Policy and practice at IEEC

Written by Alison Price

Our annual conference IEEC is always a great opportunity to reflect and renew before the new academic year kicks in, and the delivery of 2018/19 activities become priority.  Members always welcome the opportunity to share practice and explore new opportunities to work together at IEEC, and this year’s programme will focus upon the global opportunities that are now available to enterprise educators.  In many cases much of this work is underpinned by the documents that are driving UK practice.

In June, the EEUK Board formally adopted QAA (2018) Guidance “Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Education: Guidance for UK Higher Education Providers” .  It is this key document that will underpin much of the conversations at IEEC as delegates update their approach to follow the 2018 guide that was launched in January this year.

We will also hear how this guidance, where the development was led by EEUK Honorary Fellow Professor Andy Penaluna, supported by EEUK Board members and the voice of IEEC2017 delegates (through a QAA workshop) is influencing internationally as it was launched already translated for China.  Jing Zhang will be looking at how the direction taken by the China Government is leading to opportunities for many new providers but how this is  “creating a wild land” with only few organisations driving change that is underpinned by recognised practice/policy.

In addition, Dr Margherita Bacigalupo, Research Fellow at the Joint Research Centre, European Commission. Margherita will share how she has developed and supported the use of the new  European Entrepreneurship Competence Framework (2016)   IEEC delegates will be introduced to the new supporting document to the European Entrepreneurship Competence Framework (EntreComp) having helped develop its structure and approach through a workshop held at IEEC2017 in Glasgow.  The main EntreComp report sets a broad definition of entrepreneurship, which embraces what the QAA describes as “for” enterprise and entrepreneurship education. Working with this value-led definition, (*catch IEEC Keynote Dr Martin Lackeus for more discussion on this in practice as he explores entrepreneurial universities) the Entrecomp framework identifies 3 areas and 15 competences, which ultimately are presented across 8 levels of proficiency as learning outcomes (key for those writing new modules or looking to create assessment strategies).  Margherita’s keynote address will present a selection of cases being used in Higher Education.  This new user guide serves as a companion document to the main report, providing case examples of “Entrecomp in Action”.

Take a look at some of these key policy documents before IEEC – or come and talk to us about how you need support in your role to let EEUK become your “voice of the sector”.

See you at IEEC2018!

Alison Price, Head of Policy, Enterprise Educators UK