Promoting Employability in Higher Education: A Case Study on Boosting Entrepreneurship Skills

How can higher education increase the employability of university students? We present a case study on an innovative training itinerary aimed to promote the participation of teaching staff to stimulate the creativity of students and enhance their employability skills. Students acquire the entreprene...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Sustainability 2020-05, Vol.12 (10), p.4004
Main Authors: Pardo-Garcia, Cristina, Barac, Maja
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aggression
Bullying
Case studies
Curricula
Economic conditions
Economic growth
Education
Entrepreneurs
Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship education
Great Recession
Higher education
Industrialized nations
Innovations
Literature reviews
Nutrition
Problem solving
Self employment
Skills
Social services
Staff participation
Students
Sustainable development
Unemployment
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Summary:How can higher education increase the employability of university students? We present a case study on an innovative training itinerary aimed to promote the participation of teaching staff to stimulate the creativity of students and enhance their employability skills. Students acquire the entrepreneurship competences by applying the problem-solving methodology to their innovative projects based on sustainable development. The participation in the contest shows a growing importance, with topics ranging from the more technical ones, such as nutrition innovation, science innovation, or sustainability, to the social projects, related to social services, inclusion, or services against gender violence, harassment, and bullying. The percentage of multidisciplinary teams increased from 38% in 2015 to 76% in 2019 and even more in finalist teams, a positive trend in improving soft skills. According to some testimonies, the acquisition of these entrepreneurship competences partially compensates for students’ lack of professional experience by enriching their curriculum vitae (CV) and, for some students, lays the groundwork for establishing a real business after their participation in the contest.
ISSN:2071-1050
2071-1050
DOI:10.3390/su12104004