ENTREPRENEURIAL ROLE MODELS TO BRIDGE THE EDUCATIONAL GAP IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP
The Visegrad Entrepreneurial Stars project, financed by the Visegrad fund, is proud to announce the Business Case Study Workshop for fifteen high school and university lecturers. This training marks a significant milestone in the project’s journey toward achieving its desired outcomes of fostering entrepreneurial education and empowering future entrepreneurs.
“We have identified the vital role of role models in entrepreneurial education and in the shaping of entrepreneurial intentions. We want to provide students with relatable and inspiring examples from our Visegrad countries and North Macedonia. Our mission is to bridge the educational gap in business and entrepreneurship by developing case studies for classroom use.” Assured Mrs. Ljupka Pancevska, director of Junior Achievement Macedonia, projects’ lead partner organization. ”
The training was hosted by Junior Achievement Czech in Prague, Czech Republic from June 19th to June 23rd, 2023. The Workshop was delivered under the leadership of Makedonka Dimitrova, ECOS Sustainability Institute president and experienced entrepreneurship lecturer as well as Prof. Dr. Ana Tomovska Misoska, a distinguished researcher in the field of entrepreneurial intentions from the project’s associated partner University American College Skopje.
The Business Case Study Workshop serves as a crucial first step in unifying the approach to selecting case topics and 15 entrepreneurs from Eastern Europe and the Balkans. Participants will gain valuable knowledge on how to develop case studies and accompanying teaching notes. By eliminating the current lack of understanding in this area, we aim to empower lecturers to create an engaging learning environment for their students. These core case writers will play an instrumental role in contributing to the overall goal of the project.
“During the workshop, we had an opportunity for a virtual interview with Mrs. Sara Kochan, a successful Macedonian entrepreneur who has been successfully managing Dancers United, an inclusive dance studio from Skopje for the past 10 years. Her participation helped us to simulate the average development of a case study.” – says Macedonian Dimitrova, who assures that the demonstrative approach is the most effective in this type of educational workshop. Ms. Kocan is also a graduate student in Physiology at the University American Collge Skopje.
Traditional teaching materials in the field of entrepreneurship often rely on theoretical concepts and predominantly showcase entrepreneurs from American and Western European contexts. This approach can create a disconnect for young students in our project countries, leading to low engagement and a lack of motivation to pursue entrepreneurship. The Business Case Study Workshop aim to address this issue by developing case studies featuring local entrepreneurs as role models.
By partnering in with Junior Achievement organizations from North Macedonia, the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary, along with the Sustainability Institute ECOS Skopje, the Visegrad Entrepreneurial Stars project is fostering collaboration and knowledge exchange to ensure the sustainability and impact of the project even after its conclusion.
To learn more about the Visegrad Entrepreneurial Stars project and its initiatives, visit http://jamacedonia.mk/web/vise
