Entrepreneurial Spirit Improving European Welfare

Univeristy Collega West Flanders (HOWEST) submitted a successful proposal to the Lifelong Learning (LLP) Call for Proposals 2008. From 1 October 2008 HOWEST will be the leading partner in the LLP ERASMUS Multilateral Curriculum Development Project ESPIEW.

This project aims to stimulate the entrepreneurial potentials of student in studying Social Work and Health Care.

Many European Union (EU) member states are going through a period of economic and demographic changes. The new EU members are furthermore facing the challenges of a transforming social economy. If Europe wants to be socially and economically successful its policy has to stir competitiveness, job creation, creativity, innovation and growth. Entrepreneurship is one of the keys to achieve those goals.

Whereas Europe needs social entrepreneurs, its education rarely succeeds to stimulate entrepreneurial spirit.This ESPIEW project assumes an important role in stimulating the entrepreneurial potentials of young Europeans especially in the field of Social Work and Health Care.

Research clearly discloses the lack of entrepreneurial development and education related to European welfare. This project brings together creative professors and persons active in the field of social welfare, with a knack of entrepreneurship but who have difficulty in developing this in their educational activities. The porject will bring these people togehter, all with the same drive, but a different nationality and cultural background.

The project aims to enhance entrepreneurial spirit through the creationg of a module for training students’ skills and developing essential characteristics for succesful entrepreneurship within a European context and based on an interdisciplinary approach.

Entrepreneurs participates actively in this project, which focusses on theoretical and practical activities coached by experienced staff. During the first year the project partners will work out the course packages for the module. The second year is the period of implementation, quality control and assessment for a final product ready for dissemination. The aimed for result is a powerful, tailor made, interdisciplinary European Module for training the skills of well-grounded future social entrepreneurs to improve European welfare.

Contact

Marcel Desaegher
ESPIEW LLP ECDEM Project Management