Ways to foster entrepreneurial mindsets in an intercultural context

This is a Grundtvig 2 learning partnership and InterCultural Iceland was the coordenating organisation.

Aims of the project:

The aim of the Learning Partnership is to facilitate the integration of some of the day competencies – especially entrepreneurial and intercultural competences – into adults' natural lifelong learning processes and raising awareness amongst adults and professionals towards the importance of these skills in their professional, personal development and social cohesion.

Target group:

The target groups which the partnership will focus on are: adult learners in general, adult learners from disadvantages groups (such as: migrants, adults with physical disabilities, adults disadvantaged for socio-economic reasons, women with interest in entrepreneurship and counsellor of entrepreneurial centres)

The specific objects are:

  • To collect and develop methods and materials which have shown to be useful in order to strengthen adults intercultural and entrepreneurial skills.
  • To collect and develop (among other things through best praxis studies in the participating countries) ideas about how intercultural and entrepreneurship skills can increase the possibilities for people belonging to disadvantaged groups of starting their own small businesses.
  • To develop a training course for teachers and managers of adult education centres where they can get to know and train the methods and develop their teaching materials in order to promote their students' entrepreneurial- and intercultural skills and mindset.
  • To evaluate the training course by offering it to adult education teachers, managers and entrepreneurial counsellors  in each participating country.

Main activities, including mobility

· Identifying a set of learning material and methods about intercultural and entrepreneurial skills and mindsets

· Invitation of specialists in entrepreneurial education to introduce the main focuses and materials.

· Study visits in the participating countries. Visits to some of the following:

  • Visits to adult centres where the focus is on one of those skills or to reach the disadvantaged skills
  • Visits to small businesses where intercultural skills have been seen as an advantage and are used to build up a entrepreneurial business
  • Visits to small businesses where people belonging to disadvantaged groups have started their own business – using their entrepreneurial and intercultural skills.

· Short trainings for teachers, managers and entrepreneurial counsellors where methods and materials are being introduced.

· Each participating country will include the ideas and materials on their websites.

· A Grundtvig 3 training course will be held in one of the participating countries. The learners of the partnership could also apply to their National Agency to participate.

· Each participating country will promote the Grundtvig 3 course on their website and evt. send some leaf letters about it.

ICI was awarded the best praxis award from the NA for this project.