A University Training Programme for Acquiring Entrepreneurial and Transversal Employability Skills, a Students’ Assessment

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to analyze university graduate students’ assessments of the attainment of skills acquired in a Training Programme (TP) to develop entrepreneurial skills and transversal employability competencies. Both are vital for the success of today’s societies and play an important role in the sustainable development agenda. The TP was a 12-week programme with six modules combining entrepreneurship training and traditional teaching methods. There were nine editions and 148 students worked in teams preparing business plans to present to consultants and potential investors. First, the nominal group technique was used to identify which competencies can be acquired through TP. Second, a survey was designed to identify the level to which the competences were attained. The results suggest that the students attained two types of skills, acquiring a higher level of proficiency in entrepreneurial skills and those transversal competencies. Additionally, different levels of attainment of entrepreneurial skills were found in different groups of students. We provide new evidence that TPs, as compulsory subjects in the core curriculum of degree programmes, will help accomplish both objectives: the acquisition of entrepreneurial skills and generic university educational competencies. The overall outcome of this research highlights the value added by the TPs.

Entrepreneurship Education and Students’ Entrepreneurial Intention in Higher Education

“…Pardo-García and Barac (2020) [22] found that an innovative training itinerary is an opportunity to develop students' creativity and entrepreneurship to create something from zero, being proactive, and solving a need that exists in the society. The methodologies used to measure the efficiency of entrepreneurial education programs are mainly focused on three areas: entrepreneurial intention, entrepreneurial activity, and acquired skills [23]. Empirical studies have found that there is a significant relationship between students' behavior and students' access to entrepreneurship education.…”

“…They found that entrepreneurship education had greatly improved college students' business knowledge and skills, and significantly increased their engagement in small businesses after graduation [26][27][28][29]. Laguna-Sánchez et al (2020) [23] found that the students attained two types of skills, acquiring a higher level of proficiency in entrepreneurial skills, as well as transversal competencies through training programs. Some other studies also indicate strong correlations between student participation in entrepreneurship education and the formation of their entrepreneurial intention [6,[30][31][32].…”

Collaborative Learning Communities for Sustainable Employment through Visual Tools

“…Evidence from contemporary literature suggests that Soft Skill Attributes contribute to the sustainable employment of the business graduates significantly [70]. Furtherance by higher education institutions of measures in line with labor market demands enables students to acquire skills and capacities that prepare them for working life and enhance their employability, in line with what was expressed by Laguna-Sánchez et al [71]. This study explored the importance of creativity and team working measured in terms of academic results and student satisfaction.…”

A Multiple Criteria Decision Making Approach to Designing Teaching Plans in Higher Education Institutions

“…The students themselves could be the best referees to assess the achievement of the competences and it seems essential to include their perceptions relating to the goals for the teaching-learning process defined by teaching plans [22][23][24][25]. The loss of communication between students and other stakeholders linked to the education system, such as lecturers but also the institutions themselves, can create gaps that decrease the accuracy of defining competence goals.…”