entrepreneurs, small and micr businesses. The gvernance mdel shuld facilitate t reach the Multi-Year Plan targets cncerning labr frce training, which will be dne thrugh the crdinated implementatin f public plicies in this area. PNCA shall enable gvernment t enlarge the funding f the educatin and training prgrams fcused n entrepreneurs. At the same time, PNCA shall enable gvernment t allcate better thse relatively scarce resurces, and facilitate the availability f subsidized credit, tax deductins incentives and similar mnetary and fiscal instruments t stimulate the educatin and training f entrepreneurs leading. Finally, PNCA shall fster the netwrking f all relevant stakehlders using apprpriate ICT resurces. In this way as an input t the develpment f this entrepreneurial training plan, the MDIC runs a specific shrt-term missin: Develping entrepreneurship capabilities and skills fr SME t make a cmparative analysis f best practices in the Eurpean Unin abut the entrepreneurial capabilities natinal plan 1. The main prduct f this missin is the dcument that is nw presented. The verall bjective f this Missin is cntribute t the achievement f the aims and bjectives f the EU-Brazil sectral dialgues thrugh design and cnduct a cmprehensive cmparative study f public plicies fr the prmtin f skills and entrepreneurial skills fr MSMEs in Brazil and in arund five eurpean cuntries. This benchmarking f best practices in the area f natinal entrepreneurial capabilities plan in Eurpe, allw valuable lessns learned applicable t the Brazilian ecnmy and sciety, feeding the Natinal Entrepreneur Plicy. T achieve the abve result, it is necessary t knw the Brazilian reality in the field f entrepreneurship, as well as perfrm a benchmarking f best practices in this area identified in the Eurpean Unin The actual missin "Develping entrepreneurship capabilities and skills fr SME - PMEE0006" is carried ut by PhD Carls Rivera, expert in SMEs Cmpetitiveness Plicy.

7 7 As results f the study, it cnslidates a cmprehensive cmparative Benchmarking abut the Natinal Entrepreneur capabilities & Skills Plicy in the Eurpean cuntries (present paper). Cmparative analysis which takes int accunt the five factrs pinted ut with the MDIC task-team: mdel f gvernance at institutinal level, financial mechanisms and resurces, tax benefits fr the entrepreneur, alignment with natinal sectral pririties, and unique platfrm fr infrmatin and services. These factrs are the benchmark criterin fr the Benchmarking carried ut. Als, the study has allwed a set f lessns learned t help the natinal plicy entrepreneur in Brazil, and cnslidate a plicy recmmendatins fr this cuntry. First, it presents the general cntext f plicy entrepreneurs in the Eurpean Unin, fllwed by a methdlgical apprach t the study f Benchmarking, and setting general definitins t be used thrughut the dcument. Then, it ffered an analysis f the plicies f the Eurpean Unin as a whle as well as that f each selected cuntry. In each cuntry, it will fcus the main axes f each experience, cntext, main actrs, cmpnents and utputs, sending t respective attachments the institutinal cntacts and mre detailed references. Finally, we present the lessn learned fr Brazil and Cnclusins and Recmmendatin fr Plicy in this cuntry. An Annex part is start with the bibligraphy, the list f cntacts and institutins in Entrepreneur Capability in each cuntry selected, as well as the TOR f the Shrt Missin.

8 8 1. METHODOLOGICAL APPROACH OF BENCHMARKING The start pint is there are key experiences at reginal and natinal level in Eurpe, enabling t ffer valuable lessns fr the Brazilian case, shwing mechanisms f vercming structural cnstraints and alternative frms f develpment. We have t remember, that Benchmarking means simply learn frm the best, and includes a series f benchmarking techniques t extract lessns and alternative paths f develpment experience in study f this is cmplex and prductive jints. At this pint, we start frm a definitin f benchmarking as the cntinuus prcess and analytical apprach t systematically measure the activities and prcesses -in this case the entrepreneur capabilities- field within the regin, cmpared t ther experiences identified, recgnized as reginal r leading wrldwide develper f this subject. Benchmarking understd in this way, becmes a mechanism fr plitical and institutinal learning, defined as a cmparative analysis f the behavir f a natinal experience, in relatin t best practices at reginal and internatinal level and they are leaders in their field. This cmparative analysis, alternative develpments and identifies windws f pprtunity, in supprt f an peratinal plan fr imprving the gvernance f the training entrepreneur plan in Brazil. Thus, "the benchmarking becmes a cntinuus prcess f learning and cntinually adapt t the institutinal level, designed t ptimize the results, and that is t learn, adapt and implement methds and practices prven plicies that have yielded similar experiences psitive". T carry ut the benchmarking will undertake the fllwing tasks: Benchmark setting r selectin criteria experiences. These criteria are the parameters that guide the search fr benchmarking, discriminating the universe f pssible cases. These must be in line with the applicability fr Brazil and brazilian institutins, and there shuld be a natinal r reginal level. This Benchmark criteria that have guided us in the selectin f experiences t study in detail are: the case shuld frm a mdel f gvernance invlving the main actrs invlved and t make it sustainable mdel f gvernance at institutinal level; must be aligned with any natinal r reginal strategy develpment, and natinal sectral pririties; shuld cnsider financial mechanisms and resurce cntributin t the cmpanies invlved; including tax benefits and incentives fr entrepreneurs; must include a Web Site platfrm and supprt, as well as ther mechanisms (face t face assistance, guidelines, manuals, etc.).

9 9 Identificatin f best practices in entrepreneurial capabilities plans at Eurpean level. Then, taking int accunt the selected criteria is addressed in detail existing experiences and reliable infrmatin which exists t supprt it. These experiences must be real and excellent perfrmance levels (r at least n the average f the industry in questin) and meet at a time, the ther criteria set by parameters defined benchmarking. Based n research realized, systematic searches thrugh internet, cnsultatins and review f strategic dcuments, the best practices in Entrepreneur Capability and educatin plan are the cases f: Nrway, Finland, Denmark, Sweden and Flemish Regin in Belgium. Fr the develpment f benchmarking, we have relied n the methdlgy f UNCTAD, OECD and EU, which have mre in cmmn than differences. With the advantage that several f the cuntries we have selected have served as reference parameter fr establishing the methdlgy fr defining and evaluating the phenmenn in questin. This is the case f Denmark, which has been ne f the reference cases frm the beginning t define the methdlgy f UNCTAD, OECD and CEE 1. Als, we use the data frm the Small Business Act (SBA) Fact Sheets, which are prduced by DG ENTR as part f the SME Perfrmance Review (SPR), which is its main vehicle prviding an ecnmic analysis f SME issues. They cmbine the latest available statistical and plicy infrmatin fr the 27 EU Member States and anther 10 nn-member States which als cntribute t the EU s Cmpetitiveness and Innvatin Framewrk Prgramme (CIP). The Fact Sheets prduced annually help t rganise the available infrmatin in rder t facilitate SME plicy assessments and mnitr SBA implementatin Please take a lk at the methdlgical appendices f each f these prcedures, which are available at the website f each ne f them. Frm UNCTAD: OCDE and UE, 2

10 10 2. BACKGROUND: THE ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATION POLICY IN EU 2.1. SECTOR CONTEXT: STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN EU 1. Currently there is general agreement n the imprtance f develping entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial activity in the ecnmy, which is supprted by many studies f the Wrld Bank, Glbal Frum, OECD, UNCTAD, UNIDO, IMF, ILO, IDB, Eurpean Unin, amng thers. These in ne way r anther have been cmmissined t reveal the psitive relatinship between entrepreneurship and entrepreneur s greater number f variables f jb creatin, ecnmic grwth and develpment f a cuntry. Furthermre, almst all cuntries have implemented prgrams and business develpment prjects, especially small and medium enterprises SME's, in the field f OECD cuntries, and the Micr, Small and Medium Enterprises MSME's, in the cntext f develping cuntries. Which ne indicates that there is a whle wealth f experience in this field, which has allwed basic infrastructure fr business develpment in them and that makes it pssible t pass t the next phase in the present, the develpment f entrepreneurial educatin actin plan. Hw is clear, in Eurpean cntext, the entrepreneur are highly cnsider. The Eurpean ecnmy in general and SMEs in particular, depends n the entrepreneurs. Understd as an entrepreneur, anyne individual wh have the ideas and are willing t take the risks necessary t get a firm ff the grund 1. In this cntext, the Entrepreneurship refers t an individual s ability t turn ideas int actin. It cvers creativity, innvatin and risk taking, and the ability t plan and manage prjects in rder t achieve bjectives. This supprts everyne in dayt-day life at hme and in sciety, makes emplyees mre aware f the cntext f their wrk and better able t seize pprtunities, and prvides a fundatin fr entrepreneurs setting up scial r cmmercial activities. Entrepreneurship as a brad public plicy area calls fr the develpment f an integrated framewrk f gvernment actins, in which the individuals, enterprises and envirnmental facets jintly play imprtant rles. Entrepreneurship is a pwerful driver f ecnmic grwth and jb creatin: it creates new cmpanies and jbs, pens up new markets, and nurtures new skills and capabilities. In the field f industry fr instance, it is therefre particularly imprtant t fast develpment f the six emerging grwth sectrs identified in the Cmmissin's Industrial Plicy update: advanced manufacturing technlgies and clean prductin, key enabling technlgies, bi-based prducts, sustainable industrial and cnstructin plicy and raw materials, clean vehicles and smart grids. Entrepreneurship makes ecnmies mre cmpetitive and innvative and is crucial in achieving the bjectives f several Eurpean sectrial plicies. Cmmercialising new ideas imprves prductivity and creates wealth. Withut the jbs frm new 1

11 11 firms, average net emplyment grwth wuld be negative. New cmpanies, especially SMEs, represent the mst imprtant surce f new emplyment: they create mre than 4 millin new jbs every year in Eurpe. Hwever, entrepreneurship plicy nt always is directed twards the stimulatin f all its elements as well as all phases f the entrepreneurial prcess. In a variety f recent strategic dcuments the entrepreneurship plicy is equated with the small and medium enterprises (SME) plicy. Therefre, there is a need t define bth these plicies and the relatin between them It is recgnized, that entrepreneurship plicy is the base f SME plicy. Withut effrts t fster the develpment f psitive attitudes, mtivated individuals, startups, and yung emerging firms, the fundatin fr an efficient SME plicy is limited. There are tw main ways t distinguish entrepreneurship plicy frm SME plicy 1. The first is the breadth f plicy rientatin and instruments: While SME plicies fcus n firms (predminantly already existing SMEs), entrepreneurship plicy fcuses mre n entrepreneurs wh may be at different stages f the prcess f develping a new r early stage business. The secnd way is the fact that virtually every cuntry has a ministry r gvernmental agency charged with prmting the viability f the SME sectr. In cntrast, n such agencies exist t prmte entrepreneurship. In accrdance t the distinctins mentined abve, Stevensn and Lundstrm defined entrepreneurship plicy as: Plicy measures taken t stimulate entrepreneurship, that are aimed at the pre-start, the start-up and pst-start-up phases f the entrepreneurial prcess; designed and delivered t address the areas f mtivatin, pprtunity and skills; and with the primary bjective f encuraging mre peple t start their wn businesses. Furthermre, the rles f mtivatin (thrugh awareness), skills (thrugh knwledge, skills and abilities necessary fr explitatin f pprtunities) and pprtunity (thrugh the startup supprts) are emphasized here as the key fundatins f entrepreneurship plicy. S v L r : E r pr r h p P y f r h F r, 2001; O h R Entrepreneurship- Vlume 1 f the Entrepreneurship Plicy fr the Future Series, 2002.

12 12 Thus, the entrepreneurship plicy is mre directed twards the entrepreneurial develpment f sciety as the whle fr pssible ptential f entrepreneurship activity. It highlights the sft plicy measures, including entrepreneurial educatin, cnsultatins, imprvement f skills and capacities, prmtin f entrepreneurial culture and the like, as a vital frce in rder t enhance the willingness and pprtunities f peple t start their wn business. At the same time, entrepreneurship plicy als refers t the imprvement f general business envirnment in which all kinds f business activities can flurish. In the meanwhile, the SME plicy ften fcuses n already existing enterprises in a limited size scale and refers mre t hard plicy measures such as finance, infrastructure and equipment. In relatin t this strategic imprtance, the Eurpean Cmmissin is wrking with Member States, in particular by facilitating the sharing f experiences and fstering entrepreneurial attitudes. In additin, campaigns such as the Eurpean SME Week, and thers, have been launched t prmte the image f entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship is the mindset and prcess t create and develp ecnmic activity by blending risk-taking, creativity and/r innvatin with sund management, within a new r an existing rganisatin. The Entrepreneurship and Innvatin Prgramme (EIP), is the largest cmpnent f the Eurpean Unin s Cmpetitiveness and Innvatin Framewrk Prgramme fr the perid It directly and indirectly supprts entrepreneurial activity and innvatin amng businesses acrss Eurpe, prmtes better access t finance fr SMEs thrugh venture-capital investment and lan-guarantee instruments, and supprts plicy-making that encurages entrepreneurship and innvatin 1. Als, the new Prgramme fr the Cmpetitiveness f Enterprises and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (COSME) will run frm 2014 t 2020, has the Objectives f: facilitating access t finance fr Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs); creating an envirnment favurable t business creatin and grwth; encuraging an entrepreneurial culture in Eurpe; increasing the sustainable cmpetitiveness f EU cmpanies and helping small businesses perate utside their hme cuntries and imprving their access t markets. COSME has a planned budget f 2.5 bi (current prices) 2. The expected results f COSME are: Easier access t finance fr entrepreneurs and small businesses; Mre prminent rle fr self-emplyment and business develpment as imprtant surces f grwth and jb creatin; in individual EU cuntries: a mre cmpetitive industry, mre entrepreneurs and higher emplyment rates

13 13 Thrugh its varius prgrams, prjects and activities, the Eurpean Cmmissin has established a value chain f entrepreneurship in the EU, which is presented in the fllwing diagram. In this value chain, as is easily appreciable educatin and training plays a key rle. 2.2 ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATION POLICY IN EU The prmtin f entrepreneurship in educatin and training is an area that has been given brad pririty in the EU. The Eurpean Cmmissin has defined entrepreneurship as ne f eight key cmpetences in educatin and training. The Cuncil f the Eurpean Unin has recently determined fur strategic gals fr cllabratin in educatin and training, ne f which is t prmte creativity, innvatin and entrepreneurship at all educatinal levels. Emphasis is here placed n creativity and innvatin being prerequisites fr wealth creatin and fr Eurpe being internatinally cmpetitive. Cllabratin between different educatinal levels and wrking and business life is meant t help prmte innvatin and entrepreneurship in all frms f educatin. Due t the emphasis in the Lisbn prcess n ecnmic grwth, entrepreneurship and innvatin have been given increased attentin within the educatin systems. The EU member states have cmmitted themselves t increasing their effrts fr infrmal learning, t develping flexible study curses that prmte mbility and t encuraging cllabratin between universities and wrking life n innvatin and the transfer f knwledge. Entrepreneurship refers t an individual s ability t turn ideas int actin. It cvers creativity, innvatin and risk taking, and the ability t plan and manage prjects in rder t achieve bjectives. This supprts everyne in day-t-day life at hme and in sciety, makes emplyees mre aware f the cntext f their wrk and better able t seize pprtunities, and prvides a fundatin fr entrepreneurs setting up scial r cmmercial activities.

14 14 Entrepreneurship educatin and training are amng the key drivers in the prcess f building a strnger culture f entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial mindsets. With the help f entrepreneurship educatin, schls and ther educatinal institutins culd increase the awareness f entrepreneurship as a career chice, prmte yung peple s entrepreneurial spirit, and supprt the develpment f their entrepreneurial skills 1. Entrepreneurship educatin is a life-lng learning prcess and entrepreneurial mindset can be applied als in ther cntext fr enhanced creativity and innvatin. The questin is which plicies and strategies the Nrdic cuntries shuld prmte in rder t develp entrepreneurship educatin in the Nrdic regin. An entrepreneurial culture is best realized in cperatin with the peratinal envirnment accrding t the set strategy and bjectives. In general, Nrdic cuntries have the strategies fr entrepreneurship educatin in place, but the cuntries are in different stages f implementing the strategies. The reprt aims at presenting the current status f the implementatin as well as bringing up a range f gd prjects and practices. But, the crisis affects yet the engine fr this recvery has been stuttering: since 2004, the share f peple preferring self-emplyment t being an emplyee has drpped in 23 ut f the 27 EU Member States. While three years ag fr 45% f Eurpeans self-emplyment was their first chice, nw this percentage is dwn t 37%.7 By cntrast in the USA and China this prprtin is much higher: 51% and 56% respectively. Mrever, when new enterprises are funded, they grw mre slwly in the EU than in the USA r emerging cuntries, and fewer f them jin the ranks f the wrld's largest firms. In 2001 the Eurpean Cmmissin set up an expert grup fr training and educatin in entrepreneurship. The grup had members frm 16 cuntries. One f the grup s tasks was t arrive at a cmmn definitin f entrepreneurship in training and educatin. In Nvember 2002 the grup submitted its reprt with the definitin that the strategic plan and wrk n entrepreneurship in educatin is based n: Entrepreneurship is a dynamic and scial prcess where individuals, alne r in cllabratin, identify pprtunities fr innvatin and act upn these by transfrming ideas int practical and targeted activities, whether in a scial, cultural r ecnmic cntext. This definitin indicates the bjective f entrepreneurship in educatin. Entrepreneurship in educatin includes develpment bth f persnal qualities and attitudes and f frmal knwledge and skills:

15 15 1. Persnal qualities and attitudes that increase the prbability f a persn seeing pprtunities and ding smething abut them. Wrk n entrepreneurship in educatin must primarily place emphasis n develpment f persnal qualities and attitudes. In that way a basis is laid fr later utilizatin f knwledge and skills in active prductive wrk; Knwledge and skills cncerning what must be dne t establish a new enterprise, and cncerning hw t be successful in develping an idea int a practical, gal-riented enterprise. The fcus n entrepreneurship in educatin shall als encurage mre peple t attempt t becme entrepreneurs. Plicy cnclusins and recmmendatins frm the "Best Prcedure prject cncluded in nvember 2002 have fcussed n a number f issues t be cnsidered as crucial fr making prgress n entrepreneurship educatin in Eurpe. Sme f the identified key areas are used in this Sectin as a basis fr mnitring recent develpments at natinal level, highlighting necessary steps t be taken, utlining future perspectives. They are the fllwing: 1 - The natinal curriculum - Starting frm primary educatin - Internatinal netwrks, and prgrammes based n learning by ding - Training fr teachers - Creating a glbal framewrk - Translating plicy cmmitment int cncrete measures - Cllectin f quantitative data During recent years there has been increased natinal and internatinal emphasis n the interactin that takes place between higher educatin, research and innvatin, the s-called Knwledge Triangle. In a number f Cmmunicatins, the Eurpean Cmmissin stresses that the Knwledge Triangle is cnsidered essential if the bjectives f the Lisbn Strategy are t be achieved, and the Knwledge Triangle has been given an increasingly central psitin in the EU s 1 Expert Grup Reprt f Nvember 2002: m

16 plicy design. It is an bjective that cperatin between the stakehlders is t be prmted n all levels, reginally, natinally and within the EU. In the autumn f 2006 the Nrwegian authrities in cllabratin with the Eurpean Cmmissin rganised the cnference Entrepreneurship Educatin in Eurpe Fstering Entrepreneurial Mindsets thrugh Educatin and Learning. As a result f this cnference came The Osl Agenda fr Entrepreneurship Educatin in Eurpe. This dcument cntains a number f prpsed measures adapted t different types f stakehlders, where respnsible actrs can pick ut measures at the relevant level and adapt them t lcal cnditins. The EU has launched 2009 as the Eurpean Year fr Creativity and Innvatin, with the mtt Think. Create. Innvate. The bjective is t raise awareness f the imprtance f creativity fr the innvatin ability. In April 2009 the Nrdic Cuncil f Ministers entered int an agreement n strengthening cllabratin in educatinal matters in rder t prmte a culture fr entrepreneurship in the Nrdic cuntries. A majr initiative t this end was the establishment f the Eurpean Institute fr Innvatin and Technlgy (EIT) in The EIT is t prmte and integrate higher educatin, research and innvatin in majr areas f sciety. In 2008 an expert grup appinted by the Eurpean Cmmissin presented its reprt Entrepreneurship in Higher Educatin, especially within Nn-business Studies. This states that the educatin system has an imprtant rle t play in the prmtin f entrepreneurial attitudes and behaviur. The expert grup als believes that the benefits f educatin and training in entrepreneurship are nt limited t the establishment f enterprises, innvative prjects and new jbs. Entrepreneurship is cncerned with the individual s ability t transfer ideas t actin. As a qualificatin it is therefre suitable fr everyne, and can als help yung peple becme mre creative and give them greater selfcnfidence. In 2009, the Eurpean Cmmissin carried ut a pilt actin that brught tgether senir fficials frm the ministries f educatin and enterprise f EU Member States and EEA cuntries, alng with representatives frm stakehlder grups such as business rganizatins and teachers trade unins. There were ttal f fur High Level Reflectin Panels (HLRP) f which Iceland participated in the 1st HLRP (16-17 March 2009 in Lndn) and Denmark, Finland, Nrway and Sweden in the 2nd Panel (23-24 April 2009 in Stckhlm). After the panel meetings, a reprt Twards Greater Cperatin and Cherence in Entrepreneurship Educatin was published 1. The reprt stated that an ideal natinal Entrepreneurship Educatin strategy needs t cntain the fllwing five dimensins: - Develping the natinal strategy framewrk - Supprt t educatinal institutins DG Enterprise (2010), Twards Greater Cperatin and Cherence in Entrepreneurship Educatin: Reprt and Evaluatin f the Pilt Actin High Level Reflectin Panels n Entrepreneurship Educatin initiated by DG Enterprise and Industry and DG Educatin and Culture,

17 17 - Teacher educatin and training - Develping an active rle fr lcal and reginal authrities - Engaging with businesses and private assciatins and rganizatins 1. Als, the Eurpean Cmmissin has recently published a reprt n the impact f entrepreneurship prgrammes at university 1. The study shws clearly that entrepreneurship educatin makes a difference. Students wh cmpleted entrepreneurial prgrammes and activities displayed mre entrepreneurial attitudes and intentins, gt a jb earlier after finishing their studies, culd innvate mre even as emplyees in a firm, and start up mre cmpanies. Finally, In The Eurpe 2020 Strategy, the UE prpses three areas fr immediate interventin: 2 Entrepreneurial educatin and training t supprt grwth and business creatin; New fundatins: increasing the prevalence and quality f entrepreneurial learning. Educatin shuld be brught t life thrugh practical experiential learning mdels and experience f real-wrld entrepreneurs. Defined entrepreneurial learning utcmes fr all educatrs are needed, t intrduce effective entrepreneurial learning methdlgies int the classrm. Practical entrepreneurial experiences can als be gained utside educatin. Yung peple shuld be encuraged t develp entrepreneurial skills thrugh infrmal and nnfrmal educatin like vlunteering. Such experiences shuld als be validated and recgnized, in accrdance with the prpsed Cmmissin recmmendatin in this area. Partnerships with businesses can ensure that educatin and training curricula are relevant t the real wrld. Initiatives such as the VET21-Business frum and Sectr Skills Alliances prvide rutes t invlve business. Educatin institutins shuld be encuraged t becme mre entrepreneurial in their wider apprach, t ensure that they develp and live a culture f entrepreneurship and innvatin thrugh their missins, leadership, stakehlder engagement, curricula and learning utcme. Higher educatin fr entrepreneurship. The rle f higher educatin in entrepreneurship ges far beynd the delivery f knwledge t participating in ecsystems, partnerships and industrial alliances. With high-tech and highgrwth enterprises increasingly becming a fcus f entrepreneurship-related public plicies, higher educatin institutins are an active cmpnent f the innvatin plicies f Member States and EU. The Eurpean Institute f Technlgy (EIT) has pineered the rle f entrepreneurship as a key enabler f innvatin n EU level and is 1 Eurpean Cmmissin (2012), Effects and impact f entrepreneurship prgrammes in higher educatin 2 Entrepreneurship 2020 actin plan, reigniting the entrepreneurial spirit in eurpe. Cmmunicatin frm the Cmmissin t the Eurpean Parliament, the cuncil, the eurpean ecnmic and scial cmmittee and the cmmittee f the regins. Brussels, january 2013.

18 18 helping t bridge the gap between educatin and innvatin fr industry. A number f start-ups have already been created ut f the EIT's Knwledge and Innvatin Cmmunities (KICs). Strengthening framewrk cnditins fr entrepreneurs by remving existing structural barriers and supprting them in crucial phases f the business lifecycle. There are six key areas where actin is needed t remve existing bstacles impeding their creatin and grwth: Access t finance; Supprt fr entrepreneurs in the crucial phases f the business lifecycle and their grwth; Unleashing new business pprtunities in the digital age; Transfers f businesses; Bankruptcy prcedures and secnd chance fr hnest entrepreneurs; Regulatry burden reductin. Dynamising the culture f entrepreneurship in Eurpe: nurturing the new generatin f entrepreneurs. With New hrizns initiatives: reaching ut t wmen, senirs, migrants, and the unemplyed and yung peple. The Cmmissin will: - Develp a pan-eurpean entrepreneurial learning initiative bringing tgether existing Eurpean and natinal expertise fr impact analysis, knwledge sharing, develpment f methdlgies and peer mentring between practitiners frm Member States. - Reinfrce c-peratin with the Member States t assess the intrductin f entrepreneurship educatin in each cuntry based n real experience and t supprt public administratins wishing t learn frm successful peers. - Establish, jintly with the OECD, a guidance framewrk t encurage the develpment f entrepreneurial schls and VET institutins. - Prmte the recgnitin and validatin f entrepreneurial learning in an infrmal r nn-frmal learning envirnment. - Disseminate the entrepreneurial university guidance framewrk in early 2013; facilitate exchange between universities interested in applying the framewrk; gradually prmte it t the EU Higher Educatin Institutins; - Endrse successful mechanisms f university-driven business creatin (spin-ffs etc.) and emerging university-business ecsystems arund key scietal challenges.

19 19 The Member States are invited t: Ensure that the key cmpetence "entrepreneurship" is embedded int curricula acrss primary, secndary, vcatinal, higher and adult educatin befre the end f Offer the pprtunity t yung peple t have at least ne practical entrepreneurial experience befre leaving cmpulsry educatin, such as running a mini-cmpany, being respnsible fr an entrepreneurial prject fr a cmpany r a scial prject; Bst entrepreneurial training fr yung peple and adults in educatin by means f Structural Funds resurces in line with natinal jb plan,.ntably the Eurpean Scial Fund (ESF) in line with Natinal Jb Plans, particularly as a tl fr secnd chance educatin fr thse nt engaged in educatin, emplyment r training. Take full advantage f the training pssibilities available under the rural develpment fund - Eurpean Agricultural Fund fr Rural Develpment (EAFRD). Prmte entrepreneurial learning mdules fr yung peple participating in natinal Yuth Guarantee schemes.

20 20 3. EUROPEAN BENCHMARKING: ENTREPRENEUR CAPABILITY & SKYLLS POLICY 3.1 THE EC&SP IN NORWAY Our first case study, it s Nrway. Is the cuntry mre representative f what has been called the Nrdic mdel f develpment, with nly an estimated ppulatin f 4.9 millin, reached the billin dllars in 2011 (GDP, current U.S. $), and the secnd highest GDP per capita in the EU (GDP PPP in $ fr 2012) 1. Nrway is ne f the first cuntries in Eurpe that launched a specific strategy t encurage entrepreneurship in educatin at natinwide. Which ne makes this Nrdic cuntry a representative case study and an bligatry reference. SME S OVERVIEW Nrway has a business grund dminated by SMEs. Fr 2010, the SME s were , accunting fr 99.8% f all enterprises, which they ffered jbs. The largest numbers f SMEs are t be fund in the whlesale and retail trade, cnstructin and real estate. In terms f emplyment, the tp three sectrs are whlesale & retail, cnstructin and manufacturing. Mining and quarrying is by far the mst imprtant sectr fr SMEs in terms f value added. This shws the reliance f Nrway`s ecnmy n the extractin f hydrcarbns. In 2010, the average number f emplyees per SME in Nrway is 3.68, which is belw the EU average (4.22) 2. The Small Business Act SBA fr Nrway s (see spider chart), shws results that are abve the EU average in almst all areas, except single market The gdp in Brazil nt reach the 11 thusand dllars per capita fr the same perid. Wrld Bank Cuntry Database. 2 See SBA Fact Sheet Nrway 2012, DG Enterprise and Industry, Eurpean Cmmissin, 2013.

21 21 The rate f pprtunity entrepreneurship (thse fr whm running their wn business was their first career chice) is 3% abve the EU average. Nrway utperfrms the EU average in mst f the remaining indicatrs in this dimensin. The csts f clsing dwn a business in Nrway are extremely lw cmpared t the EU average. 1. In think small first, Nrway beats the EU average by a wide margin fr the tw indicatrs that measure Cmmunicatin and simplificatin f rules and regimes and the Burden f gvernment regulatins. It is quite remarkable that the start-up time fr a new business in Nrway is half the EU average. Starting a business in Nrway is als much cheaper. The same applies t the number f tax payments nly fur cmpared t EU average f 15 and the time needed t cmply with these requirements (87 as cmpared t 206 hurs). Nrway is als a rle mdel in that it ffers all basic public services nline, cmpared t the average f 89 % fr the EU. SMEs have access t a wider range f e-prcurement services (92 % versus 73 %), and are paid much mre quickly than their EU cunterparts (14 days cmpared t 25 days) 1. On the plicy frnt, the Nrwegian Gvernment has publicly supprted the intrductin f the Eurpean Cmmissin's prpsals n public prcurement. One f the new prvisins enables cntracts ver half a millin eur t be divided int smaller parts ("lts"), s that SMEs can participate mre easily and gain access t public prcurement. In Internatinalizatin, Nrway s strng perfrmance in this area serves as a rle mdel fr the EU cuntries. All indicatrs describing the trading perfrmance f Nrwegian SMEs pint in a psitive directin. The remaining indicatrs describing the administrative resurces required fr trading frm and t Nrway fr SMEs are als very strng. Hwever, sme patterns are emerging: althugh the csts f exprting and imprting appear t be slightly lwer than the EU average, it takes cnsiderably lnger t engage in trading (in bth cases, SMEs have t take int accunt an extra fur days cmpared t the EU average). In additin, the indicatrs tracking the administrative burden by simply cunting the number f dcuments required t exprt and imprt als put Nrway way ahead f the EU average. 1 Nrdic entrepreneurship Mnitr, NORDEN Nrdic Cuncil f Ministers, 2011.

22 22 NATIONAL EDUCATION STRATEGY Entrepreneurship has received increased plitical attentin. A number f initiatives have been intrduced since the first Gvernment entrepreneurship strategy in S far, mst plicy instruments in this area have fcused n remving barriers t entrepreneurship and nurturing an entrepreneurial culture. Merging narrw, sectr specific instruments int brader, sectr neutral instruments has been a deliberate strategy f Gvernment ver the recent 5-10 years. Hence, measures such as the R&D tax deductin scheme and prgrammes fr user driven innvatin are amng the mst pwerful tls fr grwth entrepreneurship and fr innvatin plicy in general. In the recent years an increasing share f funding and instruments have been fcusing n green innvatins and green technlgies In 2012, the Gvernment annunced the establishment f six new funds fr increasing seed capital supply t startup cmpanies with grwth ptential. The ttal capital is suppsed t reach 3 billin NOK (410 millin EUR), with a 50/50 share between public and private surces 1. In respnse t the financial crisis, startup grants t cmpanies with grwth ptential were substantially increased, but have nw been cnsiderably reduced, fllwing a general phasing ut f the measures. In its budget prpsal fr 2013 the Gvernment intrduced increase in funding fr startup grants, with a special emphasis n cmpanies at an early stage (less than 3 years ld). The expansin cncerns grants n the natinal level, thus aviding the risk f mismatch with funding and entrepreneurship in reginally riented grants. Reducing administrative burdens has a high pririty in Nrway. One f the cncrete actins is that audit requirement fr cmpanies with annual revenues f less than 5 millin NOK ( EUR) was ablished in This change is expected t reduce the administrative burdens fr up t cmpanies. The capital threshld fr starting a limited cmpany has als been reduced frm t NOK (4 000 EUR). In additin, the s-called Altinn electrnic prtal will be strengthened and further develped in rder t allw easier and mre effective reprting prcedures fr cmpanies 2. The 2013 budget prpsal includes an increase f 100 millin NOK t further develpment f the Altinn prtal. A new Invest in Nrway ffice will be established, fllwing an initiative launched by the Gvernment in Innvatin Nrway has started t develp a dedicated High-Grwth Prgramme, where selected cmpanies will receive special supprt and guidance thrugh different phases f their business cycle. Nevertheless, Nrway was ne f the first Eurpean cuntries t develp a natinal strategy plan fr entrepreneurship in the schl system. In the field f entrepreneurship educatin and skill, Nrway implemented three natinal initiatives:

23 23 Strategic plan fr entrepreneurship in educatin and training: See the pprtunities and make them wrk, This Plan was carried ut fr three ministries: The Ministry f Trade and Industry, the Ministry f Educatin and Research, and the Ministry f Lcal Gvernment and Reginal Develpment. The purpse f the strategy is t prfile entrepreneurship as an educatinal bjective and training strategy. With the gvernment visin f Entrepreneurship in the educatin system shall renew educatin in this and create quality and multiplicity in rder t fster creativity and innvatin in Nrway. A strategy fr entrepreneurship in educatin and training is a strategy t strengthen the individual s ability t see and explit pprtunities in an ecnmic, scial and cultural cntext. 1. We wish t mtivate and inspire educatinal institutins, municipalities and cunty municipalities t plan and firmly establish training in entrepreneurship in cllabratin with trade and industry and ther relevant stakehlders in the lcal envirnment. A deliberate, gal-riented fcus n entrepreneurship will cntribute t develpment f an innvative culture in all parts f the cuntry. This is a culture that will prmte entrepreneurship, thereby prmting innvatin and rethinking, as well as the ability t take the initiative and calculated risks. The educatinal system has a rle t play in stimulating attitudes and behaviur that prmte the capacity fr cllabratin, creativity and innvatin in children and yung peple. This must take place thrugh lng-term wrk with satisfactry prgressin 1. The target grup fr the strategy is primarily thse wh are respnsible fr educatin at all levels f the educatinal system. Varius stakehlders wh supprt entrepreneurship in their sectrs, in this strategy will find a cmprehensive plan and verview f the wrk. The respnsibility fr crdinatin lies with the Directrate fr Educatin and Training and the Ministry f Educatin and Research wh justify their implementatin n: Encuraging entrepreneurship is essential t the develpment f trade and industry thrughut Nrway. Newly established enterprises can cntribute t strengthening the lcal labur market and the lcal business sectr inasmuch as such new enterprises will ften emerge where their Funders live. New wrkplaces will give yung peple greater freedm f chice regarding chice f dmicile. The plan was develped thrugh the jint effrts f the teams f the three Ministries directly invlved and an expert bdy the Directrate fr Educatin and Training. The plan cmprises the entire educatinal career frm primary schl t cllege and university, including teacher training. With the fllwing specific gals by educatinal level: 1 See the pprtunities and make them wrk, Strategic Plan fr Entrepreneurship in Educatin and Training

24 24 Primary gal: The educatin system shall cntribute t prductive wrk and innvatin by encuraging acquisitin f knwledge and skills, enjyment and mastery f wrk, independence and cmmunity feeling in pupils, students and teachers at all levels, and develpment f a culture prpagating entrepreneurship. Gals at all levels f educatin and training: A cmprehensive and well-funded fcus n entrepreneurship that includes public and private sectr parties; Increased cllabratin between educatinal institutins; and business and cmmunity life; Entrepreneurship fcus in reginal develpment plicy; Increased cntact with educatin systems in ther cuntries, increased cntact with internatinal netwrks and greater pprtunities fr pupils and students t gain internatinal experience, a training that prvides variatin and challenges in varius learning arenas. Gals f primary, lwer and upper secndary educatin and training: Schl-wners wh pave the way fr entrepreneurship in training; Pupils with scial and prfessinal subject curricula skills and attitudes that prmte creativity and innvatin; Increased cmpetence in teachers in schls cncerning prviding entrepreneurship training; Schls that develp and utilize varied wrk frms and new methds; Mre pupil and yuth enterprises at lwer secndary level and in upper secndary educatin and training, and mre pupils taking part in this; Increased use f partnership agreements and similar cllabratin with lcal businesses. Gals f higher educatin: Increased extent and breadth f entrepreneurship prvisin fr students; Mre student enterprises and mre students participating in these; An increased degree f cllabratin between universities/clleges and the business sectr;

25 25 Dctral schlars in the fields f entrepreneurship and innvatin; Training in entrepreneurship prvided in mre prgrammes f study; An increased range f entrepreneurship curses fr teachers. Gals f teacher training Increased cmpetence in entrepreneurship in prviders f teacher training Reinfrcement f wrk n entrepreneurship in the general teacher training prgramme Increased cllabratin between teacher training and lcal business life Mre teachers and schl managers wh take curses in entrepreneurship. This plan ends in 2008, and is currently being evaluated. It is nt knwn if there will be a fllw-up t this plan. With the cntributin f this Plan, Nrway beats the EU average by a large margin in terms f bth the share f enterprises prviding training and the share f emplyee taking part in educatin and training. The rate f Enterprises prviding training t their emplyees fr 2005 was 86% fr Nrway, (EU average 58%). Als, the emplyees s participatin rate in educatin and training was 19% fr 2010 (EU average f 11%) 1. In 2008, 21 f the state university clleges and universities reprted that they ffered prgrammes f study in entrepreneurship, varying frm individual curses t cmplete master s degree prgrammes. Amng these there are curses and degree prgrammes fr teachers, ecnmists, technlgists and the turism trade as well as crss-disciplinary curses 2. Actin Plan Entrepreneurship in Educatin and Training, frm cmpulsry schl t higher educatin in This Plan was launched in September The implementatin f this plan cmes frm the results f the previus plan assessment cnducted in The results f the evaluatin indicated amng ther things a marked increase in the number f pupils and students that have taken part in different types f entrepreneurship training, especially in primary and secndary educatin. The evaluatin cncluded that it is necessary t expand effrts in a number f areas s as t prmte entrepreneurship in teaching and learning n all levels The SBA Fact-Sheet Nrway, Ibid, pag.3.

26 26 Cnsequently, the bjective f this secnd Plan is t strengthen the quality f and the scpe f entrepreneurship educatin and training at all levels and areas f the educatin system. Internatinally Nrway shall be a leading frce when it cmes t entrepreneurship in educatin and training. Entrepreneurship cmpetence is relevant fr all areas f wrking and business life, in bth new and established activities and enterprises. Vluntary rganisatins/assciatins, freign aid and develpment wrk and the cultural sectr are als imprtant areas f sciety where entrepreneurship and innvatinal prcesses are relevant 1. Entrepreneurship in educatin and training may be bth theretically and practically riented. Training in entrepreneurship can be rganised as a separate subject r be integrated as a way f wrking in ther subjects. Entrepreneurship can be a tl and a wrking methd t stimulate learning in different subjects and in basic skills. Entrepreneurship in educatin and training may als further develp persnal characteristics and attitudes. The training may fcus n imparting knwledge n hw t start ne s wn business and abut innvative and grund-breaking prcesses in existing enterprises (see figure abve). 1. The main target grups fr this Actin Plan are leaders and wners f educatinal institutins, teaching staff, as well as pupils and students. Entrepreneurship in educatin and training must cmply with the verarching fundamental principle in Nrwegian educatinal plicy: that it must be given brad pririty and made available fr everyne, adapted t the individual s abilities and needs. Hw the training in entrepreneurship actually takes place, is rganised by the individual educatinal institutin. Hwever, this wrk requires cllabratin and effrts frm a number f parties, including: Private actrs: business and industry, and cmmercial and industrial rganisatins Organisatins: pupil and student rganisatins, the scial partners, Junir Achievement-Yung Enterprise Nrway 1 Entrepreneurship in Educatin and Training, frm cmpulsry schl t higher educatin in

27 27 1. (JA-YE Nrway), STARTNrway and the Nrwegian Assciatin f Lcal and Reginal Authrities (KS) Public actrs: Innvatin Nrway, the Research Cuncil f Nrway, SIVA, municipalities, cunty authrities and ther reginal develpment actrs, the Directrate f Educatin and Training, the Ministry f Educatin and Research, the Ministry f Trade and Industry and the Ministry f Lcal Gvernment and Reginal Develpment. Thanks t the results f previus and current plan, the entrepreneurship educatin is explicitly recgnized at all schl levels as crss-curricular bjective and as part f ther subjects. It is integrated in the Natinal Curriculum fr knwledge Prmtin in Primary and Secndary Educatin and Training. It is embedded in the themes and aims f the Cre Curriculum, in the clauses f the Quality Framewrk and in the cmpetence aims f the varius subject curricula: In ISCED 2, entrepreneurship educatin is part f the cmpulsry subject 'Scial studies' and f many new ptinal subjects t be intrduced. In ISCED 3, it is part f the cmpulsry subject 'Scial studies' and it is taught as a separate ptinal subject 'Entrepreneurship and business develpment'. The Ministry annunces t the Parliament the inclusin f entrepreneurship as a subject in the develpment f new ffers fr ptinal subjects frm the schl year 2012/13. The prpsed changes t the natinal curriculum were apprved by the Parliament (Strting) n 9 January Als, in recent years a number f universities and university clleges have established separate units fr entrepreneurship, creativity and innvatin, such as the Centre fr Entrepreneurship at the University f Osl, the University f Stavanger, the University f Agder and the Nrwegian University f Science and Technlgy (NTNU). Bergen University Cllege has established a Centre f Innvatin in cllabratin with the Nrwegian Schl f Ecnmics and Business Administratin and the University f Bergen. As a fllw-up t this, sme institutins have established different variants f pre-incubatrs r incubatrs. The University f Stavanger, fr example, has established a student incubatr, Osl University Cllege has a pre-incubatr and NTNU has an innvatin centre. Dctral degrees have been awarded in the field f entrepreneurship and prfessrships have been established at the University f Osl, NTNU, the University f Agder and Bdø University Cllege, amng thers 2. T attain the main bjective f the Plan, the Actin Plan here prpses measures that aim t 1 (nly NO). 2 See their respective websites.

28 28 strengthen effrts cncerning entrepreneurship in educatin and training, as well as a tracking system. Glbal Entrepreneurship Training Prgramme (GET) 1. Frm 2010, a new prgramme Glbal Entrepreneurship Training is aimed at entrepreneurs and executives f Nrwegian start-up cmpanies with internatinal grwth ptential wh want t develp their skills t succeed glbally. The Glbal Entrepreneurship Training (GET) aims t plant hpe, mtivatin, and cnfidence in the minds f the peple t bring abut a psitive change built n hnesty and integrity in them, in their wrk, and in their lcal cmmunities. A tangible utput GET intends t prduce via the prgram is t enable participants t 1) identify either a lcal need r an advantage 2) t create ethical ventures/ideas t satisfy thse needs r 3) t utilize the advantage t generate revenue. Big picture- by prducing ventures, jbs penings, and innvative ideas, GET anticipates pverty reductin and ecnmic stabilizatin. The cre f the prgramme is a fiveday executive curse at Babsn Cllege in Bstn fllwed by field wrk f ne week r lnger, at any Innvatin Nrway incubatr ffice in the Americas. Babsn Cllege is the number ne USA teaching institutin n the subject f entrepreneurship. The fllwing industries are in particular encuraged t apply: ICT, medical technlgy, il & gas, and clean technlgy. 1. KEY INSTITUTIONS There are three ministries that are actively invlved in Entrepreneurship plicy; The Ministry f Trade and Industry, the Ministry f Educatin and Research, and the Ministry f Lcal Gvernment and Reginal Develpment. There are als three state wned rganizatins that are the main rganizatins fr entrepreneurship at a natinal level; The Industrial Develpment Crpratin (SIVA), Innvatin Nrway and the Nrwegian Research Cuncil. Entrepreneurship plicy in Nrway is primarily the respnsibility f the Ministry f Trade and Industry, and the Ministry als crdinates the Gvernment s innvatin plicy. The Ministry f Lcal Gvernment and Reginal Develpment has a majr rle in prmting entrepreneurship with a reginal perspective. When it cmes t the framewrk cnditins, the Ministry f Finance, the Ministry f Labr and the Ministry f Educatin and Research are als imprtant players. On the peratinal level, mst funding and instruments are cncentrated arund three agencies; 1) Innvatin Nrway, which is respnsible fr lans, grants and advice fr business and reginal develpment, 2) The Research Cuncil f Nrway, which is respnsible fr mst R&D related instruments and 3) SIVA, the Industrial develpment Cperatin, which aims at strng reginal and industrial clusters thrugh infrastructure, investment and knwledge netwrks and instruments (see the next chart). 1

29 29 These natinal actrs are als sme f the mst imprtant actrs fr Entrepreneurship plicy at the reginal level. The mst imprtant mtivatr fr entrepreneurship is Junir Achievement Yung Enterprise Nrway, which teaches business skills t students f all ages. JA-YE Nrway receives funding frm the Ministry f Trade and Industry, and The Ministry f Gvernment and Reginal Develpment. The Nrwegian gvernment aims t be a driving frce and partner in the wrk with entrepreneurship in educatin.

30 THE EC&SP IN FINLAND Finland is ur secnd case f this Benchmarking and als it s a Nrdic cuntry. It has an estimated ppulatin f 5.3 millin and GDP f 263 billin f dllar by SME S OVERVIEW Finland has 212,508 SME by 2011, cntributing at 61.7% f ttal emplyment (869, 776 jbs) and 57% f ttal value added (49 billns) fr this year 1. The specific difference with respect t the Eurpean average SME s is made up f Finnish cmpany s hi-tech manufacturing and knwledge-intensive services. As is the case elsewhere in the EU, the majrity, i.e. tw-thirds, f SMEs are rather lwtech and nt knwledge intensive. Still, Finland basts a cnsiderably strnger base f high- and mid- t high-tech SMEs (e.g. cmputer, electrnics and ptical prducts as well as electrical equipment, pharmaceuticals and chemical prducts) than mst f its EU partners. The 3513 Finnish SMEs in these sectrs represent 16% f all SMEs (EU: 12%), they emply slightly mre than peple (28% f all manufacturing jbs, EU: 21 %) and create mre than a third f the ttal value-added in manufacturing (34%, vs. 30 %). The same hlds true fr the knwledgeintensive services in Finland. 1. Finland s SBA prfile culd serve as a benchmark fr all ther EU Member States. In nine ut f ten SBA areas, Finland utperfrms the rest f the EU, and in mst cases by a wide margin. Single market is the nly area which is in line with the EU 1 SBA Fact-Sheet Finland 2012, EC, 2013.

31 31 average. Given Finland s high level f achievement, it is natural that in mst f the SBA areas it is cnslidating its excellent psitin rather than further imprving it. Exceptins are Respnsive administratin, Skills and innvatin and Internatinalisatin. In these areas, Finland nt nly has a high r abve-eu average perfrmance level but is als n curse fr further cnsiderable imprvements (as the cnslidated cmpund grwth rates fr these indicatrs shw fr the perid ). Finland has implemented quite a few SBA measures t prmte small business. The mst imprtant f these has fcused n securing small business access t finance and refrming cmpetitin in public prcurement, as well as facilitating electrnic transactins. Finland remains the EU leader in Entrepreneurship with the highest verall scre f all EU-27 cuntries. There is little substantial change in mst f the individual indicatrs as cmpared t last year; Finland cntinues t cme first in the EU n three f eight indicatrs (entrepreneurship rate, the status f entrepreneurs in sciety and media attentin fr entrepreneurs). Finland has the largest percentage f adults wh think that successful entrepreneurs enjy a high status (almst 87% in Finland versus 71% fr the EU as a whle). Finland als has the highest scre n tw ther frnts: media attentin fr entrepreneurship and the prprtin f adults wh feel that schl educatin helps t instil an entrepreneurial mindset (55%; EU: 49%). Against this backdrp, it is hardly surprising that 45% f Finns (as ppsed t 28% f EU citizens verall) think it wuld be feasible fr them t start their wn business. As secnd chance measures, in Finland, clsing dwn a business takes much less time (less than ne year as ppsed t almst tw years) and csts much less (4 % f the debtr s estate versus almst 11 %) than in the EU as a whle. This creates a much mre favurable envirnment fr a business restart than in mst ther EU cuntries. The scres fr the Respnsive administratin indicatrs shw that Finland has the mst SME-friendly envirnment in the EU. This ranking is based n abve-average perfrmances fr nine ut f ten indicatrs. On all cunts (csts and time needed t start a business, transfer, number f tax payments, etc.), Finland scres much better than the EU average. The cst f enfrcing cntracts remains a particular strng pint. This is abut a third cheaper in Finland than in the EU as a whle (13% cmpared t almst 21%). The nly area where Finland is nt ahead f its EU peers is the start-up time (14 days) where Finland s perfrmance is in line with the EU average. Plicy wise, the bureaucracy fr small firms in the fd industry has been reduced since September A firm starting a new business needs t annunce this at least fur weeks befrehand, but n advance apprval is needed. Furthermre, an inverse value-added tax in the cnstructin sectr has been intrduced. Accrding t the new law the buyer (instead f seller) is bliged t pay the VAT. The refrm is aimed at reducing the grey ecnmy SBA Fact-Sheet Finland 2012.

32 32 Finland is als the EU s tp perfrmer in access t finance fr SMEs. While SMEs in many ther EU cuntries struggle t btain finance, especially in the frm f bank lans, Finland s SMEs appear t be largely unaffected by such prblems. In terms f access t credit, Finland cntinues t scre well n all indicatrs except fr the relative difference in interest rate levels between lans abve EUR1 millin and lans belw that threshld. Finland perfrms best n the willingness f banks t prvide lans: nly 1% f SMEs (last year 0 %) reprted deteriratin in banks attitudes in this regard, the best scre f all EU Member States. Finland has als made inrads as regards the cst f credit fr small firms (SME-sized credits) 1. The mark-up last year fr smaller lans was higher in Finland than in the EU as a whle (30% cmpared t 24 %); this year, the mark-up fell t 19%, which is practically n par with the EU average. Payment delays remained relatively shrt nly 23 days cmpared t the EU average f 53 days and s did payment lsses nly 1.9 % f ttal turnver (EU: 2.9%). Bth factrs had a psitive effect n the cash-flw situatin f SMEs. Access t venture capital is als abve average, while the indicatrs describing the basic regulatry characteristics f the financial market, such as the legal rights f creditrs and depth f credit infrmatin, shw a mre mixed and rather average picture verall. In February 2011, the Finnish gvernment and the Exprt Credit Agency decided t award EUR 700 millin in investment lans fr The financial prblems f SMEs in particular are larger than befre the ecnmic recessin, s this type f financing is needed as a cmplement t the financial markets. New cnditins fr financing firms due t ecnmic recessin were intrduced in February On 3 February 2011, the public-wned credit agency (Finnvera) extended the maximum lan time frm six t ten years, imprving the financing prspects fr SMEs in particular. On 21 December 2011, the gvernment agreed t extend Finnvera s cunter-cyclical financing by ne year (t the end f 2012) n accunt f the weakening ecnmic climate in Finland s strng perfrmance in the SBA area Skills and innvatin last year was cnfirmed again this year with little change n mst indicatrs. Finland scres abve average, and n the same level as Germany, Denmark, the United Kingdm and Belgium. As was the case last year, Finland perfrms well in terms f the innvatin capability f SMEs. Fur ut f the five innvatin indicatrs shw abve average scres: SMEs intrducing prduct r prcess innvatins, Sales f new-t-market and new-t-firm innvatins, innvative SMEs cllabrating with thers and SMEs innvating in-huse. These results cnfirm the findings f the Entrepreneurship sectin abve as regards the relatively high prprtin f hi-tech SMEs, particularly in manufacturing. Only when it cmes t intrducing marketing and rganisatinal innvatins d Finnish SMEs lag behind their EU cunterparts by sme margin. Als, Finland scres well abve the average n the indicatrs fr skills develpment and training: 77 % f SMEs in Finland engage in training, as cmpared t nly 58 % in the EU as a whle. Als, many mre emplyees f micr

33 33 firms participate in educatin and training in Finland than in the EU n average (26% cmpared t abut 11%). Plicy wise, in the beginning f 2011, the R&D tax premium was increased frm 8 t 10%. This refrm applies t all firms but is especially imprtant fr small R&Dintensive firms. In 2010, the gvernment intrduced simplified e-invicing. The Patent Law Refrm in 2010 led t a reductin in the fees fr new patents. Patent fees nly apply after five years. A similar reductin in fees was brught in under the trademark law refrm. The first three years are free f fees. Finally, in internatinalisatin indicatr the best scres are fr the csts assciated with exprting t and imprting frm cuntries utside the EU. Exprt csts, fr instance, are less than 52 % f the EU average ($ 540 cmpared t $1 032). In the case f imprts, the difference is mre than 43% ($620 cmpared t $ 1 101). In additin, Finnish SMEs take less time (three days less than the EU average) t imprt and exprt their prducts. This cnsistently psitive picture is runded ff by the smaller number f dcuments that are required fr trading (bth exprting and imprting). NATIONAL STRATEGY Entrepreneurship educatin has been a part f Finnish natinal basic educatin curricula since Hwever, natinally and internatinally a measurement system cncerning teachers actins in entrepreneurship educatin was missing and therefre a natinal prject was launched in MTEE prject, c-funded by Eurpean Scial Fund, was targeting at this challenge by creating an assessment tl fr teachers f basic and secndary educatin. Tw ministries and sixteen external rganizatins directly are invlved in frmulating strategy. Steering grup fr entrepreneurship educatin was first set up in 2002 and the third time since then. Entrepreneurship is emphasized in the latest 5-year develpment Plan fr Educatin and Research (Ministry f Educatin and Culture, , fllwing the ne fr ). The gal fr the Gvernment is t make Finland the mst cmpetent cuntry in the wrld by The aim is that Finland will be placed amng the OECD tp cuntries in majr cmparisns f yung peple s and adults learning utcmes, in the number f schl drputs and in the relative number f higher educatin graduates amng yung and lder adults. Measures will be taken t reduce inheritance f educatin and t minimise gender differences in learning utcmes, participatin in educatin and in the cmpletin f studies. The specific bjective f this Plan is prmtin f entrepreneurship at all levels and imprving the c-peratin between educatin and wrk life 1. A primary aim fr the Gvernment is t enhance the cmpetitiveness f Finnish knwledge and cmpetence. As the wrking-age ppulatin keeps decreasing 1. 1 Educatin and Research A develpment plan. Reprts f the Ministry f Educatin and Culture, Finland 2012

34 34 and the yung age grups getting smaller, the challenge is t ensure a high level f cmpetence and sufficient wrkfrce by fields and regins. Measures will be taken t update the cntent f educatin and training and t enhance the quality, efficiency and impact f the peratins f educatinal institutins. The decreasing age grups make it pssible t cut the prvisin f educatin in a cntrlled way. Research standards will be raised and measures will be taken t secure research prerequisites. Educatin plicy is built n the lifelng learning principle. Learning skills start develping early in pre-primary and basic educatin, and input int these will prevent exclusin at a later stage. In a cnstantly changing sciety, favurable develpment f learning skills is f primary imprtance. Lifelng learning plicy entails that transitins frm ne level t anther and frm educatin t the labur market are as flexible as pssible. Learning des nt end with a degree r qualificatin gained in yuth but cntinues thrughut adult life. In all educatin and training, attentin will be paid t the recgnitin f prir learning s that knwledge and skills gained earlier within and utside the educatin system can be cunted twards a qualificatin as fully as pssible. An adult educatin and training system cmprising all the levels f educatin creates a basis fr respnding t the cmpetence requirements in wrking life and fr ffering highquality services fr self-imprvement, fr instance, in liberal adult educatin. In this natinal prgramme, Finland cmmits itself t raising yung peple s level f educatin and reducing the prprtin f early schl-leavers. In the strategy, Finland sets a cncrete aim t raise the share f 30-t-34-year lds wh have higher educatin diplmas t at least 42 per cent. Accrding t the plicy line recrded in the Gvernment Prgramme, by 2020 ver 90 per cent f the 20-t-24- year-lds will have a pst-cmpulsry qualificatin. Level f educatin amng the ppulatin will be raised, especially in the next fields: - Actin prgramme fr equal pprtunity in educatin; - Equal access t educatin enhanced by municipal refrm; - Availability f cmpetent wrkfrce; - Educatin supply targeted in respnse t labur market needs; - Lifelng learning and guidance cunselling; - Immigrants participatin in educatin and training; - Strnger links between educatin and wrking life; - Active citizenship; - Natinal languages strategy and enlarged language reserve; - Infrmatin and cmmunicatins technlgies in educatin; - Student welfare services t be imprved; - Better access t basic educatin in the arts. As is easily nticeable, actins t develp each f the indicatrs in these fields. Nw, it detail that we care mre fr the purpses f this study. Availability f cmpetent wrkfrce. Fr sme time nw, Finland has based its cmpetitiveness n high-standard knwledge and skills n higher educatin and n strng prfessinal cmpetence, n the

35 35 innvativeness thus engendered and n rapid utilisatin f innvatins in prductin. The prblem with the availability f wrkfrce may evlve int a bttleneck in the cmpetence-driven cmpetitin strategy. A wrst-case scenari wuld be that businesses encuntering difficulties with access t wrkfrce increasingly utsurce als their planning and design abrad. Access t cmpetent wrkfrce can be imprved and the unfavurable develpment f the care rati can be cmpensated thrugh measures imprving the efficiency f the educatin system and the targeting f the educatin and training supply. In terms f educatin plicy, this means: Shrtening the verall time spent in educatin and training and the average age at the time f qualificatin by means f shrtening the time spent at each level f educatin, expediting transitin phases, reducing unnecessary dubling in educatin and enhancing the recgnitin f prir learning; Imprving the cmpletin rate in educatin, and; Imprving the matching f educatin supply andlabur demand. The main measures t be implemented t achieve these bjectives are: - With a view t lengthening wrk careers, the aim is that the median age f new plytechnic graduates will fall t 24.1 and the median age f Master s graduates t 26.3; - The aim is that 95 per cent f schl-leavers cntinue directly in qualifying upper secndary educatin and training and that all yung peple cntinue in pst-cmpulsry studies. The admissins at the upper secndary level will be reviewed t this effect; - The admissins t higher educatin will be refrmed t prmte mre rapid transitin t further educatin. The aim fr 2016 is that 50 per cent f matriculated students cntinue their educatin the same year. The main educatin track fr matriculated students is higher educatin; - The aim is t raise the cmpletin rate in the upper secndary schl t 90 per cent, in initial vcatinal educatin and training t 78 per cent, and in higher educatin t 75 per cent. Educatin supply targeted in respnse t labur market needs. At the present, the educatin supply in sme fields exceeds and in thers fails t meet labur market needs in Finland. Inadequate matching f educatin and the labur market demand has an effect n nt nly the functining f the labur market, but als the way yung peple find their place in wrking life and hw lng they study. The targeting f educatin supply is backed up by a wide range f fresights cnducted by the Gvernment Institute fr Ecnmic Research and the Natinal Bard f Educatin, amng thers. In the present decade, the targeting f the educatin supply will prbably gain even mre imprtance because the rate f exit frm the labur frce

36 36 will clearly exceed the rate f entry. In sme fields at least, the versupply will prbably turn int a labur shrtage. The challenge will be t prmte a balanced develpment f emplyment in industrial prductin and welfare services, amng thers. Lifelng learning and guidance cunselling. Lifelng learning means learning thrughut the lifespan and in all walks f life. Fr the principle f lifelng learning t be realised, it is vital that knwledge and cmpetencies are made visible and knwledge and skills are valued t the full wherever, whenever and hwever they have been acquired. When dne crrectly, the identificatin and recgnitin f prir learning will make fr a well-wrking educatin and qualificatin system and imprve the mtivatin and prgress f the individual in educatin and in wrking life. Educatinal legislatin, guidance cunselling and financing will be used t prmte the identificatin and recgnitin f prir nnfrmal learning in all educatin. Measures will be taken t prmte cmpetence-based definitin f degrees and qualificatins. Criteria will be defined fr guidance cunselling in basic educatin, in general upper secndary educatin and in vcatinal educatin and training fr adptin in the autumn term f In vcatinal educatin and training, the criteria will be adpted in cnnectin with the implementatin f the quality strategy. Electrnic infrmatin, guidance and cunselling services will be develped as part f the learner s web services included in the SAD e-prgramme (Prgramme expediting electrnic transactins and demcracy). The higher educatin institutins will raise the standard f instructin and guidance and imprve the graduatin rates at all degree levels. The initial educatin f guidance cunsellrs will be develped in respnse t the grwing demands f the prfessin. Similarly, measures will be taken t imprve pprtunities fr persns wrking within guidance in different administrative sectrs and in wrking life t participate in further and cntinuing prfessinal educatin. Measures will be taken t develp the implementatin f the nestp principle in all guidance services with a view t making full use f the cmpetence and expertise f different administrative sectrs. The centres fr ecnmic develpment, transprt and the envirnment will be given a strnger rle in the develpment f reginal guidance cperatin. Immigrants participatin in educatin and training. Fewer yung immigrants g n t study in the upper secndary schl than the mainstream ppulatin and therefre they are als underrepresented in higher educatin. One crucial factr is their language prficiency, which

37 37 they ften feel t be deficient. The prvisin f additinal vluntary basic educatin has nt given sufficient supprt t them in language develpment. The aim is that immigrants and peple with immigrant backgrunds participate in educatin in the same rati as the mainstream ppulatin. With a view t imprving immigrants capacity t study in the upper secndary schl, prvisins cncerning preparatry educatin fr immigrants will be included in legislatin. The duratin f the educatin is ne year. The implementatin f the refrm will be start at the beginning f The level f language instructin given in immigrants integratin educatin will be imprved and enlarged t prvide real capabilities fr immigrants t participate in educatin preparing fr vcatinal educatin and training and fr plytechnic educatin. Special attentin will be paid t yung immigrants wh cme t Finland clse t the end f cmpulsry schling age r after it. The planning and implementatin f the integratin educatin will take the immigrant s whle family int accunt. The status f the Swedish language will be guaranteed in integratin educatin. Educatin preparing immigrants fr vcatinal educatin and training will stress the language prficiency required fr participatin. Preparatry educatin will als be targeted t yung immigrants. Obstacles t immigrants higher educatin will be remved thrugh the develpment f guidance cunselling, student selectin and ther supprt actin. The higher educatin institutins will carry n the develpment f language instructin, practical training and ther supprt geared t internatinal students. The higher educatin institutins will ffer curricular study mdules, assciated language instructin and ther cntinuing educatin fr self-mtivated studies and fr cmmissined labur market training. Institutes f liberal adult educatin will develp and step up immigrants language instructin. Measures will be taken t develp and increase integratin educatin prvided by adult educatin centres and flk high schls and educatin prvided by adult upper secndary schls, adult lines in upper secndary schls and study centres; One fcus in the develpment f guidance cunsellrs educatin will be the special issues relating t yung immigrants. Strnger links between educatin and wrking life. During the last few years f basic educatin, pupil s ave wrk familiarisatin perids in supprt f their educatin and career chices. On the whle, the placements at the wrkplace are ne t tw weeks. Hwever, cperatin between basic

38 38 educatin prviders and emplyers has been minimal. Only 20 per cent f cmprehensive schls and even fewer upper secndary schls (4%) cperate with business and industry. The cperatin is ften spradic and nt adequately linked t studies and learning. This means that pupils and students pprtunities t familiarise themselves with wrking life vary accrding t the activity f the schl. Cperatin with emplyers and wrking life is an essential part f vcatinal educatin and training. Educatin prviders cperate actively with the wrld f wrk in the develpment and prvisin f educatin. On-the-jb learning is a cmpulsry part f all vcatinal qualificatins. All students in initial vcatinal educatin and training btain basic infrmatin abut wrking life and entrepreneurship. On-the-jb instructrs have an imprtant rle in wrk-based learning, but there is n systematic training prvisin fr them. The perative cncepts in effrts t enhance the impact, quality and matching f adult vcatinal educatin and training are wrk-centred, demand-driven and respnsive. Develpment services fr emplyers are an essential part f it. In additin t the develpment f the educatin system and a rise in cmpletin rates, it is necessary t increase flexibility in educatin and training in rder t accmmdate different learners and different learning styles. This entails mre pprtunities fr wrk-based learning and clser cperatin with third-sectr peratrs wh recgnise that their wrk envirnments are learning envirnments cntributing t curricular aims. In higher educatin institutins, wrk placement is included in degree requirements and students ften write theses that serve wrking life needs. At present, the university administrative bdies have a wider representatin f external stakehlders than befre. Cntacts with wrking life must be further intensified t keep the educatin cntent up-t-date and t give students a clearer picture f pssible wrk careers and better emplyment prspects: Measures will be taken at all levels t increase educatin n the rights and duties f the citizen, the emplyee and the entrepreneur. The revised cre curricula fr basic educatin and upper secndary schl educatin will determine natinally unifrm aims fr wrking life skills which can be applied accrding t lcal circumstances. During the upcming ESF perid, mdels will be prepared fr schl wrk cperatin suitable fr use in upper secndary schls. The qualificatin requirements in vcatinal educatin and training will be revised t enhance knwledge abut the rules btaining in wrking life and abut scietal influence. Imprved cntacts with wrking life will be taken int accunt in the funding refrm. Measures will be taken t ensure sufficient training f n-the-jb instructrs and access t this training. Pssibilities t create a permanent funding mdel fr the training will be explred.

39 39 Alternative ways t arrange n-the-jb instructrs training will be develped. The cntent f the training will be develped natinally t serve extensively wrk-based learning and n-the-jb practice at different educatinal levels, the evaluatin f vcatinal cmpetence and the knwledge needs f each n-the-jb instructr. Measures will be taken t reinfrce the strategic significance f the develpment services prvided fr emplyers in cntinuing vcatinal educatin and training and demand driven appraches in the implementatin f cntinuing vcatinal educatin and training. Cperatin based n partnerships between educatin prviders, businesses and public rganisatins will be develped and strengthened. Wrk-based develpment services supprting innvatin will be diversified. Measures will be taken t raise awareness abut develpment and service cperatin with the wrld f wrk and t enhance its quality and matching. Schls will prvide mre pprtunities fr labur market rganisatins and peratrs t present wrking life, their peratins and the branches f industry and ccupatins they represent. The cntacts f higher educatin institutins with the wrld f wrk will be imprved thrugh the develpment f funding criteria and mdels. Infrmatin and cmmunicatins. Technlgies in educatin Infrmatin and cmmunicatins technlgy (ICT) are an essential part f educatin, wrking life and the peratin f the whle sciety. The use f ICT makes fr mre flexible and persnalised learning and renews instructin. Care will be taken in bth initial and cntinuing teacher educatin t make sure that teachers are able t use ICT in educatin. The purpse f the Act n public infrmatin management (634/2011), which came int frce at the beginning f 2011, is t step up public gvernance and imprve public services and their accessibility. The Act fcuses n enhancing the cmpatibility f the infrmatin systems in the public administratin, that is, in state and lcal gvernment. Measures will be taken t imprve the use f ICT in educatin and t develp teachers and students ICT skills. Measures will be taken t develp infrmatin management and infrmatin architectures in the educatinal administratin in supprt f the harmnisatin f the infrmatin systems. Care will be taken t ensure the cmmensurability f the cncepts used and t frmulate and maintain definitins and descriptins f the infrmatin systems t be develped.

40 40 1. EDUCATION SYSTEM Entrepreneurship educatin is explicitly recgnized and integrated as cmpulsry crsscurricular theme named 'Participatry citizenship and entrepreneurship' in ISCED 1-2 and 'Active citizenship and entrepreneurship' in ISCED 3. Due t full schl autnmy, implementatin mdalities vary. Nrmally integrating it in general subjects such as scial studies, schls can als rganize special entrepreneurship curses. In ISCED 1-2, the learning bjectives fr the crss-curricular theme f active/participatry citizenship and entrepreneurship include: t act with a sense f enterprise and initiative; t act innvatively and perseveringly in achieving a gal; t assess ne's wn actins and their impact, and t get t knw wrking life and entrepreneurial activity. In ISCED 3, students will adpt pr-activeness and enterprise as their wn perating methds and be familiar with the different frms and pprtunities f entrepreneurship. Implementatin guidelines fr ISCED 3 specify the main fcus t be n practical exercises, creatin f persnal experiences f participatin. The study envirnment may be develped in cperatin with different rganisatins and enterprises. Guidelines fr entrepreneurship educatin, 2009, has been published by the Ministry f Educatin and Culture in cperatin with ther ministries and stakehlders, including bjectives fr 2015 e.g. strnger fcus n entrepreneurship in all levels f educatin, better cllabratin between key players in the develpment f teaching methds t supprt entrepreneurship 1. The mst ambitius and innvative f the recent plicy measures is the establishment f the Vig Acceleratr prgram by MEE in The current nine Vigs are private cmpanies run by experienced entrepreneurs. They prvide cntacts, expertise, and funding (sme ne-third f which cmes frm public surces) fr high-quality and internatinally-fcused grwth cmpanies. The aim f the prgram is t ripen prmising cmpanies fr internatinal venture funding. In the first tw years f peratin, the Vig prtfli cmpanies raised sme 70 millin eurs in funding. MEE estimates that by the end f 2015 prtfli cmpanies shuld have attracted sme 200 millin eurs f private funding 2. Sme exciting changes have taken place in the Finnish university system. New University Inventins Act was enacted in January It gave universities the rights t inventins cnceived within its dmain. While it weakened the psitin f the inventrs, it als gave the universities new incentives fr pursuing their third missin in the frm f nurturing startups cmmercializing intellectual prperty at their dispsal. Furthermre, since 1st f January 2010, Finnish universities have been either independent crpratins under public law r fundatins under private law, which has given them bth mre scpe and better incentives fr prmting 1 (nly FI). 2 Please see the web f Ministry f Educatin:

41 41 entrepreneurship and startups. In particular, recently frmed Aalt University (a merger f three ld universities) has taken these matters at heart. It has mre than a dzen interesting initiatives primary under tw main umbrellas Aalt Entrepreneurship Sciety (AES, students grassrts activity) and Aalt Center fr Entrepreneurship (ACE). AES has becme a highly visible cheerleader fr the cause. ACE ffers innvatin, cmmercializatin, and startup services primarily fr Aalt University researchers, students, and ther stakehlders. Besides ffering services that are similar t tech transfer ffices in many American universities, ACE is able t independently prvide a few runds f funding fr prmising startups. The Gvernment budget prpsal fr 2013 includes tw tax incentives aimed at grwthseeking cmpanies. Prvided that the remaining legislative issues are reslved, bth f them shuld be intrduced at the beginning f The Tax Incentive fr Private Investrs targets business angels investing equity in SMEs. The incentive prvides a pssibility t pstpne paying capital gains taxes as lng as thse gains are re-invested in qualifying cmpanies. Since this primarily leads t tax deferral, the incentive is nt expected t have fiscal cnsequences in the lng run. The R&D Tax Credit fr SMEs is likely t be a deductin frm crprate incme taxes tied t the wage csts f R&D persnnel in Finland. This incentive is estimated t have a fiscal cst f up 200 millin eurs in the first year f peratin. Presumably the R&D tax incentive supplements rather than replaces the current R&D subsidies. Tw further new plicy instruments are currently under cnsideratin. The first cncerns asymmetric returns in venture capital funds. The idea is that a public investr culd cap its required rate f return t sme pre-defined level (e.g., 8%), the excess f which wuld be distributed amng the private investrs in the fund. The secnd is an IPR Bx, which wuld prvide a lwer crprate tax rate n revenues cming frm intellectual prperty rights (IPRs). KEY STAKEHOLDERS Grwth entrepreneurship enjys a high plitical status in Finland. All Finnish gvernments in the 2000s (and even befre) have had grwth entrepreneurship amng their half a dzen r s key plicy items. Furthermre, after the merger f the Ministry f Labur and the Ministry f Trade and Industry int ne rganizatin, the Ministry f Emplyment and the Ecnmy (MEE) has crdinated and cnducted mst relevant plicy aspects in the dmain f grwth entrepreneurship since 1st f January In the last few years the verall emphasis f enterprise plicy in Finland has shifted frm incumbents t startups. The gvernment and its agencies have assumed active rles in prmting risky new businesses and their glbal expansin. In the cming years, taxatin is abut t becme a mre actively emplyed tl f enterprise plicy.

42 42 Arguably the mst imprtant change in entrepreneurship plicy has gne almst unnticed, even in Finland. Tekes, the Finnish Funding Agency fr Technlgy and Innvatin, largely executes innvatin plicy. Annually Tekes supprts innvative Effrt a with sme 600 millin eurs. With a majr verhaul f its strategy a few years back, Tekes shifted its emphasis twards new ventures. As a part f this prcess, it nw has a keen interest in radical/disruptive and nn-technical innvatin as well as internatinalizatin. One manifestatin f the new strategy is a prgram fr Yung Innvative Cmpanies, which ffers a millin eurs per qualifying enterprise t supprt preliminary phases f internatinal grwth. Tekes and five ther relevant public bdies participate in a recently intrduced Grwth Track service, which aims t prvide a ne-stp-shp fr cmpanies seeking quick grwth and internatinalizatin. Each cmpany entering the service is assigned a civil servant prbing and crdinating public services the cmpany might need. The number f cmpanies participating in the prgram will reach 150 by the end f A related Team Finland cncept packages public internatinalizatin supprt bth separately and in crdinatin with the Grwth Track service. The Funding supprt is mainly carried ut by YVI prject which is funded by Eurpean Scial Fund (ESF) and natinally c-funded by the Finnish Natinal Bard f Educatin. Additinally, the prject receives funding frm the Centre fr Schl Clubs, the Reginal Develpment Centre (currently ELY Centre) and the Ministry f Emplyment and the Ecnmy. YVI prject includes web-based tl bxes f entrepreneurial teaching methds and the prject as a whle strengthens the develpment f entrepreneurship educatin in Finnish teacher educatin. It fcuses n the develpment f curricula and strategies and natinal netwrking. Mrever, it enhances teacher educatrs pedaggical skills f entrepreneurship educatin.

43 THE EC&SP IN DENMARK 1. Denmark als is a Nrdic cuntry, with GDP f billin (current US$) and ppulatin f millin by Entrepreneurship plicies have been highly priritized in Denmark during the past decade, and the plicy fcus has changed frm merely addressing startup activity t als fcusing n grwth entrepreneurship by intrducing initiatives aimed at making the new firms grw mre. Denmark was ne f the first OECD cuntries engaging in a systematic surveillance f entrepreneurship perfrmance and framewrk cnditins, and has since 2004 cntributed t the develpment f entrepreneurship indicatrs and mdels at OECD level. SME S OVERVIEW Denmark has cmpanies wh ffered miilin f emplyment with value added f 76 billin by Denmark is a small, dynamic ecnmy, characterised by a relatively higher cncentratin f small and medium-sized businesses than the Eurpean Unin as a whle, where very small firms (micrs) are cmparatively mre prevalent 1. The sectral distributin f SMEs in Denmark resembles the EU average, with a higher prprtin f SMEs in services and a cmparatively lwer cncentratin f SMEs in manufacturing and trade. The crisis has taken its tll n Danish enterprises, putting a temprary halt n the psitive lng-term develpments in the number f SMEs, and their cntributin t emplyment and ecnmic valueadded. Danish SMEs prduce mre value-added 1 SBA Fact-Sheet Denmark 2012, EC, 2013.

44 44 but accunt fr less emplyment than the EU average, which indicates a higher than average prductivity, in particular, fr micr and small cmpanies. In Denmark, SMEs emply an average f 6.3 wrkers, mre than the EU average f 4.2. Overall, the statistics n SMEs present an SBA prfile fr Denmark which clearly exceeds the EU average in all but tw dmains. Denmark perfrmance is clse t the EU average in the area f Envirnment and lags behind in Entrepreneurship. Grwth is very clsely related t the level f exprts, and cnsequently the degree f internatinalisatin f firms, which in turn is ften cmbined with varius frms f innvatin and cmpetence building. It is therefre nt surprising that Denmark tps all ther EU cuntries in these SBA areas (Skills and innvatin and Internatinalisatin). In 2011, the financial credit crunch was highlighted as the main challenge fr the grwth f SMEs. Cnsequently the gvernment has fcused its plicies n initiatives related t the financing f new and existing ventures. With regard t mst f the ther plicy fields, Denmark is clearly capitalising n substantial plicy effrts made in previus years. Overall, Denmark ffers an envirnment cnducive t SMEs, which are largely seen as the main generatrs f future wealth and emplyment. The share f pprtunity-driven entrepreneurs, i.e. peple wh are drawn t entrepreneurship because they see it as an pprtunity (as ppsed t being pushed int it by a lack f viable alternatives), is by far the highest in the EU (81 % vs. 55%). Plicy wise, Denmark published in 2011 a natinal guidance (Guide t business in crises advices t a new start) n legal ptins fr nn-fraudulent SMEs and entrepreneurs declared bankrupt t facilitate secnd chance start-up as well as n public advisry service available fr cmpanies facing bankruptcy. Start-up cnditins in Respnsive Administratin, measured by the time and cst t pen a business, are already amng the best in Eurpe (6 days in Denmark instead f 14 the EU average. Other indicatrs imprtant fr day-t-day business peratins, such as the number f and time spent n tax payments, and the time and cst invlved in transferring prperty, scre better than r are n par with the EU average. Similarly, in Denmark the indicatr measuring the nline availability f eight basic public services t businesses (such as scial cntributins, crprate tax, VAT, registratin f a new cmpany, submissin f data t the statistical ffice, custms declaratin, envirnment-related permits and public prcurement) is 100%, while the EU average is 89%. SMEs in Denmark accunt fr a higher prprtin f the value f public prcurement cntracts (45% vs. 38% in the EU), althugh this share is still clearly belw their cntributin t the ecnmy (66 % f grss value-added). This better relative perfrmance may be due t the fact that e-prcurement prcedures are clearly mre accessible t ptential bidders in Denmark than in ther EU cuntries. Nevertheless, small businesses in Denmark like mst small businesses acrss the EU nly make marginal use f state aid schemes, with nly abut 0.3 % f ttal aid ging t SMEs in All natinal and EU tenders are nw accessible t the enterprises in ne single lcatin, and SMEs have an electrnic pprtunity t meet up with ther suppliers wh wish t frm cnsrtia. Secndly, a step-by-step

45 45 guide t establish SME cnsrtia was published. Thirdly, a number f infrmatin sessins n prcurement rules and cnsrtia establishment were carried ut amngst SMEs and lcal SME advisers. The infrmatin sessins aim t strengthen the SME knwledge f the prcurement prcedures and the prcurement rules. Denmark ffers cmparatively better cnditins f access t varius types f finance fr SMEs, but prgress in this plicy area has stalled. T imprve access t finance, the Danish gvernment has taken an interesting plicy initiative by establishing a public-private capital fund, the Danish Grwth Capital (Dansk Vækstkapital). This initiative is an a agreement between the Danish Ministry f Business and Grwth and varius Danish pensin funds where the latter take n the rle f venture capitalists, prviding funding fr new and small businesses with grwth ptential. The bjective f this initiative is t prvide better access t finance fr these types f firms, creating mre jbs in Denmark in the prcess. The newest plicy initiative is the Develpment Package (Udviklingspakken) frm March 2012 launched in rder t strengthen especially Danish SMEs access t finance. The package amng ther things cntain (i) strengthening f a Danish lan guarantee scheme; (ii) a new lan scheme frm the Danish Grwth Fund and (iii) strengthening f existing exprt guarantee schemes that als helps SMEs in their internatinalisatin strategies. The Danish gvernment has als expanded the target grup f the Danish Grwth Fund in June 2011 in rder fr firms with up t 250 emplyees t access t financial supprt and guarantee schemes that are administered by the Danish Grwth Fund. In the area f skill and innvatin indicatrs, Denmark is the EU tp perfrmer. All but ne f the indicatrs measuring innvative perfrmance in SMEs are abve par. Abut 38% f Danish SMEs have intrduced prduct r prcess innvatins, 40% have intrduced marketing r rganisatinal innvatins, and abut the same prprtin have intrduced them in-huse. The nly caveat is that the firms that innvate are slightly less successful than their EU peers in cnverting these new prducts r prcesses int sales revenues. Danish SMEs perfrm very well n the ther indicatrs in this area, such as their IT readiness, the level f training and skills f their emplyees, and their participatin in EU-funded research. The 85% f enterprises prviding training t their emplyees, with an EU average f 58%; and, the rate f participatin f emplyees in educatin and training is 36% instead f 11 as EU average. In SME s internatinalisatin, nce again, Denmark is the tp perfrmer in the EU. This very psitive situatin is bth the result f advantageus general framewrk cnditins fr trading as shwn by the indicatrs measuring the time, cst, and number f dcuments necessary fr imprting r exprting and the significantly better internatinalisatin perfrmance f Danish SMEs. In Denmark, grwth is very clsely related t the level f exprts, and cnsequently the degree f internatinalisatin f firms. This explains why internatinalisatin is ften cmbined with ther frms f innvatin and cmpetence building. One imprtant initiative is the Innvatinspakke, an initiative f the Danish Trade Cuncil, which started in 2008 and is n-ging. This initiative recgnises that much f the knwledge that is required is available in internatinal markets, and supprts SMEs

46 46 in accessing these markets. Anther example is the 2011 Nrth Jutland GLOBAL initiative that fcuses n internatinalisatin, particularly in relatin t BRIC cuntries. Finally, in 2011 the Trade Cuncil adpted varius plicy measures, e.g. financial supprt fr hiring experts and setting up exprt netwrks, and an exprt guarantee scheme t fcus specifically n the issue f internatinalisatin. NATIONAL INITIATIVES Entrepreneurship plicy has been highly priritised in Denmark in past years, and in rder t address the grwth entrepreneurship challenges, the Danish gvernment has implemented a number f initiatives. In the fllwing, varius recent plicy initiatives are listed withut prviding an exhaustive verview. In 2003, a natinal actin plan fr entrepreneurship was intrduced, highlighting the ecnmic impact f new firms as well as setting gals fr high-grwth start-ups. Mrever, the Danish glbalisatin Strategy frm 2006 intrduced refrms in several key areas, i.e. innvatin and entrepreneurship. This cmprehensive strategy aims at making substantial imprvements in the framewrk cnditins fr grwth and innvatin in new and existing enterprises. In this strategy, a new initiative implementing Reginal Business Develpment Centres was intrduced. The centres are funded at lcal level, and their main rle is t supprt the creatin and expansin f high-grwth start-ups 1. In 2009, the Danish Gvernment launched a Strategy fr educatin and training in entrepreneurship. The strategy is develped in a partnership between the Ministry fr Science, Technlgy and Innvatin, the Ministry f Culture, the Ministry f Educatin and the Ministry f Ecnmic and Business Affairs. It describes an active investment in entrepreneurship training at educatinal institutins. In the future, laws, executive rders and perfrmance/develpment cntracts will address educatin and training in entrepreneurship wherever relevant, invlving every level f educatin, earmarking funds and included entrepreneurship in the management f educatinal institutins. The strategy is a framewrk fr hw Denmark will educate and train the entrepreneurial business managers and emplyees f the future. These entrepreneurial managers and emplyees will create scial and cmmercial success nt nly in new enterprises and rganisatins but als within the framewrk f existing enterprises r public institutins. They will help t create Denmark s future cmpetitiveness and cntribute t achieving the bjectives cntained in the Strategy fr Denmark in the Glbal Ecnmy. In Denmark we must nt just be well educated, we must als be entrepreneurial The bjectives f this strategy are that Danish enterprises and public institutins shuld be amng the mst innvative in the wrld, and that Denmark shuld be ne f the cuntries with the mst high-grwth entrepreneurs. Strategy fr Denmark in the Glbal Ecnmy Danish Gvernment Strategy Strategy fr educatin r r pr r h p, 2009.

47 47 The strategy has three parts: In the first part the Danish gvernment sets bjectives fr the flkeskle, upper secndary educatin and higher educatin; The secnd part f the strategy invlves bringing all the supprting wrk tgether under a single player, the Fundatin fr Entrepreneurship 1. The fundatin will prmte the training f teachers and the develpment f teaching methds and curses, etc., fr pupils and students in all branches f educatin. In cncentrating its effrts the Danish gvernment aims t create a player f sufficient size t drive develpment frward, build up knwledge and create cntinuity between the wrks dne at every level f the educatin system. T address the meager access t finance fr entrepreneurs, the Danish Grwth Fund (Vaekstfnden) was created in 1992 and redesigned in This has cntributed t the develpment f the Danish venture capital market. Als, a number f financial packages have been intrduced in recent years. Mst recently, in 2011, Danish Grwth capital new investment fund was intrduced with significant amunt f capital frm sme f the large Danish pensin funds. The aim is t imprve access t venture capital fr entrepreneurs with grwth ptential In additin, The Fundatin fr Entrepreneurship was established in 2010 t further prmte Denmark s entrepreneurial culture. The purpse f The Fundatin fr Entrepreneurship is t unify natinal effrts fr entrepreneurship educatin. Under the slgan Frm ABC t PhD, the Fundatin wrks t increase the number f students and educatrs wh take part in entrepreneurial activities. The instructin prvided at varius educatinal levels shuld be prgressively built up thrugh the educatinal system. In primary and secndary schl, the fcus shuld be n stimulating a desire t create smething new, whereas the clser the students cme t cmpleting their educatin, teaching f specific entrepreneurial skills shuld increase. The Fundatin fr Entrepreneurship is supprted by a strng inter-ministerial partnership. The third part is creating the Partnership fr Educatin and Training in Entrepreneurship between the Ministry f Culture, the Ministry f Science, Technlgy and Innvatin, the Ministry f Educatin and the Ministry f Ecnmic and Business Affairs. The interministerial partnership will cperate n implementatin f the strategy, including in the frm f crdinating ther initiatives aimed at achieving targets and cllabrating cllabrating with the Fundatin fr Entrepreneurship The creatin f the Fundatin fr Entrepreneurship was, amng ther things, inspired by, the Kauffman Fundatin in the USA. The Kauffman Fundatin has been wrking t prmte educatin and training in entrepreneurship fr mre than 40 years and has supprted many new teaching initiatives, including the Kauffman Campuses prject. The prject is aimed at ffering tuitin in entrepreneurship t university students whatever their curse. The university and the fundatin sign a c-financing agreement. The fundatin als wrks t enhance research int entrepreneurship educatin and training and influence new plitical initiatives.

48 48 The Partnership fr Educatin and Training in Entrepreneurship will meet with parties frm the educatin sectr n an nging basis with a view t develping the strategy further thrugh dialgue and cperatin. If the strategy is t succeed, it is vital that there is backing fr it thrughut the educatin sectr. The gvernment will use reginal partnership agreements t invlve reginal grwth frums in develping the fundatin and training in entrepreneurship at all levels f educatin. Educatin and training in entrepreneurship plays a rle in tw areas: - First f all it aims t stimulate the desire t becme entrepreneurial. This can happen thrugh educatin r training in entrepreneurship, either as and integral part f educatin r as separate tpic; - Secndly, the ability f pupils and students t becme mre entrepreneurial shuld be enhanced. This can be achieved by means f knwledge that is relevant when it cmes t starting up, perating and grwing an rganisatin r enterprise, including knwledge f innvatin prcesses tgether with their rganisatin and wrk frms. Educatin and training in entrepreneurship can be an activity, an independent subject r elements integrated in existing subjects. Teaching at the varius levels f educatin shuld be structured prgressively up thrugh the educatin system (see the next table). Teaching in upper secndary educatin shuld build n the flkeskle, etc. In the flkeskle the emphasis shuld be n stimulating the desire t innvate, fr example, while the need t teach cncrete entrepreneurial cmpetencies increases the clser students cme t cmpleting their educatin. The bjective is that peple wh have received educatin r training in entrepreneurship shuld create mre value fr themselves and ther peple than thse wh have nt received such educatin and training. This initiative will help t create a labur frce with entrepreneurial cmpetencies and a large number f peple wh start their wn highgrwth enterprises r becme entrepreneurial emplyees in public institutins, assciatins r existing enterprises.

49 49 Educatin Level General Upper secndary educatin Vcatinal upper secndary educatin Prfessinal bachelr and academy prfessin prgrammes Maritime prgrammes Higher artistic prgrammes ENTREPRENEURSHIP STRATEGY IN DENMARK. MEASURES AND OBJECTIVES BY EDUCATION LEVEL Objectives In the lng term, all the pupils in a general upper secndary year shuld have taken part in subjects r ther educatinal activities t d with entrepreneurship. The Netwrk fr Entrepreneurship and Innvatin in Schls (NEIS) must be natinwide and in the lng term all institutins ffering general upper secndary educatin shuld take part in it. A much larger prprtin f a vcatinal educatin year has taken part in subjects r ther educatinal activities t d with entrepreneurship The prgrammes shuld use innvative frms f teaching that develp the ability f students t see and wrk n pprtunities, and their understanding f the cmmercial explitatin f creative ideas. Educatin and training in and abut entrepreneurship and innvative teaching methds must be intrduced n all maritime prgrammes. Students n maritime prgrammes must als have the pprtunity t experience entrepreneurial envirnments, in which they can wrk n the develpment f their wn prjects r enterprises with structured advice and guidance. There must be a relevant increase in the prprtin f students wh receive educatin r training in entrepreneurship in the curse f their studies. This can take the frm f an independent activity, an independent subject r an integral part f an existing subject Measures Types f examinatins and tests have been develped that make it pssible t dcument entrepreneurial cmpetencies in relatin t general upper secndary educatin Prfessinal pstgraduate teacher training shuld cntain a cmpulsry mdule in innvative educatinal thery and methdlgy. Activities must be instituted that prmpt teachers t prvide innvative educatin r training based n the cnnectin between specialist cmpetencies and innvative thinking that takes the surrunding cmmunity as its starting pint. Relevant teachers have acquired teaching cmpetencies in entrepreneurship subjects Types f examinatin and test have been develped that make it pssible t dcument relevant entrepreneurial cmpetencies in relatin t vcatinal educatin Activities must be established acrss industries that prmpt pupils t use innvative thinking and develpment that takes their wn industry as its starting pint Types f examinatin and test have been develped that make it pssible t dcument relevant entrepreneurial cmpetencies in relatin t the field f educatin Relevant teachers n higher educatin prgrammes must be given the pprtunity t btain qualificatins and d in-service training based n a strng link between prfessinal cmpetencies and innvative thinking in relatin t the sphere f wrk The Executive Order n Lecturer Evaluatin will be revised with a view t intrducing an element n cmpetence in the use f the elements f a subject frm an applicatin-riented perspective. The qualificatin requirements fr teachers must include entrepreneurial cmpetencies. Relevant pprtunities t btain qualificatins that fcus n the link between a prgramme s elements and innvative thinking in relatin t the sphere f wrk therefre need t be established fr teachers at maritime educatinal institutins The Danish Maritime Authrity must supervise maritime educatinal institutins with a view t ensuring that entrepreneurship is incrprated in the curriculum f as many subjects as pssible, while respecting the individual subject and its culture Entrepreneurship must be incrprated in assessments n prgrammes where relevant In rder t cllect experiences frm successful entrepreneurial envirnments, maritime educatinal institutins shuld blster cperatin n entrepreneurship with ther Danish and freign educatinal/knwledge institutins, including the Department f Maritime Research and Innvatin Entrepreneurship shuld be intrduced n the prgrammes in such a way as t prmte the develpment f small-scale shipping t The management f educatinal institutins must actively include entrepreneurship in its develpment strategies fr prgrammes Educatinal institutins must strengthen cperatin n entrepreneurship with ther educatinal institutins, with the business cmmunity and with ther stakehlders, bth natinally and internatinally. With this in mind, there needs t be relevant develpment f educatin and training in entrepreneurship n individual prgrammes The pprtunities fr gaining experience f entrepreneurship must be enhanced n the PhD prgramme with the aim f students being mtivated t start businesses and gain experience that will enhance their academic cmpetencies in the area. The bjective must be fr all PhD students t be ffered a curse in entrepreneurship during their PhD prgramme. Interdisciplinary entrepreneurship curses must be set up t help strengthen this area, with the universities having the pprtunity t crdinate their subject prvisin with the aim f pening the way fr

50 50 University prgrammes A much larger prprtin f students must take entrepreneurship subjects and curses during their studies Surce: Strategy fr educatin and training in entrepreneurship, 2009 interdisciplinary curses between different departments, faculties and universities Danish educatinal institutins must enhance cperatin n entrepreneurship with freign universities with the aim f cllecting experiences frm the best internatinal entrepreneurship envirnments. Cntact with Danish innvatin centres can be increased in this cntext The pprtunities fr gaining experience f entrepreneurship must be enhanced n the PhD prgramme with the aim f students being mtivated t start businesses and gain experience that will enhance their cmpetencies in the area. The bjective must be fr all PhD students t be ffered a curse in entrepreneurship during their PhD prgramme 1. In ISCED 2, entrepreneurship educatin is explicitly recgnized as part f the cmpulsry subject Educatin, Business and Labur Market Orientatin 1. In ISCED 2 (last year), there is als an ptinal separate subject: Entrepreneurship. In ISCED 3, entrepreneurship educatin (develpment f creativity and innvatin) is explicitly recgnized as crss-curricular bjective 2. During a transitin perid until 2011 the centres are funded by the state In general, the Danish gvernment is very ambitius abut entrepreneurship plicy. The gvernment is aiming at becming amng the best in Eurpe in terms f new firms every year and ne f the leading cuntries in the wrld by 2015 in terms f highgrwth start-ups. Mrever, by 2020 Denmark shuld be ne f the leading cuntries with respect t grwth-firms. Since 2004, the Danish gvernment has measured and mnitred the develpment in entrepreneurship perfrmance and framewrk cnditins in rder t ensure that the cuntry is n track (the Entrepreneurship Index). This index is based n data fr a number f OECD cuntries and identifies Denmark s strengths and weaknesses as an entrepreneurial cuntry. In additin, the Danish Business Authrity and the Grwth Cuncil have develped a prgramme, called Strengthening the grwth ptential in Danish SMEs that allws SMEs t engage in cmpetence building and imprve their access t knwledge in rder t generate grwth. This prgramme fcuses n imprving the knwledge f the wner and manager f these firms, but als prvides supprt t attract utside knwledge t these. In the Gvernment Wrk Prgramme 2012, it is stated that highly skilled freigners may pssess specific expertise and can thus help t increase Danish cmpanies value creatin and presence in exprt markets. T address the challenge with lacking entrepreneurial talent, the Danish Business Authrity launched a call fr a pilt prject in Octber 2012 t invite talented entrepreneurs with a prven grwth ptential fr a year t Denmark encuraging them t get invlved with grwthseeking ventures in Denmark. Furthermre, they are encuraged t file fr extensin f the wrk- and residency permit when the prgram has ended. This initiative is inspired by, amng thers, the Start-Up Chile initiative, where qualified entrepreneurs are invited t Chile t start and develp their business there. 1 (nly DK). 2 (nly DK).

51 51 In recent years, Denmark has made a cncerted effrt t build up a public sectr business supprt system t ensure that entrepreneurs are nt tssed arund by the system, but rather that they get the advice they need fr mving frward the very first time they cntact the system. Denmark s public business supprt system fr entrepreneurs is based n a partnership idea and invlves players frm the public and private sectrs t prvide the best pssible assistance t entrepreneurs. The municipalities are the public authrities charged with verall respnsibility in Denmark fr the public sectr s lcal and reginal business develpment centres. N wrng dr is a guiding principle f Denmark s public business supprt system. All entrepreneurship guides regardless f target grup must pint the way as quickly as pssible t the mst apprpriate advice, irrespective f whether this is ffered by the public r private sectr. Five Reginal Business Develpment Centres (Vaeksthuse) were established in 2007 as hubs fr a chesive public business supprt system. They prvide prblem clarificatin and individual grwth charting fr enterprises with grwth ptential. The charting prcess leads t a grwth plan fr the enterprise and pssibly a referral t relevant schemes in the private r public sectr that can ffer unique skills in the areas where the enterprise is having difficulty. In additin, the Reginal Business Develpment Centres manage a wide range f the vernment s entrepreneurial subsidy and grant schemes, e.g. the capital cach scheme ( kapitalcach ), bard partnership ( bestyrelsespartnerskabet ) and Early Warning, as well as a number f reginal prgrammes. T further assist entrepreneurs in navigating the public business supprt system, a website has been develped in clse cllabratin with sectr business rganizatins. Vaekstguiden (grwth guide) prvides a general verview f all public sectr ffers aimed at generating grwth and develpment in enterprises. In tw minutes, entrepreneurs can find subsidy schemes and cnsulting ffers via this guide t help them n their way, r they can find ffers cncerning clarificatin prcesses at either their lcal business develpment centre r a Reginal Business Develpment Centre (Vaeksthus). Als, FFE-YE has set up calls fr prjects and ffer funds fr the develpment f prgrammes and curses. Funding fr higher educatin (DKK 8.8 millin in 2011) is much higher than primary level (DKK 1.7 millin). Finally, the creatin f a web-based tl rådgiverbørsen (exchange f cnsultants) has been realized as t ease the match between grwth seeking entrepreneurs and private service prviders. Here, private sectr cnsultants can set up a prfile s that entrepreneurs can search fr a cnsultant t perfrm specific tasks. In return, it is als pssible fr entrepreneurs t uplad jbs t the exchange fr which cnsultants can submit bids.

52 52 KEY STAKEHOLDERS Tday the Ministry f Business and Grwth is respnsible fr entrepreneurship plicies tgether with the Ministry f Science, Innvatin and Higher Educatin. A number f agencies such as the Danish Business Authrity and the Danish Cuncil fr Innvatin and Technlgy are respnsible fr r invlved in entrepreneurship plicy develpment. The mst prblematic area f the Danish framewrk cnditins is entrepreneurial capabilities. This is mainly due t a lw ranking n the immigratin index (ranked 22nd in the OECD), which shws that Denmark is lacking the ability t attract welleducated freign labur. While sme cuntries such as the USA and Canada highlight immigratin as a surce f entrepreneurship, it is difficult fr nn Eucitizens t establish a new business in Denmark. In light f this, a centre fr ethnical industry develpment is set t be established in 2010 with the aim f supprting start-up, survival and grwth in new and smaller enterprises with wners f freign backgrunds. The centre is financed by the gvernment, the regins and the municipalities. Als related t entrepreneurial capabilities is the Danish business and entrepreneurship educatin, which is mdest cmpared t fr instance the English-speaking cuntries. One such initiative is that implemented by the Danish Agency f Science Technlgy and Innvatin, the Ministry f Research, Innvatin and Higher Educatin and the six Reginal Grwth Funds, which fcuses n hw research and develpment centres can share their knwledge faster and mre effectively with SMEs that have grwth and innvative ptential.

53 THE EC&SP IN SWEDEN Sweden is the last Nrdic cuntry and the furth case study f the Benchmarking. Als Sweden is the largest ecnmy f the cases studied. It s reached the billin (current US$) by 2011 with a millin f peple. SME S OVERVIEW Sweden has cmpanies, with emplyment and a value added f 110 billin in The sectr specialisatin f Swedish SMEs presents the same verall picture as the aggregate numbers fr the EU; the main difference is that trade accunts fr a smewhat smaller prprtin f the ttal number f SMEs (25% vs. 30%) and f the jbs prvided (25% vs. 27 %). Hwever, these differences (f 5% and 2 %) are equally distributed amng the ther sectrs (manufacturing, services and cnstructin), s it can safely be said that Sweden mirrrs the EU situatin clsely, with n sectr diverging substantially frm the mean. Furthermre, the prprtin f technlgically advanced and knwledge intensive SMEs is als very clse t the EU average. Hence Sweden can be cnsidered a gd example f the structure f the SME sectr in the Eurpean Unin 1. Sweden has gd results in mst SBA areas (see the spider chart): seven f the 10 indicatrs are abve the EU average, tw are clse t it (i.e. within the SBA Fact-sheet sweden 2012, 2013.

54 54 standard deviatin band), and nly ne the Single market - falls clearly belw it. Sweden perfrms particularly well in Access t finance, Internatinalisatin and State aid and public prcurement, where it ranks amng the tp three scrers. In 2011, substantial prgress was made in the areas f Think small first and Respnsive administratin, and, t a lesser degree, in the Single market, Skills and innvatin and Envirnment. Less prgress was made n Internatinalisatin, State aid/public prcurement and Secnd chance. Sweden s SBA prfile shws a cuntry with an verall abve-average perfrmance in addressing the 10 SBA principles, and stable develpment ver recent years. Plicy wise, despite the fact that the natinal authrities have nt adpted a general strategy t implement the SBA, effrts in 2011 particularly have fcused n the areas f Entrepreneurship, Secnd chance and Think small first. Thus, tw f the areas with a negative evlutin are being addressed, while the remaining tw d nt give reasn fr cncern n accunt f their high marks Sweden has imprved its verall rank by 3 spts (frm 15th t 12th) ver the last few years. The largest imprvement is fund within entrepreneurial culture, where the rank has increased frm 26 t 13. Bth sub-plicy areas f attitude t entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial mindset cntribute the latter mst and are driven by a strng imprvement in perceived pprtunities. The Swedish enterprises perceptin f access t debt financing and availability f venture capital has imprved, causing Sweden t rank higher in access t financing. Sweden has made sme prgress regarding the business cnditins fr entrepreneurship n business regulatin. This applies t lwer administrative burdens and strnger cmpetitin law. Entrepreneurial capacity has als prgressed. The labr market regulatins, n the ther hand, have deterirated cmpared t the ther OECD cuntries. In Think Small First, Sweden s perfrmance is rughly average in terms f the licenses and permits systems, an indicatr which fcuses n the availability f a ne-stp shp fr btaining them, and the existence f a silence is cnsent rule. Since the latter des nt exist in Sweden, it perfrms less well n this indicatr than in the ther tw. In fact, this rule has less significance fr Swedish SMEs, given that Sweden scres well in terms f the regulatry burden, and the cmmunicatin and simplificatin f rules and prcedures. Therefre, it can be said that in Sweden the Think small first principle f the SBA is well applied. On the plicy frnt, in 2007 the gvernment intrduced a cmprehensive prgramme fr reducing small businesses csts, including a bttm-up regulatry apprach, which states that every regulatin prpsed by a gvernmental agency must be analysed frm the pint f view f the cmpanies affected. The aim is t make sure that the new regulatins d nt cause an additinal administrative burden. Swedish SMEs are much mre successful (47% vs. 38%) in winning public cntracts than their EU peers, they can expect public authrities t pay them mre prmptly, and e-prcurement is readily available t them. Regarding the use f EU funds, the reginal funds are targeted much mre effectively t entrepreneurship and SMEs in Sweden than in the average EU cuntry, while the agricultural funds

55 55 are devted t business creatin and develpment in the same prprtin as fr the EU as a whle. Overall, Swedish SMEs enjy better financing cnditins than the average EU SME: the cuntry is amng the tp scrers in this SBA area. In particular, they have a much lwer chance f seeing a lan applicatin rejected r having a client default n a payment, they are mre likely t get paid n time and attract venture capital investment, and are satisfied with their access t public financial supprt. Furthermre, they find that their banks have becme mre willing t grant a lan. The psitive attitude f Swedish banks twards SMEs is prbably a result f the gd ecnmic climate the cuntry enjyed in 2011, which saw a strng GDP grwth f 3.9%7. Hwever, the cnditins attached t smaller lans ffers are, in cmparisn with thse fr larger nes, wrse than the EU average. Lastly, Sweden s perfrmance in terms f the strength f legal rights and the availability f credit infrmatin is in line with the average. On the plicy frnt, in June 2011 the gvernment apprved a prpsitin whereby Sweden accepted the Eurpean rules fr investment funds (UCITS IV). This means that establishing Swedish investment funds in Eurpe and EU funds in Sweden will becme significantly easier. This measure culd encurage investment in Sweden, particularly due t the fact that frm 11 January 2012, Swedish (and freign) investment funds will be fully exempted frm taxatin. Mrever, the taxatin f slely wned crpratins is set t be changed, in rder t reduce the csts assciated with transfers t ther wners. This will encurage investment, as well as ease the general burden fr entrepreneurs. Lastly, the 2012 state budget includes imprtant amendments regarding cmplementary financing measures fr SMEs. They range frm the pssibility t facilitate private, early-stage investments thrugh s-called public fund f-funds slutins, t encuraging later stage venture capital funding and the merger f tw public actrs (Almi Företagspartner AB and Innvatin Bridge AB) whse extensive remit includes prviding lans and venture capital t cmpanies in rder t prmte ecnmic grwth. Swedish SMEs have a gd recrd in the Skills and innvatin area. In particular, they are well ahead in the use f e-cmmerce: mre than half f them purchase nline, cmpared t a 28% EU average. They als excel in prviding training t their emplyees (78% instead r 58% EU average), emplyees participatin rate in educatin and training (23% instead f 11 EU average), and fare well n inhuse innvating, inter-sme cllabratin and intrducing prduct r prcess innvatins. On the plicy frnt, n 1 January 2012 new prvisins n a simplified expert tax came int frce. They are aimed at making the rules gverning the recruitment f freign experts, researchers and ther key emplyees mre flexible. Mrever, the Swedish Agency fr Ecnmic and Reginal Grwth has decided t develp a new 8- year prgramme fr prmting hi-tech clusters; the prgramme is still in its develpment phase. It als plans t create an electrnic identity fr businesses, t enable e-invicing and e-gvernment transactins, which shuld have a psitive effect n the IT skills and innvative ptential f SMEs (particularly by facilitating prcedures fr thse with a high IT prfile).

56 56 Sweden, tgether with its Nrdic neighburs, Denmark, Nrway and Finland, belngs t the tpscring grup in this SBA area. While Swedish SMEs are clse t the EU average n the amunt they imprt frm utside the EU and slightly abve it n the exprt side, Sweden really stands ut in its ability t prvide a friendly business climate fr bth exprters and imprters. The time, cst and number f dcuments that are required are all well belw average, except fr the time needed fr exprting, which is clser t the average than the ther indicatrs (but still shrter by three days). In particular, nly three dcuments are required fr bth exprt and imprt prpses, while the average EU SME has t prvide five. NATIONAL EDUCATION STRATEGIES A number f majr ecnmic refrms that have further significantly imprved the entrepreneurial envirnment have been carried ut in Sweden ver the last decades: financial markets have been deregulated; price stability has been intrduced as the main gal f ecnmic plicy; a number f state-wned enterprises have been sld r partially sld; netwrk industries with a state mnply like dmestic railrads, airways, electricity, pstal services, and telecmmunicatins, but als the pharmacy sectr have been deregulated; welfare markets previusly clsed fr private entrepreneurship such as elderly care, schling and healthcare have been pened up; private fr-prfit emplyment agencies have been legalized; wealth and inheritance taxes have been ablished; and the tax burden has decreased with nearly 10 percentage pints. In Sweden, in its Budget Bill 2009, the gvernment annunced its ambitin fr the teaching f entrepreneurship t be an integrated theme thrughut the educatin system. This strategy fr entrepreneurship is part f a refrm prcess with gvernment decisins and initiatives t supprt the develpment f entrepreneurship prgrammes. In May 2009, the Gvernment presented its strategy fr entrepreneurship in the field f educatin 1, where measures aimed at encuraging the integratin f entrepreneurship int all levels f educatin are described (see the table belw). Entrepreneurial skills increase the individual s chances f starting and running a cmpany. Skills such as being able t recgnise pprtunities, take initiatives and transfrm ideas int practical actin are als valuable t the individual and sciety in a brader sense Strategy fr entrepreneurship in the area f educatin, Ministry f Enterprise, Sweden, 2009.

57 57 Objectives The imprtance f encuraging the skills and abilities that frm the basis f entrepreneurship will be emphasised in plicy dcuments fr cmpulsry schl Measures The schl s task t prmte knwledge lays the fundatins fr pupils future pprtunities in life. Cmpulsry schl is als required t stimulate pupils curisity, selfcnfidence and ability t take decisins and in ther ways t fcus n skills that are vital fr entrepreneurship. The Gvernment intends t strengthen this in a pending review f the cmpulsry schl curriculum. In its future instructins, the Gvernment intends t task the Natinal Agency fr Educatin with cnsidering hw this can be integrated int relevant syllabuses. Entrepreneurship will be emphasised in upper secndary schl plicy dcuments Greater pprtunities fr mre indepth studies f entrepreneurship and enterprise in upper secndary schl Upper secndary vcatinal educatin will be mre clsely linked t wrking life and cmpanies. Apprenticeship training will be intrduced and pupils taking part in vcatinal training will be given better insight int the cnditins fr enterprise A new cncept fr vcatinal cmpetitins at schl level shuld be develped Supprt t schls t encurage wrk n entrepreneurship. Mapping the wrk n entrepreneurship in cmpulsry and upper secndary schls is under way Mapping and analysing wrk n entrepreneurship at pst-upper secndary vcatinal schls utside the higher educatin institutins. Mapping and analysing educatin in entrepreneurship and innvatin at higher educatin level The Gvernment intends t emphasise the imprtance f entrepreneurship in a pending review f the upper secndary schl curriculum. In its future instructins, the Gvernment intends t task the Natinal Agency fr Educatin with cnsidering hw entrepreneurship can be integrated int relevant upper secndary schl syllabuses The Gvernment has prpsed t the Riksdag the intrductin f a new upper secndary prgramme, with a fcus n ecnmics. This prgramme will prepare pupils fr bth higher educatin and fr running their wn businesses. Knwledge f law, marketing and accunting will be imprtant cmpnents f an educatin that will imprve the pssibilities t succeed as an entrepreneur. It is als imprtant t encurage pupils t develp new ideas and t practise their business skills. The Gvernment als intends t cmmissin the Natinal Agency fr Educatin t investigate hw entrepreneurship culd be incrprated int the handicraft prgramme and the business and administratin prgramme. Pupils need t gain insight int the cnditins fr enterprise s that mre yung peple will want t start their wn businesses. This will be facilitated by clse cperatin with the business sectr and entrepreneurs. Wrkplace-based learning will be an imprtant cmpnent f future upper secndary vcatinal training. A pilt prject cnsisting f apprenticeship training where at least half the training is spent at the wrkplace was initiated in autumn The Gvernment intends t intrduce an upper secndary certificate and a final upper secndary prject. In upper secndary vcatinal training suitable tasks can be designed in clse cperatin with wrking life. This may mean, fr example, that pupils are given a chance t test their vcatinal skills in a business-like cntext Putting ne s ideas int practice, believing in ne s wn vcatinal skills and starting up a business require bth curage and endurance. Fr this reasn, pupils in vcatinal training at upper secndary level shuld be able t challenge themselves and cmpete with thers in vcatinal skills. The Gvernment intends t task the Natinal Agency fr Educatin with develping and testing ut a new cncept fr vcatinal cmpetitins at schl level. This will be implemented after cnsultatin with Yuth Skills Sweden, the Swedish rganisatin fr natinal vcatinal champinships. The Natinal Agency fr Educatin will present cst estimates and prpsals fr pilting skills cmpetitins at schl level. The Natinal Agency fr Educatin will als reprt n hw the pilt prject can be evaluated The Gvernment has tasked the Natinal Agency fr Educatin with supprting and encuraging wrk in the field f entrepreneurship. This may invlve, fr example, prmting cperatin with wrking life, ffering cntinuing prfessinal develpment, facilitating the exchange f experience and distributing develpment funds While sme wrk n entrepreneurship is already being cnducted in schls, there is n verall picture f hw this wrk is being carried ut r its results, such as t what extent these effrts have cntributed t increased entrepreneurship. The Gvernment has therefre tasked the Natinal Agency fr Educatin with mapping, analysing and disseminating infrmatin n the effrts in the field f entrepreneurship f thse respnsible fr schls. In these effrts, the Natinal Agency fr Educatin is expected t take int accunt the wrk being cnducted in the entrepreneurship prgramme at the Swedish Agency fr Ecnmic and Reginal Grwth, and internatinal experiences Entrepreneurship training is already being cnducted in qualified vcatinal training prgrammes in clse cperatin with representatives f lcal cmpanies and in reginal cllabratin. The mapping and analysis f these prgrammes and the exchange f experience natinally and internatinally can help inspire mre rganisers t develp this area further. It will be particularly interesting if we can see t what extent these prgrammes have cntributed t increased entrepreneurship. The Gvernment cnsiders that this mapping, analysis and supprt culd be tasks fr the natinal agency fr vcatinal higher educatin, which is t be established n 1 July 2009 Many universities and ther higher educatin institutins are already ffering prgrammes at basic, advanced and pst-graduate level aimed at encuraging entrepreneurship and enterprise. Mst f these prgrammes have been established in the last five years. Hwever, there is n verall picture f existing prgrammes and their cntent nr f the results achieved, such as the extent t which these prgrammes have cntributed t increased entrepreneurship. The Gvernment has therefre tasked the Swedish Natinal Agency fr Higher Educatin with mapping and analysing the develpment and availability f entrepreneurship, enterprise and innvatin prgrammes, including fine arts

58 58 Supprt t universities and ther higher educatin institutins t stimulate entrepreneurship Develpment f cutting-edge prgrammes in entrepreneurship and innvatin prgrammes, at the higher educatin institutin level. This task includes drawing attentin t gd practices at higher educatin institutins t encurage the develpment f entrepreneurship and enterprise In 2009, the Gvernment intends t task the Swedish Agency fr Ecnmic and Reginal Grwth with supprting activities that stimulate entrepreneurship at universities and ther higher educatin institutins In additin t the activities at universities and ther higher educatin institutins described in pint 10, the Gvernment intends t implement a targeted initiative at a minimum f tw higher educatin institutins t create Swedish cutting-edge prgrammes in entrepreneurship and innvatin. Advanced-level prgrammes in entrepreneurship and innvatin f the highest internatinal standard can help t create grwth. In Nvember 2008, universities and ther higher educatin institutins were invited t submit expressins f interest in participating in this initiative t the Gvernment Offices. The Swedish Natinal Agency fr Higher Educatin has been tasked with prcessing these expressins f interest with the help f internatinal experts Surce: Strategy fr entrepreneurship in the area f educatin, Ministry f Enterprise, Energy and Cmmunicatins, Ministry f Educatin and Research, May These skills are required by emplyers, and entrepreneurship educatin can thus make it easier fr yung peple t becme established in the labur market. Other entrepreneurial skills such as learning t slve prblems, planning ne s wrk and cperating with thers can als help yung peple t cmplete their studies mre successfully. Entrepreneurship educatin may include the specific knwledge required t start and run a business, such as business administratin and planning. Entrepreneurship educatin can als develp mre general skills that are equally useful utside the business wrld, such as prject and risk management. Educating entrepreneurs als means inspiring peple t be creative and take wn respnsibility fr achieving a gal. The educatin system has an imprtant rle t play in ensuring that yung peple develp the knwledge, skills and appraches they need t, independently r with thers, realise their ideas and apply them in ecnmic, scial r cultural cntexts. The educatin system als needs t wrk with entrepreneurs in the business sectr, the cultural sphere and nngvernmental rganisatins t prvide inspiratin t teachers and pupils. Als, the natinal strategy invlves actins fr develping Swedish turism and using prcurement as a tl fr encuraging innvatins, the gvernment has fcused n imprving the tax incentives t start and run enterprises and t accept jb ffers. A crnerstne in this plicy is the tax credit fr taxes paid n earned incme (skattereduktin för arbetsinkmster, the s called jbbskatteavdrag), which was intrduced in fur steps between 2007 and In 2007, a tax reductin fr husehld services (the s called RUT-avdrag) was intrduced which created a new market, in particular fr female and immigrant entrepreneurs. A year later, a tax reductin fr huse repairs and maintenance (the s called ROT-avdrag) fllwed. The VAT fr restaurant services has been reduced frm 25 t 12 percent in The gvernment is t prpse that the crprate incme tax will be decreased by 4.3 percentage pints frm 26.3 t 22 percent frm January If apprved by the Parliament, Swedish crprate incme tax will be belw the OECD and EU average. Mrever, there is an nging gvernmental inquiry n

59 59 capital taxatin (företagsskattekmmittén). A partial reprt (Skatteincitament för riskkapital) was submitted in January As suggested in the reprt, the Gvernment prpses a tax deductin fr investments in smaller grwth cmpanies (investaravdrag). On the plicy frnt, the gvernment has launched a cmprehensive initiative fr entrepreneurship in educatin, as part f the refrm f the Swedish high schl system ( Gymnasierefrmen, Gy2011 ). The fundamental idea is that entrepreneurship shuld run like a thread thrugh a student s educatin (frm elementary t secndary t tertiary), in line with the research which states that entrepreneurship initiatives need t be hlistic and system-wide. The implementatin f this initiative is delegated t the lcal administrative bdies, in rder t increase the chances f systemic change in cntrast t traditinal tpdwn initiatives. In 2012, the Swedish Natinal Agency fr Educatin is funding 72 prjects fr cmpetence develpment and five prgrammes fr develping entrepreneurship teaching. Lastly, the Ministry f Finance has begun a review f the crprate taxatin system in rder t ensure that, amng ther bjectives, it des nt adversely affect entrepreneurship. In Sweden, entrepreneurship is part f the ISCED 3 schl refrm implemented in 2011, in the frm f cmmentary material n hw t lk at entrepreneurship in the varius prgrammes, and in the frm f a frthcming cmmentary material n the new subject f entrepreneurship, which will be published in In ISCED 1 and 2, entrepreneurship is integrated in the curriculum as crsscurricular bjective, as part f the schl's values and missin: 'Schls shuld encurage students' creativity, curisity and self-cnfidence and willingness t examine their wn ideas and slve prblems. Students shuld be able t take initiative and respnsibility and develp their ability t wrk independently and with thers. The schl will thus cntribute t students develping an apprach that prmtes entrepreneurship'. Entrepreneurship is als described in the subject syllabuses (e.g. subjects Hme and cnsumer studies, Art), expressing entrepreneurship generally as entrepreneurial abilities, althugh the cncept is nt always mentined specifically. ISCED 1 and 2 has a new curriculum applying as frm 1st July 2011: Curriculum fr the cmpulsry schl, preschl class and the leisure-time centre Entrepreneurship is als part f the nging implementatin f the ISCED 3 schl refrm, in the frm f cmmentary material n hw t lk at entrepreneurship in the varius prgrammes, and in the frm f a frthcming cmmentary material n the new subject f entrepreneurship, which will be published in As f autumn 2011, entrepreneurship is a crss-curricular bjective as well as part f specific disciplines (natural sciences, ecnmics and scial sciences) and as a separate subject in the 'Ecnmics' branch (and in fur vcatinal prgrammes). Entrepreneurship is part f the curriculum and exam bjectives, where it is described as entrepreneurial skills. The schl refrm als implies preparing a mre cmprehensive supprt material n entrepreneurship targeted t all types f schl. The Natinal Agency fr Educatin has already published a general infrmatin brchure, as well as a summary f current research n

60 60 entrepreneurship in schl educatin. The Agency als prduces and disseminates mre cmprehensive supprt material n entrepreneurship targeted t all types f schl, in rder t stimulate entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial learning in schl 1. ISCED 1 and 2 Technlgy (12-13 years ld): 'The student can carry ut very simple technlgy develpment and design wrk by systematically examining and reviewing pssible slutins and ideas t frmulate well-designed physical r digital mdels. During the wrk prcess, the student frmulates and chses ptins that lead frward in the prcess. Crafts (15-16 years ld): 'The students can develp ideas by using ffered inspiratinal materials and materials which students themselves have gathered. During the wrk prcess, the student frmulates and selects alternative actins that lead frward in the prcess. The lw rank in entrepreneurial capabilities partly has its backgrund in immigratin (ranked 19th), which in turn is driven by lw inflws f freign labr and by lw selfemplyment amng immigrants. Entrepreneurship is ften nt cnsidered a gd career chice; successful entrepreneurship des nt give high scial status; and preferences fr self-emplyment are nt high leading t a relatively lw rank regarding attitude t entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial mindset. This explains the lw rank in entrepreneurial culture. KEY STAKEHOLDERS Entrepreneurship plicy is develped within The Ministry f Enterprise, Energy and Cmmunicatins (Näringsdepartementet). The Ministry cllabrates with ther ministries t imprve the general cnditins fr entrepreneurship. The Ministry supervises several natinal prgrammes and funds, and gives guidelines t a number f agencies that carry ut prgrammes directed at the entrepreneurs. The mst imprtant agencies in this respect are Sweden s Innvatin Agency, Vinnva, which is respnsible fr innvatin plicy, the Swedish Agency fr Ecnmic and Reginal Grwth, Tillväxtverket, which carries ut plicies targeted at startups and develpment f firms, and ALMI Företagspartner AB, which prvides financing and business cunselling fr grwth in small and medium sized enterprises. The Swedish Agency fr Grwth Plicy Analysis (Tillväxtanalys Myndigheten för tillväxtplitiska utvärderingar ch analyser), carries ut analysis and evaluatins f the plicy prgrammes and ther measure Finally, steps have been taken t implement the new natinal strategy fr innvatin (Den natinella innvatinsstrategin), with the purpse f encuraging emplyment and ecnmic grwth by imprving the climate fr innvatin. Tw f the largest public prviders f early stage capital (Innvatinsbrn AB and Almi Företagspartner) will be merged with the intentin t create a mre efficient rganizatin prviding guidance and capital fr entrepreneurs in early phases f business develpment (nly SE).

61 THE EC&SP IN FLEMISH REGION, BELGIUM Other case that it s very imprtant t study is the Flemish regin in Belgium. Belgium is a high incme Cuntry accrding t the OECD classificatin, being the Flemish regin (Flanders), which has better ecnmic indicatrs. The GDP f Belgium was $513.7 Billin (current US$), with a ppulatin f 11 millin in SME S OVERVIEW In all Belgium, there are abut entreprises, with an emplyment f and 110 billin f value added in Overall, the Belgian SBA prfile presents quite a psitive picture (see the next spider chart) 1. Belgium exceeds the EU average in fur areas: Skills and Innvatin, Access t finance, Secnd chance and State Aid, while it lags behind in tw: Think Small First and, abve all, Entrepreneurship. The ther fur areas fall within the EU average. Trends during the perid , expressed in relative terms cmpared t the EU average, shw a strng increase in the areas f Single market and Skills and Innvatin, but fall behind in Internatinalisatin, Access t Finance and State Aid. Frm a plicy pint f view, Belgium was active in almst all SBA areas in 2011, with the effrts f the federal and reginal gvernments fcused abve all n Envirnment, Skills and Innvatin, Internatinalisatin and Entrepreneurship, the last tw being particularly significant because f the negative trend and the lw scre, respectively. T imprve and maintain these psitive indicatrs in ecnmic crisis, varius strategies have been implemented at reginal and natinal level in the area f educatin, innvatin and entrepreneurship SBA Fact-Sheet Belgium 2012, EC, 2013.

62 62 NATIONAL STRATEGIES On the plicy frnt, Belgium has been very active in this area during the last year, particularly at the reginal level. In the Flanders regin, a new Actin plan fr entrepreneurship educatin : Actin Plan fr the prmtin f Entrepreneurial Spirit and Entrepreneurship thrugh Educatin has been develped. The plan aims t nurture an entrepreneurial spirit amng pupils and students and teach students the necessary entrepreneurial skills. This Actin Plan is built n the earlier actin plan that served as a starting pint fr cnsultatins between all the parties invlved in this theme. The previus actin plan was instrumental in setting up new specific actins such as the Entrepreneurial Class Week (Ondernemersklasseweek) and the study cmmissined by the King Bauduin Fundatin as well as in carrying n existing actins such as the calls fr the bridging ecnmy & educatin prjects. It lays the fundatin fr the current plicy which is a step twards mre structured cperatin between all the departments and agencies invlved. The new Actin Plan carries ut the intentins f the Flemish Calitin Agreement. In this cntext, the Gvernment f Flanders wants t facilitate entrepreneurship by cntinued awareness-raising. This awareness-raising must help cunter the negative image f entrepreneurs. The purpse f the Actin Plan is t supprt initiatives in the wrk field and t thrw sme light n the funding mechanism. Furthermre, the Gvernment f Flanders cmmitted itself t integrating entrepreneurial cmpetences in crss-curricular attainment targets as well as in the cmpetence prfile f teachers. Als, this Plan is included in the Entrepreneurship Actin Plan launched in 2010 by the gvernment as prmting an entrepreneurial attitude in educatin is ne f the Entrepreneurship Actin Plan's peratinal bjectives in rder t develp a strng entrepreneurial culture. Anther aim is t create sufficient synergy and alignment between the Actin Plan n Entrepreneurial Educatin and the "Actin Plan n the Prmtin f Careers in Mathematics, Exact Sciences and Technlgy", which is launched by the Flemish Minister respnsible fr educatin in cllabratin with the Flemish Minister respnsible fr science and technlgical innvatin plicy and the Flemish Minister respnsible fr emplyment plicy. This actin plan will especially fcus n increasing the utflw frm scientific and technical curses in secndary educatin, the inflw and transitin t scientific and technical curses f study in higher educatin and the entry int the labur market. It will als be aligned t the actins annunced in this field in the White Paper n New Industrial Plicy. This Actin Plan starts frm transparent bjectives s that schls knw which gals they are cllabrating n and prviders f initiatives relating t entrepreneurship educatin knw which gals shuld be pursued. Nevertheless, the bjectives will nt be equally present at all times. Depending n the age and the develpmental level f the pupil, student r curse participant and the training

63 63 pathway he r she pursues, sme f the bjectives will be mre fcussed n than thers (see table belw). Objective 1 Objectives Pupils, students and curse participants have the necessary entrepreneurial spirit when leaving educatin Objective 2 Befre leaving educatin, pupils, students and curse participants have had the pprtunity t prepare themselves fr entrepreneurship Objective 3 Pupils, students and curse participants are mtivated t becme an entrepreneur Objective 4 Teachers shw entrepreneurial spirit and have a balanced view f entrepreneurship Detail f Objectives f Actin Plan fr Flanders regin Measures When cmpleting their educatinal pathway, pupils, curse participants r students must be able t set bjectives fr themselves, take initiatives, be cnfident enugh t g fr it, be creative, rganise themselves and demnstrate the perseverance required t achieve these bjectives. They need this entrepreneurial spirit t shape their lives. Entrepreneurial spirit helps peple utline their further educatinal career and cmplete it successfully, facilitate their access t the labur market and further develp their prfessinal career and plan their leisure time and family life When graduating, students, curse participants r pupils must be sufficiently prepared t engage in entrepreneurship. This means that students, pupils and curse participants knw which steps t take t becme an entrepreneur and have acquired sufficient basic knwledge at the end f their training curse Pupils, students and curse participants must adpt a psitive attitude twards entrepreneurs and enterprises and cnsider entrepreneurship as a valuable career chice fr themselves and fr thers In rder t make pupils, students and curse participants gain a psitive image f entrepreneurship, it is essential that teachers and ther directly invlved parties such as schl management teams have a sufficiently balanced visin f entrepreneurship themselves. If this is nt the case, they will nt be able t cnvey a balanced image f enterprises and entrepreneurs. Teachers and schl management teams need t have enugh entrepreneurial spirit themselves in rder t be able t prvide Entrepreneurial Educatin Surce: Actin Plan n Entrepreneurship, Gvernment f Flanders, Nvember The fllwing grups belng t the Actin Plan's target grup: - Pupils in nursery and primary educatin; - Pupils in full-time and part-time secndary educatin, including apprenticeship and Se-n-Se (secndary after secndary educatin); - Pupils in part-time educatin in the arts; - Students in higher educatin; - Curse participants in adult educatin, with the exceptin f the training curse leading t the business management certificate. The Actin Plan agreed t fcus n tw aspects; first fcus is n instilling an entrepreneurial attitude int pupils and students and secnd fcus is n imparting the necessary cmpetences fr independent entrepreneurship t pupils and students and n encuraging them t chse independent entrepreneurship. 12 cmpetences have been defined:

64 64 Generic entrepreneurship cmpetences frm the ENTRE prfile FULL COMMITMENT TO ENTREPRENEURSHIP Perseverance Self-knwledge ORGANISATIONAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP Understanding f return n investment Decisiveness REASONED ENTREPRENEURSHIP Autnmy Future-riented planning COLLABORATIVE ENTREPRENEURSHIP Persuasiveness Netwrking SEIZING OPPORTUNITIES Seeing pprtunities Understanding f market SOCIALLY CONSCIOUS ENTREPRENEURSHIP Acting in a slidarity-based and ec-friendly way PROACTIVE ENTREPRENEURSHIP Oriented twards learning In the Actin Plan, the Teachers and lecturers play a key rle in prviding Entrepreneurial Educatin. That is why it is imprtant t prvide sufficient supprt t teachers and lecturers f Entrepreneurial Educatin. In this cntext, different types f supprt are ffered fr teacher as facilitatrs: n-line supprt, face t face supprt by third parties, supprt thrugh the exchange f experience with peers, prvisin f a qualitative ffer f activities and the creatin f teacher placements in industry (see the table belw).

65 65 Type On-line supprt Exchange f experiences Quality prvisin f activities Face-tface supprt Placements in Industry Detail f teacher supprt mechanisms Descriptin Teachers are supprted by the prvisin f n-line teaching materials and pedaggical cncepts. Cmpetent has existed since Its n-line knwledge centre gives all training and educatin actrs the pprtunity t find infrmatin n the prvisin f activities, methdlgies and cncrete teaching materials as well as a calendar f specific initiatives. This website als tries t increase the visibility f entrepreneurial spirit and entrepreneurship and shws gd practices at hme and abrad with the aim f inspiring ther teachers. In rder t enhance the visibility and accessibility f the data n Cmpetent's website, clse cperatin will be set up with the educatinal prtal site KlasCement in the future. Databases will be exchanged: in this way items frm the Cmpetent database will be pened up via KlasCement and reversely, relevant data f the Klascement database will be accessible via the website f Cmpetent. The Cmpetent website and its external features will be maintained. Cmpetent will als examine the pssibility f cperating with ther websites and knwledge centres that have similar themes t thse f Cmpetent's website, e.g. the Flemish Netwrk fr the prmtin f entrepreneurship (Ondernemerschapsbevrderend Netwerk, and the websites f structural partners regarding Entrepreneurial Educatin. In additin, Cmpetent will undertake a user analysis t further ptimise the website. Exchange f experiences between teachers may have a stimulating effect. By asking (experienced) teachers t share gd practices, thers may be persuaded t rganise an entrepreneurship prject at their schl t. An excellent tl is setting up infrmal grup discussins fr teachers and lecturers placing the fcus n infrmal cnsultatin. In the past year, this frmula was tested and cnsidered successful. Nevertheless, it is nt desirable t rganise islated infrmal grup discussins. Preference shuld be given t linking them t ther activities, events, cmpetitins, initiatives f structural partners, etc. in the field f Entrepreneurial Educatin r related subjects. The Vcatinal Training Service (DBO) and Cmpetent wrk n this tgether. Sme thught shuld be given t whether learning frm ther teachers' experiences can be stimulated by acknwledging the achievements f excelling teachers thrugh awards. Fr the purpse f supprting teachers wh are teaching Entrepreneurial Educatin, it is f imprtance that sufficient and high-quality materials and cncepts are ffered. In rder t guarantee a minimum quality, a crssplicy area wrking grup will elabrate quality standards that can be used as directives fr awarding funding t activities prmting entrepreneurial spirit r entrepreneurship. In rder t give greater publicity t the existing prvisin, Cmpetent rganises a biennial infrmatin fair featuring stands f Entrepreneurial Educatin prviders. This infrmatin fair will be rganised in clse cnsultatin with the structural partners in the field f Entrepreneurial Educatin and will take place in autumn 2011 and A lessn we have learned frm the past is that althugh plenty f inspiring examples f teaching materials and cncepts are made available, teachers are still cnvinced that starting Entrepreneurial Educatin is a challenging task. The existing channels fcus first and fremst n the needs f teachers wh have already taken the first steps twards Entrepreneurial Educatin. Experiences in ther regins (e.g. Wallnia and Wales) learn that it is wrth the effrt t g in persn t the schls and teachers wh are new t entrepreneurial spirit and entrepreneurship and familiarize them in a structural way with the pssibilities f Entrepreneurial Educatin. Practical experiences in ther regins als shw that in this way even thse institutins and individuals wh are mst reluctant twards Entrepreneurial Educatin can be reached and their enthusiasm fr Entrepreneurial Educatin can be kindled. At present, the Enterprise Flanders Agency has a sectral accunt manager fr educatin. This accunt manager is charged with the task f making the Enterprise Flanders Agency's prvisin knwn and pssibly designing (wn) adapted tls (develped example - Startkmpas). In autumn early 2012, varius wrkshps regarding Startkmpas will als be given t teachers and teacher trainees. The nn-prfit rganisatin Flemish Yung Enterprises and the Educatin and Enterprise Fundatin als adpt a direct apprach t educatin institutins, the main fcus being placed n face-t-face supprt. In additin, educatinal guidance services may give supprt t educatin institutins and prvide, prmte and reinfrce innvatins in educatin. The actins taken by the abve-mentined actrs can nly partially meet the present need fr facet-face supprt. Teachers are als supprted by giving them the pprtunity t get a feel fr entrepreneurship. Teacher placements in industry are an effective means t d this, especially when the trainee is placed in a smaller enterprise. One f the reasns why few teachers have undertaken placements in industry is the prblem f finding a substitute teacher fr the duratin f the placement. It ften happens that when n substitute teacher is fund, teachers wh are interested in a placement in industry cannt start his/her wrk placement. Via a prject designed t slve the replacement prblem, effrts are made t enable mre teachers t g n a teacher placement in industry. In this pilt prject, a bdy will set up substitute educatinal activities while the teacher is away n a dmestic placement in industry. This substitute educatinal activity must aim at prmting entrepreneurial spirit and/r entrepreneurship in pupils. On the basis f 30 substitutins, this pilt prject will assess whether this frmula may succeed in making pupils and teachers simultaneusly wrk n their entrepreneurial spirit and entrepreneurship. The pilt prject will take place in 2012 and will be preceded by a call fr prjects. When assessing the submitted prjects, the experience f the submitter with actins regarding Entrepreneurial Educatin will play an imprtant rle Surce: Actin Plan n Entrepreneurship, Gvernment f Flanders, Nvember 2010

66 66 This Actin Plan was created in cllabratin with all the plicy actrs invlved, which frm part f their sciety t implement: - the Department f Educatin and Training, - the Department f Ecnmy, Science and Innvatin, - the Enterprise Flanders Agency, - the Department f Wrk and Scial Ecnmy, - the Department f Agriculture and Fisheries, - the Flemish Agency fr Entrepreneurship Training SYNTRA Vlaanderen, - the ESF Agency, - the ffice f the Minister-President f the Gvernment f Flanders and Flemish Minister fr Ecnmy, Freign Plicy, Agriculture and Rural Plicy, - the ffice f Flemish Minister fr Finance, Budget, Wrk, Twn and Cuntry Planning and Sprt and - the ffice f Flemish Minister fr Educatin, Yuth, Equal Opprtunities and Brussels Affairs. FUNDING Until nw, varius plicy areas independently funded actins fr the prmtin f Entrepreneurial Educatin. This led t inadequate alignment and a fragmentatin f initiatives. Ideally, all resurces spent shuld be jintly managed s that a brad range f initiatives with a variatin in methdlgies are financed. That is why in the framewrk f the present Actin Plan, all departments and agencies invlved agreed n the use f the resurces frm a cmmn perspective. All departments and agencies invlved make arrangements n hw the resurces are used and n wh finances which actins. The fllwing arrangements were made regarding the structural and prject-based funding f initiatives and rganisatins during this term f ffice: COFEP which is respnsible fr the rganisatin f training enterprises receives structural supprt. The Department f Educatin and Training allcates these resurces via the RTC netwrk. VDAB cntributes t staffing csts; The nn-prfit rganisatin Vlaj and Stichting Onderwijs en Ondernemen are already structurally funded by the Enterprise Flanders Agency. Bth rganisatins prvide varius cmplementary cncepts and materials fr Entrepreneurial Educatin. These activities are guaranteed but in rder t stimulate harmnisatin f the actins f bth rganisatins, the Enterprise Flanders Agency will take the initiative t cnsult with bth rganisatins s

67 67 that they will submit a cmmn prpsal f activities, budget and reprting frm 2013 nwards; Fr sme schl years, the dream factry f Vlaj has been receiving supprt frm the Educatin and Training Department in the frm f 1FTE secnded teacher. Frm 2013 nwards, the prpsal f activities with the budget f Vlaj and UNIZO will als have t cntain a prpsal fr the emplyment f secnded teachers. On the basis f these prpsals, the number f FTE secnded teachers may be increased; Cmpetent's peratin is further guaranteed and funded by SYNTRA Vlaanderen. Cmpetent is respnsible fr the n-line knwledge centre, the inspiratinal guide fr Entrepreneurial Educatin and an Entrepreneurial Class Day; The Minister respnsible fr technlgical innvatin plicy ensures the structural funding f Flanders District f Creativity. Flanders DC takes initiatives t increase creativity within educatin. Flanders DC is als cmmissined by the Enterprise Flanders Agency t rganise the Flemish business plan cmpetitin fr students; COOS, a cmpetitin fr schl teams regarding entrepreneurial spirit and entrepreneurship is funded by resurces f the Educatin and Training Department. As participatin numbers were lw fr the 2011 editin, this activity will be assessed after the 2012 editin. Only if the participatin was sufficiently high in 2012, this activity will be cntinued fr the rest f the term f ffice; New calls fr Bridging Prjects will be launched by the Enterprise Flanders Agency. Via the bridging prjects, the Enterprise Flanders Agency prvides resurces t prjects which create partnerships fr the purpse f develping new frms f knwledge exchange between the business wrld and educatin. The Enterprise Flanders Agency has earmarked the necessary funds fr a new call in In this cntext, rm is als made fr valrisatin prcesses f the best practices arising frm previus calls fr Bridging Prjects the peratin f which is being embedded in Flanders. The practical launch f the call is dne in cnsultatin with the crss-plicy area wrking grup n Entrepreneurial Educatin; The Enterprise Flanders Agency funds an annual business plan cmpetitin fr students and pupils. Varius rganisatins will wrk n this tgether frm the schl year. The "Belftevlle Ondernemer cmpetitin" (Prmising Entrepreneur) which was financed until 2011 by the Educatin and Training Department is n lnger rganised separately as it is included in the cllabratin initiatives fr the business plan cmpetitin. In the next perid, maximum synergies between the business plan cmpetitin, the activities f Vlaj and the Stichting Onderwijs en Ondernemen and ther initiatives within the framewrk f this Actin Plan will be actively aimed at;

68 68 The prject entitled 'De wereld aan je veten!' (The Wrld at yur Feet) in its current frm will be extended fr anther year. This prject receives means frm different plicy areas; Finally, the Educatin and Training Department prvides prject-based funding t Prlern bis and the pilt prject fr the prmtin f teacher placements in industry; The Enterprise Flanders Agency als awards funding t 2 audi-visual creatins with a crss-media character that specifically aim at raising the awareness f yung peple t entrepreneurship. These creatins are: Later als ik grt ben (Later, as a grwn-up): This prgramme is abut career planning fr yung peple aged 10 t 15 and will be bradcast by Ketnet; Jnge bazen (Yung Bsses) bradcast by Kanaal Z is a cncept designed fr students in secndary and higher educatin with a cmpetitin frmula similar t mini-enterprises. 1. KEY STAKEHOLDERS The Actin Plan fr Entrepreneurship Educatin is a shared initiative between the Prime Minister, Minister fr Ecnmy and Agriculture, Minister fr Educatin and Minister fr Emplyment. The Actin Plan is als a cntributin t the ecnmic grwth strategy Flanders in Actin The Flanders Enterprise Agency has been particularly active. It has launched an awareness campaign t encurage lder entrepreneurs t cnsider cntinuing their business. It selected eight prjects t be presented in the media t prmte a realistic image f the entrepreneur amng the general public and it prvided funding fr tw rganisatins that evaluate the feasibility f business plans and give advice t pre-starters, i.e. peple abut t set up a cmpany. Lastly, under the s-called SME-wallet instrument, it is pssible in Flanders t receive a subsidy fr strategic advice n the transfer f a cmpany. In the Flemish Cmmunity f Belgium and within the framewrk f the Eurpean Reginal Develpment Fund, the prject Prlern 1 aims t raise the standard f entrepreneurial educatin by training secndary schl teachers in entrepreneurship and develping their entrepreneurial attitudes thrugh adpting nn-traditinal appraches and teaching methds and by using nntraditinal pedaggical tls. On the plicy frnt, n 1 Nvember 2011 the cnsultancy service FINMIX was intrduced in the Flanders regin. It gives entrepreneurs the pprtunity t present their prjects t a panel f financial experts wh will advise them n the ptimal financing mix fr their specific situatin. FINMIX has been intrduced in the 1

69 69 Flanders regin. This prvides entrepreneurs with the pprtunity t present their prject t a panel f financial experts, wh will advise them n the ptimal financing mix fr their enterprise. The members f the panel are representatives f banks, innvatin centres, business rganisatins and prviders f public and private risk capital. Any cmpany may use FINMIX, prvided venture capital is needed fr a balanced financing mix. The panel will advise n the need fr risk capita and the pssibility f gvernment supprt measures. On the ne hand, this shuld help mre cmpanies find the ptimal financing mix, and, n the ther hand, reduce the time taken t find financing. Althugh the measure was launched recently (1 Nvember 2011), it can already be cnsidered t be gd practice because f its innvative apprach. It des nt fcus n financing as such, but n the different surces f financing and their ptimal mix, invlving multiple parties with different types f expertise. The steering grup will mnitr the implementatin f this plan. At the fficial level, the necessary wrking grups are cmpsed s that the relevant services cperate n its peratinalisatin. In cnfrmity with the declaratin f intent, the partners in the field will be advised with.

70 70 5. CASE ANALYSIS After detailed each natinal strategy t prmte entrepreneurship educatin in the 5 cases analysed, we will have a cmprehensive diagnsis in rder t identify cmmnalities and differences. In the fllwing table, it s gruped infrmatin regarding specific initiatives that have been develped in the area f educatin and skills. First and taking int accunt the perid f implementatin, Nrway cnstituted the frefrnt in the design and implementatin f a natinal plan fr entrepreneurship educatin (in 2004). Fllwed fr Finland in 2007, Denmark and Sweden in 2009 and Flemish regin in MAIN DETAILS OF NATIONAL INITIATIVES FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATION Case Educatin Natinal Strategy Perid Executr Other Organizatin Entrepreneur Natinal Plan Nrway Finland Denmark Sweden Strategic plan fr entrepreneurship in educatin and training: See the pprtunities and make them wrk Actin Plan Entrepreneurship in Educatin and Training, frm cmpulsry schl t higher educatin in Glbal entrepreneurship Training Prgramme First Plan fr educatin and research Secnd Plan fr educatin and research Guidelines fr Entrepreneurship Educatin Strategy fr Educatin and Training in Entrepreneurship Strategy fr Entrepreneurship in the area f educatin Refrm f the Swedish high schl system Gymnasierefrmen, Gy2011 Educatin part f Entrepreneurship Actin Plan The Ministry Of Trade and Industry, the Ministry f Educatin and Research, and the Ministry f Lcal Gvernment and Reginal Develpment Ministry f Labur and the Ministry f Trade and Industry, Ministry f Emplyment and the Ecnmy (MEE) Ministry f Business and Grwth and Ministry f Science, Innvatin and Higher Educatin The Ministry f Enterprise, Energy and Cmmunicatins (Näringsdepartementet) 2010 Minister fr Ecnmy and Agriculture, The Industrial Develpment Crpratin (SIVA), Innvatin Nrway and the Nrwegian Research Cuncil Tekes, the Finnish Funding Agency fr Technlgy and Innvatin The Fundatin fr Entrepreneurship, Reginal Business Develpment Centres (Vaeksthuse) Sweden s Innvatin Agency, Vinnva, the Swedish Agency fr Ecnmic and Reginal Grwth, Tillväxtverket, and ALMI Företagspartner AB Enterprise Flanders Agency, Gvernment entrepreneurship strategy Entreprenurship Plan Natinal actin plan fr entrepreneurship 2003 Plan fr Entrepreneurship

71 71 Flemish Regin, Belgium Actin plan fr entrepreneurship educatin Minister fr Educatin and Minister fr Emplyment Flemish Agency fr Entrepreneurship Training SYNTRA Vlaanderen, ESF Agency, thers Entrepreneurship Actin Plan 2010 Either way, it s pssible t nte that plicies t prmte entrepreneurship educatin are relatively new and have n mre than five years n average applicatin. Because f its gegraphical psitin, it is pssible t nte that these experiences are cncentrated in the nrth and especially in the Nrdic cuntries, as fur f them belng this regin. Fr the specific case f Brazil, this means that by ne side- there isn t a huge gap in the implementatin f such plicies with the tp at internatinal level, and in ther side-, there are als five years f practical experience in the implementatin f the varius measures. In all the cases, frm the beginning there are a crss ministerial apprach due t the cmplexity f actin, stakehlders and resurces. These tasks exceed the limits f a single ministry, which is nt bvius that it is ne the mst dynamic in the implementatin. On average, three ministries are invlved in the case studies, where Sweden and Denmark have Ministry f Enterprise and Business Ministry. Instead, the traditinal Trade and Industry Ministry is respnsible fr prmting entrepreneurship in Nrway and Finland. This wrk requires cllabratin and effrts frm a number f parties, including: Private actrs: business and industry, and cmmercial and industrial rganisatins; Organisatins: pupil and student rganisatins, the scial partners, Assciatin f Lcal and Reginal Authrities; and Public actrs: municipalities, cunty authrities and ther reginal develpment actrs. These ministries are aided by the acting f strategic rganizatins invlved in educatinal issues and business, frming a partnership that is what allws the gvernance and sustainability f the interventin mdel. This mdel f gvernance, despite having differences frm cuntry t cuntry, but it s pssible t distinguish cmmn cmpnents. It presented in the fllwing diagram the scheme gvernance mdel fr plicy entrepreneurship educatin.

72 72 The cmpnents f this mdel are: The Entrepreneurship educatin embedded at all levels and types f educatin, frm primary and secndary educatin, vcatinal and University level. This means that, it must include actins t prmte entrepreneurship at all levels f educatin frm the beginning; Crss ministerial cperatin present in all cases. The cmplexity f the actins t be taken beynd the scpe f a ministry r tw, and it takes the crdinatin f varius public entities. The main Ministry is in charge f managing the entrepreneurship educatin actin plan; Intensive business engagement. In all the Plans analysed, it tried t invlve enterprise in educatinal activities, bth with teachers and with students. Cmpany insert in the classrm is a phrase that describes it well intensive cllabratin with business sectr; Teachers rle t functin as facilitatrs. Teachers becme facilitatrs and agents prmting entrepreneurship. Fr which, different actins are geared t teach teachers, Train f trainers. At this pint, teachers f entrepreneurship include teachers at all levels f educatin (university, business schl, high-schl, secndary and primary schls) as well as ther relevant stakehlders wrking with entrepreneurship such a service prviders;

73 73 Full autnmy f implementing entrepreneurship educatin by educatinal institutins as lng as they cmply with Natinal Qualificatin Framewrk r steering dcuments; Strategic funding. Frm the beginning it invlves the creatin f financing mechanisms f actins, in rder t give financial sustainability. In the 5 cases studied there is a cmprehensive list f the varius pssible mechanisms t use. Als, the cmmn characteristics f gd practices were fcus n experiential learning; and the ability t cpe and manage with the scarce human resurces and funding; netwrks with external stakehlders; high level f internatinal cperatin and media expsure. In the majrity f cases, there were public funds and the recvery rate was very lw at the start r practically nn-existent. Factrs prmting gd practices include rganizatins specializing in their wn strngest area and leveraging thers expertise in ther areas; effective cmmunicatin and prmtin strategy; and deliberately matching and selecting partners frm business sectr THE CASE OF NORDIC COUNTRIES The Nrdic cuntries, thrugh years f develping, have established a distinguished Nrdic mdel in entrepreneurship educatin. This culd als prvide certain pprtunities fr cperatin between Nrdic cuntries and varius actrs in the area. The mdel includes the fllwing cmmn features (see the chart): - Key rle f Junir Achievement - Yung Enterprise rganizatins - Crss ministerial cperatin - Full autnmy f implementing - Intensive business engagement - Entrepreneurship educatin embedded - Teachers rle t functin as facilitatrs. A pint that it need t remake, is the effrt arund the creatin f entrepreneur statistics, especially what is called an entrepreneurship ecsystem index. The