Entrepreneurship and technology education: Finnish initiatives

Future demands with respect to expertise will be extremely high. It will not be enough to have qualified for some occupation; securing a job will require a lot more. As a member of society, each pupil in compulsory education should have the right and opportunity to study technology and entrepreneurship in a broad-based manner to the best of his or her ability. The syllabus should correspond to the educational and instructional needs, experiences, interests and values of every one of the pupils. The first step is to create a syllabus that is based on the expertise that will be called for in the future and will enable the boys and girls to develop and strengthen the skills that will be essential for mastery over their own lives and help them to apply these skills to other essential areas of learning. Essential areas of this kind within the field of entrepreneurship and technology are interactive skills, mathematical skills, communication skills, problem-solving skills, self-guidance and evaluation skills, group working skills and the skills of working with and producing technology. Outlines of syllabuses used in the Kainuu region of Finland for education in entrepreneurship and technology are given. Descriptions are given of syllabuses tailored to the needs of particular schools or education authorities and of projects carried out by pupils.