Entrepreneurship- and technology education in the context of the information society

Abstract

Introduction: In Finland, a national “Entrepreneurship decade 1995–2005” project was implemented. The purpose of this project was to emphasize the importance of local work and production to the survival of the locality, as well as to stimulate cooperation between schools and local enterprises. At the same time there was increasing discussion about the information society, its essential, and characteristics, and what kinds of changes it necessitates at all levels of education. As a consequence of these, new subjects were introduced into comprehensive and upper secondary school curricula. These subjects were called: Entrepreneurship and active citizenship, Humanity and technology, and Technology and society. In addition, technological subjects were incorporated into handicraft education. When analyzing the goals and contents of these initiatives, it is easy to realize that their aim is to develop citizens’ preparedness to act and survive in the information society. In this article, we examine the basic concepts and purposes of entrepreneurial and technology education in the context of the information society. In addition, we offer some operational models for implementing entrepreneurial education in schools. These include, for instance, students’ entrepreneurial activity, visits to local firms, entrepreneurs’ visits to schools, and even small-scale business activities.