Project

Entrepreneurship is not only a foundation for entrepreneurs interested in establishing a commercial activity. Rather, it refers to an individual ability to turn ideas into action and includes a broad set of abilities (EC, 2011) that allows the capacity to transform ideas into social value for others. Entrepreneurship, in fact, holds an additional ‘social’ potential for addressing pressing social challenges and meeting social needs in an innovative way. Social entrepreneurship results primarily in social impact rather than profit maximization to reach most vulnerable groups and contribute to inclusive and sustainable growth (OECD).

As social entrepreneurship is a new concept, also studies on its definition as ‘competence’ are very new. Education plays a key role for the development of this competence, especially teachers. However, an EC research (2011) shows the absence of skills and creative approaches to entrepreneurship learning among initial teacher education (ITE) and continuous professional development (CPD) programs. Subsequently, teachers’ profile needs to be strengthened with this key competence and with the adoption of innovative practices and resources that will consequently have a positive impact on the development/improvement of students’ social entrepreneurial spirit.

EnSoEd is aimed at supporting the initial and continuous professional development of teachers’ profiles in accordance with the European lifelong learning approach through the application of practical and innovative tools in order to promote social entrepreneurship education in secondary schools.