Sponsoring initiative and entrepreneurial skills in education
"The project centres around creating and developing a buffet that offers instructions, tools, and technology, in addition to opportunities to share experiences; connecting people using EntreComp, the Entrepreneurship Competence Framework, in their studies, teaching, or work," says Svanborg R. Jónsdóttir, professor of arts and creative work at the University of Iceland's School of Education. She is currently leading an extensive study on entrepreneurial skills. The project, Entrepreneurship360 Network, recently received a 38 million krona grant year from the Erasmus+ EU programme for education, training, youth and sport.
"The purpose is to support all parties in general education and continuing education to support development, evaluation, and the recognition of entrepreneurship as a competence in education throughout life," explains Svanborg. The project is trans-European and covers three years.
The University of Iceland leads the project, but the participating countries are Belgium, Spain, England, and Finland. Kristín Harðardóttir, Director at the School of Education's Educational Research Institute is also involved in the project.
"EntreComp is a vast competence frame work for entrepreneurial skills containing numerous learning outcomes that are suitable in various educational programmes such as life skills. The aim of project is to show how EntreComp can prove useful in continuing education as the focus is on the interdisciplinary competency skills that are considered important in a modern society. These factors usually aim at improving social inclusion, whilst strengthening the economic foundations of societies," says Svanborg and points out that competences such as entrepreneurial skills are becoming increasingly valued in the Icelandic education system and industry.
Svanborg is director of the Centre for Research on Creativity in Education at the University of Icealnd and has participated in numerous collaborative projects over the years, both in Iceland and abroad. One of her projects was an action research on promoting creation in education. Svanborg has written and published numerous peer-reviewed article and book chapters and is, furthermore, the author of book The road to independence - Emancipatory pedagogy with her co-author Rósa Gunnarsdóttir.
