Page 177 - 1-Entrepreneurship and Local Economic Development by Norman Walzer (z-lib.org)

166 Joseph Kayne

their capacity to become successful entrepreneurs also proves to be one of the
factors that may explain the difference in entrepreneurial activity across gen-
der and ethnicity factors (Wilson, Marlino, and Kickul 2004). Entrepreneur-
ship curriculum is viewed as one avenue to address both the knowledge gap
and the self-confidence factors affecting youth attitudes toward entrepreneur-
ship as a career choice.
These findings are not limited to the United States. In a study of the
experience with YAA, an extension of the Junior Achievement program in
Australia, students with exposure to entrepreneurship curriculum in sec-
ondary schools showed an increased propensity toward and confidence
in starting their own business (Peterman and Kennedy 2003). Recogniz-
ing the importance of introducing students to the entrepreneurship con-
cepts earlier in their education, the European Union (EU) sponsored a
conference in 2006 titled, Entrepreneurship Education in Europe: Fostering
Educational Mindsets through Education and Learning. In line with Kouril-
sky’s call for a broader entrepreneurship curriculum, the participants at
the Oslo conference agreed “the scope of entrepreneurship education is
much wider than training on how to start a business, as it includes the
development of personal attributes and horizontal skills like creativity,
initiative, self-confidence, among many others” (EU, Enterprise and In-
dustry Directorate 2006).

ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATION:
FOCUS ON HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

To fully understand the importance of an education agenda as part of an en-
trepreneurship community strategy one must first understand the differen-
tiating characteristics between entrepreneurship and more traditional eco-
nomic development strategies based on industrial attraction, expansion,
and retention. Unlike more traditional approaches to economic develop-
ment, entrepreneurship focuses on human, not physical, development. It is
the domain of individuals or groups of individuals who understand and
can apply the mind-set and behaviors associated with creating, growing,
and sustaining successful enterprises. Any community development strategy
in which entrepreneurship is a pillar must therefore explore the methods
and institutions through which youth and adults obtain the skills and ways
of thinking that improve their odds of success.
The critical difference between entrepreneurship and other forms of
economic development presented itself most clearly during a working ses-
sion of the State of Minnesota team participating in the 1999 Governors’
Academy on Entrepreneurship cosponsored by the National Governors
Association and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. The team’s