Title: Promoting the entrepreneurs of tomorrow: entrepreneurship education and start-up intentions among schoolchildren

Authors: Vegard Johansen, Tommy Hoyvarde Clausen

Addresses: Eastern Norway Research Institute, Ostlandsforskning, Postboks 223, 2601 Lillehammer, Norway. ' Nordland Research Institute, Nordlandsforskning, N-8049 Bodo, Norway

Abstract: Research and policy literature stress entrepreneurship and innovation at higher education institutions as central driving forces behind job creation and economic growth, but few studies have looked at how secondary schools can contribute to create a more dynamic enterprise culture. In this paper, we correct this gap in our knowledge. The main aim is to evaluate to what extent a European entrepreneurship programme promotes start-up intentions among schoolchildren. The programme investigated is the company programme (CP) provided by the NGO Junior Achievement – Young Enterprise Europe. CP is taught in 40 European countries. Our study is done in Norway, and CP reaches 10% of all children in the Norwegian upper secondary school. Our econometric results indicate that CP stimulates start-up intentions. Hence, it indicates that entrepreneurship education programmes are able to influence entrepreneurial intentions among children with different social backgrounds.

Keywords: entrepreneurship education; company programmes; Junior Achievement-Young Enterprise; JA-YE; start-up intentions; schoolchildren; future entrepreneurs; higher education; universities; job creation; economic growth; secondary schools; secondary education; enterprise cultures; Norway; econometric results; entrepreneurial intentions; children; social backgrounds; non-governmental organisations; NGOs; small and medium-sized enterprises; SMEs; Europe; R&D; research and development.

DOI: 10.1504/IJESB.2011.040761

International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business, 2011 Vol.13 No.2, pp.208 - 219

Published online: 11 Oct 2014 *

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