Entrepreneurship Education in International Context: Skills, Attitudes and Competencies

Abstract

Entrepreneurship plays an important role in the economic development of the nations by driving innnovation, economic efficiency, and job creation. On the other hand, entrepreneurship education and international education seem to be an important antecedent for entrepreneurship intentions. In this context, universities and campuses have an important role in fostering entrepreneurial activities, namely extra curricular and curricular programs that empower young and nascent entrepreneurs to develop skills, attitudes and competencies that can later be applied to business creation. The main objective of this study is to present the extra curricular program, EXIT program, and confirm its impact on entrepreneurial skills, attitudes and competencies acquired or developed by students. This study employs a mixed research approach that includes both qualitative and quantitative methods. The results reveals that EXIT program effectively contributes to the development of various attributes associated with student resilience. It notably boosts critical thinking, creativity, initiative, problem-solving, proactivity, responsibility, cooperation, social responsibility, and a balanced mix of ambition, optimism, and realism. EXIT’s impact on student skills development underscores its substantial positive influence, especially in domains like teamwork and communication. Feedback from the focus group discussions attested to the overall positive reception of EXIT by participants. The program demonstrated its effectiveness in improving their entrepreneurial skills, facilitating multicultural experiences, and encouraging collaborative efforts.