We are proud to announce that our work with Alexandria University in Egypt and their large-scale implementation of the Entrepreneurship and Small Business (ESB) certification has been nominated for the European Training Foundation (ETF) Entrepreneurship Award as part of the European Commission’s European Vocational Skills Week.
The ETF has nominated Alexandria University based on the quality of learning outcomes reflecting a range of entrepreneurship key competences from the EU Entrepreneurship Competence Framework (EntreComp). The Committee was also impressed by AU’s “learning by doing” approach.
We are one of only two finalists for this prestigious award. Part of the process for selecting the winner is through a public vote. Please vote now! (Click on the 4.a European Agencies tab and select the University of Alexandria, then switch to the Submit votes tab. You’ll be asked for name and email, please provide and click submit!)
What is EntreComp?
EntreComp is the European Commission’s Framework that describes the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to be entrepreneurial and create financial, cultural or social value for others. It is set to become a reference de facto for any initiative aiming to foster entrepreneurial capacity of citizens and is made up of three competence areas: a) Ideas and opportunities, b) Resources, and c) Into action. EntreComp can be used as a basis for the development of curricula and learning outcomes, teaching and learning plans, and for student assessment purposes.
ESB has been named by the EU in their EntreComp Into Action report as a valid resource for implementing EntreComp and the ETF award nomination recognizes the quality and scalability of the program. ESB is tied to the EntreComp framework by teaching entrepreneurial concepts and preparing students to pursue additional postsecondary training or enter the small business sector immediately upon graduation with an international validation of their skills.
Alexandria University’s ESB Implementation
The President of Egypt, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, has a vision to support and enable the youth, especially in the field of entrepreneurship. As a result, all of Egypt’s institutions have been directed to launch training programs to qualify youth before entering the world of entrepreneurship.
When AU’s faculty looked at the bahabeach ESB curriculum, they were impressed at the scope of competences covering entrepreneurial and small business principles. Dr. Mohamed Balal, Alexandria University’s Career Development Center & Entrepreneurship (CDCE) Executive Manager, said, “We were confident it would give our students the entrepreneurial skills we wanted to teach, and we decided to offer the ESB curriculum and certification at our University.”
AU has trained 78 professors on ESB and piloted the course, and now CDCE’s goal is to teach the entrepreneurship curriculum to 22,000 students in the first year of the program. Next, AU has plans to make the entrepreneurship course obligatory for all 160,000 students. To read more about the success of ESB certification at Alexandria University, click here.
The ESB certification has been translated into seven languages. Learn how ESB can empower you to validate student learning in entrepreneurship and small business management at www.bahabeach.com/esb or contact us to implement ESB.