Name of the original practice to be transferred

Framework of References for Entrepreneurship Competences

Specific context where the practice has already been implemented/ applied

Austria, Bulgaria, Luxemburg, Slovenia

Conditions of the original practice

Competence-oriented learning – There are a great variety of different entrepreneurial competences. To provide a structured overview we have developed a reference framework with three main categories: “Developing Ideas” , “Implementing Ideas” and “Thinking Sustainability”. In addition to that we have grouped the competences according to teaching levels from A1 to C2. Competence descriptions for instance include “I can develop creative ideas” , “I can evaluate business risks using case studies” and “I can see ethical problems and solve them”. This multi-dimensional diversification makes it possible to set very precise goals for learning success.

Assess yourselves! In order to test whether students have acquired the relevant core competences, we offer several forms of assessment for all our challenges. An essential feature of our model is the self-assessment to be done at the end of the challenge. The students reflect on their own behaviour, using questions such as: Have I reached my goals? What role did I play in the group? How can I apply what I learned to my daily life? This self-assessment helps students assume responsibility and makes them aware of how important it is that they actively contribute to projects.

Structures of the original practice

The Reference Framework for Entrepreneurship Competences was elaborated on the basis of the European Commission’s definition. Entrepreneurship competences develop over time, in a process that starts long before individuals embark on their professional careers, which is why the reference framework includes several competence levels. These levels correspond to the conventional division into primary, secondary and tertiary levels:

  • competence level A (primary level, beginners) refers to elementary entrepreneurship applications,
  • competence level B (secondary level) to independent and
  • competence level C (tertiary level) to fully competent entrepreneurship applications.

The individual competence levels are subdivided into a higher and lower level each, creating a total of six competence levels.

The reference framework provides orientation for the learning process in the following competence areas: “developing ideas”, “implementing ideas” and “sustainable thinking” (intended to inspire value-oriented thinking). The competences of learners are expressed in can-do statements, describing the specific attitudes, abilities and skills that learners are supposed to develop. The Reference Framework can easily be linked with the EntreComp.

Suggestions on how these will transfer to the new context

The Reference Framework for Entrepreneurship Competences is meant to serve as an aid for curriculum development teams and an inspiration in the development of teaching-learning arrangements.