Enterprise Education- Who's Participating?

As schools increasingly encourage enterprise education, a number of "stand alone" programs ( eg: Young Achievement Australia (YAA),and the E(Enterprise)-Team ) are being offered to students. Typically, such programs are developed by businessled groups and implemented at the school level. Many involve business sponsorship and often the number of students participating is limited. This paper investigates the characteristics of students involved in such programs, and the criteria for student inclusion. While this study does not examine the value of participation in enterprise education programs, it does include suggestions to increase student participation. ENTERPRISE EDUCATIONWHO'S PARTICIPATING? Enterprise Education is a term that is being used increasingly in schools. But, to what does it refer? In many cases the interpretation is particularly narrow and although teachers acknowledge its many positive attributes , all too often it is implemented in ways that limit the participation of the majority of students. Enterprise Education (EE) is viewed by many teachers as an activity that is outside the curriculum and not included in day to day teaching. It is often seen as a "one off' activity that is only available to a select group of students. This paper proposes that enterprise education is an approach to teaching that should be part of the curriculum and available to all students. By examining some definitions of enterprise education a better understanding of the true meaning can be gained. As well, information on participation rates in EE, and teachers views of it have been collected from a number of secondary schools. What is Enterprise Education? To better understand the place of Enterprise Education in schools it is important to examine the definitions. Too often, a narrow view of EE is associated with the negative connotations linked to entrepreneurialism. A broader view sees it as an approach to teaching that empowers students. In 1989 the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)(quoted in Curriculum Corporation 1995, p.1) report entitled "Towards an enterprising culturea challenge to education and training" distinguished between these two views: ♦ A 'narrow' definition of enterprise which sees it as business entrepreneurialism (in other words, the promotion and development of enterprise within education and training systems is viewed purely as an issue of curriculum development to enable young people to learn, usually experientially, about business start-up and management). ♦ A 'broad' definition of enterprise which regards it as a set of qualities and competencies that enable individuals, organisations, communities, societies and cultures to be flexible, creative and adaptable in the face of change ('This approach is based on the belief that enterprise involves using the imagination, being creative, taking responsibilities, identifying ideas, organising for action, making decisions, managing and communicating with others, assessing performance and the like in a wide range of living and working contexts') (p.1) Enterprise Education is not just about business start-up and management. It is a methodology that can be used in a wide range of contexts. It empowers students to be positive thinkers, problem solvers, and determine their own futures. The OECD (quoted in Curriculum Corporation 1995, p.2) defines the qualities of the individual that EE seeks to develop: An enterprising individual has a positive, flexible and adaptive disposition toward change, seeing it as normal and as an opportunity rather than a problem. To see change in this way, an enterprising individual has a security borne of self confidence, and is at ease when dealing with insecurity, risks and the unknown. An enterprising individual has the capacity to initiate creative ideas and develop them through into action in a determined manner. An enterprising individual is able, even anxious to take responsibility and is an effective communicator, negotiator, influencer, planner and organiser. An enterprising individual is active, confident, purposeful, not passive, uncertain and dependant. Few would argue that it is not the role of schools to encourage and facilitate the growth of such characteristics in students. To realise these outcomes may require a different approach to teaching. Sweet(1996, p.24)) points out that the process involved in enterprise education have many of the same characteristics as effective workplace learning. ♦ It gives students significant ownership and control over their own learning; ♦ It has a substantial experiential component; ♦ Much of it is cooperative, involving teams and projects, rather than being individual and isolated; ♦ It allows the learner to reflect upon the outcomes of learning, often in conjunction with other learners; ♦ It is frequently built around partnerships between educational institutions and other community organisations. These processes will require many teachers to adopt a fresh approach if they are to be successful in implementing EE . Teachers will need to rethink their roles. The Curriculum Corporation (1995, p.6)) states that "the approach requires not so much teaching in the traditional didactic sense, but rather the teacher acting as an enabler, a facilitator, a supporter and nurturer of student learning. And it means giving away some power in order to redirect it to the students. The processes outlined by Sweet(1996) are an approach to teaching that is vital if educators are to produce the enterprising individual described above. As more teachers understand the broad definition, and accept EE as an approach to teaching, a wider range of students are likely to benefit. . The Enterprise Education Programs included in this Study There are a number of other EE programs that operate in schools. However, in this investigation, three programs are described; these represent almost all the EE activities occurring in the schools approached. E-Team The E-Team is a program sponsored by the Australian Quality Council in which a team of 5 students from a school (usually year 11 or 12 students) is sponsored, on-site by a business for a period of one week. During their period in business, students work as a team to address real-life business problems. Students, with assistance from on-site mentors propose a solution to identified problems. In conclusion, students work as a team in presenting possible scenarios for improvement. Young Achievement Australia (YAA) Students work as teams to develop and market a product or service. This program is coordinated by YAA and sponsored by a local business/organisation that mentors students during the process.