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Apprenticeships in Entrepreneurship

uOttawa as a leader in apprenticeship model of entrepreneurship education.

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Some critical observations:Entrepreneurship education in North America today emphasizes the pursuit of high-growth startups (Less: main street business, social entrepreneurship, intrapreneurship)

An extremely small sub-set of students engage in on-campus startup activities (and primarily in two faculties – engineering and business);

Students that do engage in startup-related programs have ideas that are often half-baked and single product (i.e., another “app”);

Several studies show that entrepreneurship is on the decline (Kauffman Foundation, Brookings Institute, Gallup).

Students graduating in disciplines where there is significant skills mismatch resulting in underemployment and non-employment.

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Neighbourhood rinks where one can practice with peers entrepreneurial behaviours and hone

innovation skills

Apprenticeships in entrepreneurship …

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The “Experiment”uOttawa model focuses on talent development not venture launch through project-based learning and entrepreneurial practice;

Apprenticeships = competencies (cognitive, social and technical skills combined

with knowledge) and mindset (perceiving change as a source of opportunity);

Applying new tools and technologies (digital);

Establish transdisciplinary teams of students (e.g,. engineering and theatre);

Adapting guild structure of master-apprentice to foster tacit knowledge transfer “learning-by-doing”;

Leveraging ecosystems (on-campus and local); amplifying network effects.