Entrecomp Framework – SEAS and Career Zone activity
The Entrepreneurship Competence Framework, also known as Entrecomp, proposes a definition of entrepreneurship as a competence to establish a bridge between education and the world of work.
The Entrecomp framework consists of three interrelated and interconnected ideas:
- Ideas and opportunities
- Resources
- Into Action
The three areas together create the ability to transform ideas and opportunities into action by mobilising resources that generate value for someone other than oneself. These resources can be personal (e.g. self-awareness and self-efficacy, motivation and perseverance), material (e.g. production means and financial resources) or non-material (e.g. specific knowledge, skills and attitudes).
Each area is composed of five competences. These 15 competences together constitute the building blocks of entrepreneurship as a competence. This framework offers the development of these entrepreneurial competencies by individuals as a societal solution to the contemporary challenges being faced in the world at large.
The aim is that everyone should develop the key set of competences needed for personal development, social inclusion, active citizenship and employment in the knowledge society. These competences include literacy, numeracy, science and foreign languages, as well as more transversal skills such as digital competence, entrepreneurship competence, critical thinking, problem solving and learning how to learn.
EntreComp defines entrepreneurship as a transversal competence, which applies to all spheres of life: from nurturing personal development, to actively participating in society, to (re)entering the job market as an employee or as a self-employed person, and to starting up ventures. It embraces different types of entrepreneurship, including intrapreneurship, social entrepreneurship, green entrepreneurship and digital entrepreneurship. A sense of initiative and entrepreneurship can be broadly defined as the capacity to turn ideas into action; ideas that generate value for someone other than oneself and can be the creation of cultural, social or economic value.
Employability is about development of skills, experiences, social capital, and the deployment of these for the benefit of oneself (i.e. gaining a job, and continuing to develop personally and professionally, in order to keep in employment), and the entrecomp framework is about generating value for others – there is however, a very large overlap between the two. Employability and the entrecomp framework should be developed alongside one another. (SEAS and) Career Zone activities are designed to enable you to develop both your own employability and your entrepreneurial capacity for the benefit of others. By doing this University of Exeter graduates will be equipped to thrive in the Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambinguous (VUCA) world that is the future of work. In this way, everyone can develop the increasingly necessary entrepreneurial mindset whether they will go on to work as an employee or not in any sector.
Entrecomp at a glance
The EntreComp overview table depicts the three areas and all the 15 competences, but develops them only on the three levels of proficiency that apply to all citizens: the foundation, intermediate and advanced levels. The expert level by definition captures a level of expertise that is beyond average, and more context-dependent and, as a result, it is not detailed in the below overview tables.
| Competence | Foundation | Intermediate | Advanced |
| Spotting opportunities | Learners can find opportunities to generate value for others | Learners can recognise opportunities to address needs that have not been met | Learners can seize and shape opportunities to challenges and create value for others |
| Creativity | Learners can develop multiple ideas that create value for others | Learners can test and refine ideas that create value for others. | Learners can transform ideas into solutions that create value for others |
| Vision | Learners can imagine a desirable future | Learners can build an inspiring vision that engages others. | Learners can use their vision to guide strategic decision making |
| Valuing ideas | Learners can understand and appreciate the value of ideas | Learners understand that ideas can have different types of value, which can be used in different ways | Learners can develop strategies to make the most value generated by ideas |
| Ethical and sustainable thinking | Learners can recognise the impact of their choices and behaviours, both within the community and the environment | Learners are driven by ethics and sustainability when making decisions | Learners act to make sure that their ethical and sustainability goals are met |
*Learner is a broad the term used to indicate the subject of lifelong learning. It refers to pupils, students, jobseekers, employees, entrepreneurs and citizens alike.
| Competence | Foundation | Intermediate | Advanced |
| Self-awareness and self-efficacy | Learners trust their own ability to generate value for other | Learners can make the most of their strengths and weaknesses | Learners can compensate for their weaknesses by teaming up with others and by further developing their strengths |
| Motivation and perseverance | Learners want to follow their passion and create value for others | Learners are willing to put effort and resources into following their passion and create value for others | Learners can stay focused on their passion and keep creating value despite setbacks |
| Mobilising resources | Learners can find and use resources responsibly | Learners can gather and manage different types of resources to create value for others | Learners can define strategies to mobilise the resources they need to generate value for others |
| Financial and economic literacy | Learners can draw up the budget for a simple activity | Learners can find funding options and manage a budget for their value creating activity | Learners can make a plan for the financial sustainability of a value creating activity |
| Mobilising others | Learners can communicate their ideas clearly and with enthusiasm | Learners can persuade, involve and inspire others in value-creating activities | Learners can inspire others and get them on board for value-creating activities |
*Learner is a broad the term used to indicate the subject of lifelong learning. It refers to pupils, students, jobseekers, employees, entrepreneurs and citizens alike.
| Competence | Foundation | Intermediate | Advanced |
| Taking the initiative | Learners are willing to have a go at solving problems that affect their communities | Learners can initiate value-creating activities | Learners can look for opportunities to take the initiative to add or create value |
| Planning and management | Learners can define the goals for a simple value-creating activity | Learners can create an action plan, which identifies the priorities and milestones to achieve their goals | Learners can refine priorities and plans to adjust to changing circumstances |
| Coping with uncertainty, ambiguity and risk | Learners are not afraid of making mistakes while trying new things | Learners can evaluate the benefits and risks of alternative options and make choices that reflect their preferences | Learners can weigh up risks and make decisions despite uncertainty and ambiguity |
| Working with others | Learners can work in a team to create value | Learners can work together with a wide range of individuals and groups to create value | Learners can build a team and networks based on the needs of their value creating activity |
| Learning through experience | Learners can recognise what they have learnt through taking part in value-creating activities | Learners can reflect and judge their achievements and failures and learn from these | Learners can improve their abilities to create value by building on their previous experiences and interactions with others |
*Learner is a broad the term used to indicate the subject of lifelong learning. It refers to pupils, students, jobseekers, employees, entrepreneurs and citizens alike.