Convergence between 21st Century Skills and Entrepreneurship Education in Higher Education Institutes

Abstract

The aim of this study is to explore the extent to which 21st century skills assume “a priori” as an integral part of entrepreneurship education with the intent of producing graduates who are not just primarily driven to start new ventures but also empowered and enabled to create entrepreneurial impact within organizations. In elucidating this argument the author undertook social constructionist approach, in order to develop an empirical understanding of the role of entrepreneurship education in developing 21st century skills from the perspective and experiences of undergraduate students majoring in Innovation & Entrepreneurship undergraduate program. Findings of this study suggest that teaching detailed and nuanced industry knowledge is arguably beyond the scope of entrepreneurship education systems, but to an extent, it is of paramount importance that students are exposed to the organic industry knowledge through interaction and experiential experiences. Within such interaction, the development of convergent 21st century skills such as social relationships, leadership, creativity and critical thinking further nurture entrepreneurial intents among students. In so doing, this study provides avenues for further development of entrepreneurship education, particularly the integration of 21st century skills.

Digital intelligence of a modern economist: an exploratory case study

“…Teaching detailed and nuanced industry knowledge is arguably beyond the scope of entrepreneurship education systems, but to an extent, it is of paramount importance that students are exposed to the organic industry knowledge through interaction and experiential experiences. Within such interaction, the development of convergent 21st century skills such as social relationships, leadership, creativity and critical thinking further nurture entrepreneurial intents among students [16]. The indicator of the Digital Changemaker Identity is the ability to identify and develop yourself as a competent digital technology user in Economics.…”

Entrepreneurial Psychological Quality and Quality Cultivation of College Students in the Higher Education and Moral Education Perspectives

“…Therefore, college education has become the core of entrepreneurship education for college students to successfully prepare for their businesses, and the cultivation of entrepreneurial psychology has been strengthened. On the one hand, the difficulty of entrepreneurship determines that entrepreneurial psychology is the key to success (Ghafar, 2020 ). At the beginning of any business, it is impossible to avoid all kinds of difficulties and obstacles, especially to study areas that no one has ever been involved in.…”

Outside the Box

“…Leaders in organizational development seek to find solutions for sustaining innovation across the culture of a business, particularly to combat the marked and persistent tendency for firms and their individual employees to become less flexible, risk-oriented, and, yes, creative over time. As a result, creative thinking is now being taught in courses on or related to entrepreneurship, including non-disciplinary or transdisciplinary courses like first-year seminars (Ghafar, 2020;McMullan & Kenworthy, 2015;Solomon et al, 2008), as innovation tends to resonate with contemporary business models of higher education.…”