Entrepreneurship education in ELT

Abstract

Entrepreneurship is recognised as a significant motor of economic development. It has been defined as 'the discovery, evaluation and exploitation of opportunities to create future goods and services ... through the creation of a new organization' (Weber, 2012: 12). Nonetheless, entrepreneurship education is not only geared towards enabling people to set up their own ventures; its value primarily lies in developing entrepreneurial attitudes, skills and personal qualities that are useful both to individuals and the organisations they work for (Fayolle & Klandt, 2006). Entrepreneurship education can help to create an entrepreneurial culture within an organisation through the development of certain values, beliefs and behaviours (Fayolle & Klandt, 2006). This form of professional development is crucial given that entrepreneurial organisations are flexible, adaptable and resourceful, which makes them capable of clinching emerging opportunities, providing their clients with innovative services at reasonable prices, and sustaining a competitive advantage (Westhead & Wright, 2013). Given the continuing growth of the global private ELTsector, it is sensible to foster the entrepreneurial competences of managers, teachers and other professionals working or wishing to work in private language schools or other kinds of businesses in this industry.