Luis Isasi1 , Guillermo Castilla-Alcalá1, Francisco Antón Rivera-Riquelme1 and A
Luis Isasi1 , Guillermo Castilla-Alcalá1, Francisco Antón Rivera-Riquelme1 and Alfonso Durán-Heras1
1 Universidad Carlos III de Madrid. Escuela Politécnica Superior. Área de Ingeniería de Organización. Avenida de la Universidad nº 30, 28911 Leganés (Madrid), Spain.
Abstract. The present work is aimed to share the results of one of the initiatives that Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) has launched among those oriented to secondary and high school students, more precisely within Tecnocamp activities. It is more than obvious that entrepreneurship offers a feasible and successful way to economic growth and personal fulfillment. In the same way, during the last two decades it has clearly highlighted by most of the researchers that one of the most important things to do in order to develop the entrepreneurial spirit into the citizens is to academically train them from the very early stages at the school, and also to develop their business oriented and entrepreneurial skills.
Keywords: Entrepreneurship Education (EE), Youth Entrepreneurship (YE), University, Tecnocamp STEM, Entrepreneurship Intention, Entrepreneurship Spirit.
1. Introduction
Entrepreneurship Education (EE), and more specifically Youth Entrepreneurship (YE), have notably gained importance among the academic researchers [1], and also within economic, academic and social worldwide institutions: [2], [3] and [4], as one of the strategic axes to develop the entrepreneurship spirit among the citizens.
As shown by some good research works, performed worldwide in different countries and even continents, a clear relationship exists between the early business and entrepreneurship training, and the probability of those young students becoming entrepreneurs in the future, normally improving their economical situation and, consequently, the local economy development.
In the last years some universities (among which the UC3M is), have been thinking about the possibility to contribute, for the good of general society, to the general education of the young students, and more precisely to their entrepreneurship spirit. But once the final decision to collaborate is taken, the real challenge is to decide what is the best way to collaborate.
The majority of the researches that have been related to entrepreneurship education, agree that it should be approached from a global perspective [5]. From primary education students [6], until graduates [7], but it is also imperative to enhance the entrepreneurial orientation of all those workers and professionals that have just completed the obligatory education. This is specially important in depressed areas or those with high unemployment rates. The European Commission, [8], launched in 2016 an specific framework, inside the “Growth” strategy, to foster entrepreneurship education as one of the key strategic axes for mid to long term economic development of Europe.
There is also a certain consensus about the fact that the final skills and competences of those