Page 6 - THE CARIBBEAN ADVANCED PROFICIENCY EXAMINATIONS
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Entrepreneurship Syllabus



             RATIONALE


               Entrepreneurship  seeks  to  empower  students  by  providing  the  knowledge,  skills  and  attitudes  to
               achieve entrepreneurial success in a variety of settings.  It places emphasis on the individual’s acumen
               to realise opportunity, assess risk, and apply the skills necessary to transform innovative ideas into
               viable, sustainable ventures.   The CAPE Entrepreneurship syllabus provides students with the mindset
               that supports creativity and innovation needed to transform ideas into ventures that create value and
               wealth.

               In  developing  this  syllabus  consideration  was  given  to  the  relatively  high  rate  of  unemployment,
               constraints on job creation, the imperatives of globalisation in the Region, and the need to inculcate
               the spirit of entrepreneurism.  Recent research has shown that one of the main obstacles to individuals
               starting their own business ventures is the lack of knowledge of how to transform an idea into a
               successful venture.  Most aspiring entrepreneurs lack the ability to analyse opportunities, assess risk,
               develop  and  implement  a  business  plan  in  order  to  get  their  ventures  started.  The  CAPE
               Entrepreneurship syllabus seeks to fill that void in the continuum from idea generation to venture
               creation.


               Several  governments,  as  well  as  many  non-governmental  organisations  in  the  region  have
               implemented  entrepreneurial  initiatives  which  offer  training,  tax  incentives,  funding  and  start-up
               support to individuals to assist them in actualising entrepreneurial ambitions. The syllabus apprises
               students of ways to access these training, technical support, funding and legislative incentives.

               The syllabus addresses fundamentals of entrepreneurial behaviour and thinking and engages students
               in  practical  experiences  through  idea  generation  and  opportunity  identification  to  implementing,
               managing  and  harvesting  a  venture.    The  syllabus  also  acquaints  students  with  the  essentials  of
               business ownership, legal and regulatory frameworks, the importance of market research, feasibility
               analysis and the development of a business model in order to successfully compete in the global
               marketplace. It contributes to the development of the Ideal Caribbean person, as agreed by CARICOM
               Heads of Government, essentially supporting “the creative imagination in its various manifestations
               and nurtures its development in the economic and entrepreneurial spheres in other areas of life”. In
               keeping with UNESCO pillars of learning, students will learn to know, to do and transform oneself and
               society  in  a  sustainable  way.  The  syllabus  provides  a  good  foundation  for  further  studies  in
               Entrepreneurship, starting and operating a venture and/or becoming an entrepreneurial employee
               (intrapreneur).

















                                  CXC A31/U2/13               1                             www.cxc.org
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