Boosting Employability Through Fostering an Entrepreneurial Mindset: Critical Analysis of Employability and Entrepreneurship in EU Policy Documents

Abstract

In EU higher education policy, improving graduate employability is a central concern, setting guidelines and putting pressure not only on higher education institutions but also on individuals. In this chapter, the policy discourse on producing employable graduates is analysed by considering entrepreneurship education as a governing technology. The analysis illustrates how entrepreneurship education is represented as an empowering solution to maximise graduates’ employment and economic potential. Graduates are within the policy being governed by risk. While the goal of the policy appears to be producing empowered and employable graduates with a self-responsible entrepreneurial mindset, the policy might also set unintentional pressures and participate in generating a character of a ‘neurotic citizen’ who has a constant fear of losing control in life and dropping out from society.