Concerns about competitiveness and employment within the European Union have generated policy interest in the EU neighbouring regions as partner countries similarly grapple with the knock-on effects of economic transition, open trade systems and the effects of a global financial crisis. Education and training are now increasingly considered by governments as key to economic turn-around and sustained growth as economies and their workforces confront the challenges and inter-dependencies of a globalised economy.
Borrowing on policies designed to support the EU in heading off the challenges of fiercer competition and improved employment, ETF in cooperation with the European Commission, has developed a set of policy indicators to support its partner countries in assuming greater responsibility for the human capital challenges of more open economies. The indicators form an integral part of a wider policy toolbox enshrined within the Small Business Act for Europe (SBA) and which draw on wider EU education and training policies. The objective of the policy thrust is to promote a more entrepreneurial and skilled economy in each of ETF’s partner countries.
The activities under the ETF 2011 enterprise and entrepreneurship project draw on the SBA indicator package and where policy assessments will be undertaken in fourteen ETF partner countries from the EU pre-accession and Eastern Neighbourhood regions. The assessments particularly focus on how entrepreneurship is addressed in the national education system in each country as well as examining the policy environment and support structures to promote a more systemic approach to enterprise skills’ development. The assessments will conclude with a set of broad lines for more systemic improvements in both areas (entrepreneurial learning and enterprise skills) as well as customised recommendations for each country for each policy area. Further, set against increasing concerns for greener production, ETF will explore options for developing policy tools to promote management and trade skills consistent with sustainable enterprise development objectives.
The aim of a second activity within the project is to determine how the teaching profession can be better supported and developed to accommodate the new demands for entrepreneurship promotion within the schooling system. ETF will call a cross-regional symposium involving a) education and economy policy makers and b) teacher training institutes, from each of the pre-accession and Southern Mediterranean partner countries. The symposium builds on a wider policy dialogue on entrepreneurial learning with partner countries initiated in 2010 and where teacher training was identified as a critical challenge. The symposium will dovetail with a similar dialogue involving EU member countries. The conclusions and recommendations from both symposia will be drawn together in one report and disseminated to all participating countries to prompt a more systemic promotion of the teaching profession aligned with education and training policies which accommodate the EU entrepreneurial learning drive.
Finally, during 2011 the ETF enterprise team will continue to provide customised support to the European Commission and partner countries based on specific requests in the areas of entrepreneurial learning and enterprises skills. Of note here, will be a) advisory and technical support to the Euro-Mediterranean Working Group on Industrial Cooperation on skills for sustainable enterprise; b) proposals to the European Commission for upgrading the human capital dimensions of the Euro-Mediterranean Charter for Enterprise; c) advisory inputs to a project financially supported by the European Commission’s enlargement services (South East European Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning); and d) customised policy support work to partner institutions on the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Syria.