E-COOL

Promoting entrepreneurship is an important driver of smart, sustainable and inclusive economic growth and it has been a prime objective of the EU regions since the EC included it into the 2020 Strategy. Improving Entrepreneurship has both economic and social benefits; it is not only a driving force for job creation, competitiveness and growth, it also contributes to individual’s personal fulfilment and has an impact on a range of social objectives too. Consequently, the EU encourages initiatives aimed at developing Entrepreneurship to unlock the growth potential of businesses and people. However, self-employment itself is not a personal goal for Europeans generally, with only 37% of Europeans (Eurobarometer 2012) stating they would like to be self-employed. The Entrepreneurship Action Plan, adopted by the EC in 2013 to reignite Europe’s entrepreneurial spirit, includes initiatives for educating young people on entrepreneurship. To ensure that the EU economy remains globally competitive, younger Europeans need to be motivated and inspired to develop their entrepreneurial mindset. The EU 2020 Action Plan suggests that young people who are given the opportunity to receive a specialised entrepreneurship education are more likely to start-up a business and are better equipped to tackle challenges in both their professional and personal lives. All good reasons to ensure a better quality entrepreneurship education for our young people. Most approaches in recent years have focused on improving the skills or competences young people should gain within the education system. However, an integrated approach is needed, where their school, friends, family and the social environment, all play their part, to create an environment where entrepreneurial mindsets, attitudes and ideas can flourish. E-COOL will identify and exchange –through a quadruple helix approach:

• Good practices for creating more fruitful entrepreneurial ecosystems
• Actions to boost entrepreneurship in young people’s attitudes and mindset.

The good practices and lessons learnt will be transferred into Action Plans to be included in regional policies.