Enterprise Education: The Need for Differentiation

Abstract

There has been a proliferation of enterprise courses in the UK in the last ten years. The aims, curricula and target groups for these courses are diverse. Efforts have been made to identify the generic characteristics of enterprise education (See Johnson, 1988). However, the interpretation of the concept enterprise is varied and reflects diverse teaching methods and educational objectives which suggests that it may be time to abandon the general label of enterprise education. This paper explores the characteristics of enterprise education and argues for a distinction to be made between the occupationally focused small business courses and more ‘progressive’ forms of enterprise education which may be more correctly called competency education initiatives.