Enterprise Learning for the 21st Century Initiative
(submissions closed on 28 February 2005)
The definition of enterprise education as noted by the Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs (MCEETYA) is:
Enterprise education is learning directed towards developing in young people those skills, competencies, understandings and attributes which equip them to be innovative, and to identify, create, initiate, and successfully manage personal, community, business and work opportunities, including working for themselves.
Enterprise education is a priority area within the National Goals for Schooling in the Twenty-First Century, endorsed by MCEETYA in 1999. Enterprise education is also a key element of the MCEETYA Framework for vocational education in schools. It is directly relevant to enhancing the education of boys and addressing issues for Indigenous students and those in rural and remote communities.
What is Enterprise Education?
Enterprise education is for all students. The development of enterprising skills in young people is important preparation for work and life and is valuable in both school and community settings. Empowering young people to take up a self-determining approach to achieve their goals is essential to navigate the numerous opportunities in front of them.
Enterprise education seeks to foster in students the relevant skills and values which will assist them to integrate different perspectives on schooling and opportunities beyond, such as:
- creativity, innovation and self-reliance;
- the ability to generate, recognise and seize opportunities;
- greater appreciation of the need for lifelong learning; and
- personal development that will help them to be more adaptable.
The effective interaction between schools, business, industry and community is a key element in enterprise education. The active support and engagement of businesses and communities provides students with the opportunity to put into practice the skills and values they have learned through their enterprise education activities.
Enterprise education has been introduced in schools across the country as a response to a range of issues affecting student outcomes. At one level, it reflects a commitment by schools to making schooling more meaningful and practical for students. At another level, it is a commitment to teach students a range of essential knowledge, skills and values to underpin their life journey, including their employability. It also provides a challenge for very able students to apply their learning in authentic (real life) situations.
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- Qualities & characteristics that describe an enterprising learner: PDF
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