EntreCompEdu Online global Graduation 2021

by Bantani Education
on June 2, 2021

‘May the EntreCompEdu force be with you’

Eat your heart out Eurovision – EntreCompEdu knows how to rock a wrap party! Oh, what a journey! The EntreCompEdu Online Global Graduation was the culmination of so much fizz-popping energy, joy, and learning across a collective drawn from 52 countries. Teachers and learning professionals, thriving, despite COVID, building and learning together, and now, as EntreCompEdu Teacher Pioneers embracing a brighter, more creative, innovative, and entrepreneurial teaching future.

Following the sharing of the impressive global map of EntreCompEdu engagement spanning many continents, beyond the original six partner countries, including activity in the Caribbean and Latin America, event host, Elin McCallum, (Director of EntreCompEdu partner Bantani Education) introduced architects of entrepreneurship education and competence to share inspirational words to celebrate role model EntreCompEdu Teacher Pioneers.

  • Kathryn Penaluna, UWTSD International Institute of Creative Entrepreneurial Development, as lead partner, shared her passion for, and research work on entrepreneurial education. Noting the pandemic which has brought unprecedented challenges for the project, Kath celebrated the entrepreneurial spirit unleashed to support the learners. “This great partnership of educators and trainers have brought talent and commitment to bear every step of the way”. 
  • Co-author of the EntreComp Framework Margherita Bacigalupo of the Joint Research Centre – European Commission, engaging in round of a ‘Two Stars and a Wish’, expressed what EntreCompEdu has meant for EntreComp. Focusing on its learner-centeredness and employ of teachers as “enablers of the learning journey”, she said “the project has not only celebrated what teachers already know, but triggered the desire to learn more, to share their learning, and to keep learning as a community, and all in a very honest and open way. My wish is that the channels of the project continue to be nurtured and grown”.
  • Olena Bekh, Creating New Learning, European Training Foundation complimented “integration – the essence of the key competency approach”, and EntreCompEdu’s contribution to lifelong learning, and specifically the materialisation of the principle all educators are lifelong learners. Olena commended participants as self-directed and self-motivated, testament to the fact that EntreCompEdu is a very pragmatic tool supportive tool for competence development. An approach that supports occupational capacity -these competences help teachers to support their learners with entrepreneurial competencies for life. Her only wish, that she “could clone everybody here, to have even more impact”.

EntreCompEdu trainers Hazel Israel (Bantani Education) and Marianella Parra, (Fundación Créate) led a session inviting input directly from the EntreCompEdu Teacher Pioneers – a message to pass on to future participants, and their experience of the course in only six words. Watching the statements rise, at speed, through the fast-moving chat window, captured the bursting optimism, application, and depth of impact on the learner community.

Following small breakouts groups led by the EntreCompEdu Mentors, Felicity Healey-Benson (UWTSD) facilitated a session with our EntreCompEdu Mentors, each one of whom have memorable and inspirational moments and stories from the journey with their learners and forum contributors. Radmil Polenakovik (NCDIEL), revealed his favourite competency to be “spotting opportunities”, the key to making positive changes in local communities and our society a better place. Paloma Lozano (Innogate to Europe) selected “reflection, flexible thinking and learning from experience” promoting learning from different perspectives, from others, the students, other teachers, and the colleagues. Marianella Parra, declared her favourite part of the journey was “learners sharing such honest and deep reflections”.

For Felicity Healey-Benson, it was key to express that the EntreCompEdu multi-country trainer team have all been so moved and empowered by this journey, particularly by the authentic community, spirit, openness to collaborate and share, and special energy that’s enveloped the whole experience. That the learners, across the phases, do not leave just graduating with a piece of paper and a digital badge, but are now interconnected within a global community of passionate entrepreneurial mindsets. We want and need to keep connected, because all those lovely ideas, they’re going to happen, because we’re now in it together.

Next Steps

The EntreCompEdu Graduation concluded with another view of the uplifting Star Wars-style celebration video, cementing the force of this great community. Yet, as Elin McCallum expressed, “this is not an end, but the dawn of a new beginning”. To build upon the community spirit of EntreCompEdu, the connections between people around the world, committed to sharing and experimenting together, we invite all participants to join EntreComp360, the entrepreneurial learning community. EntreComp360 is a new dedicated space, an online learning community, for various aspects connected to entrepreneurial learning. A platform to share resources, practices, and stories. All graduates, in addition to their certificates and digital badges can look forward to a fantastic online yearbook which will capture the profiles of the classes of 2020 and 2021.

There will be more to come from the wonderful EntreCompEdu Café as captured in the video preview, created by Paul Ranson (UWTSD).

We also look forward to the EntreCompEdu European Level Policy Event on Thursday 24th June, sharing stories from policymakers, education systems, and school networks, about why they should integrate this kind of innovative learning into their teaching into their learner experiences. More details about the event will be sent out shortly.

Final Thanks

Finally, thanks go to special guest speakers Kathryn Penaluna, Olena Bekh and Margherita Bacigalupo, and also to Russel Grigg, a key mind behind the EntreComp story. To Elin Mccallum, whose entrepreneurial spirit kept us moving forward, helping us to tweak our direction. As well as to the team behind the scenes at Bantani Education for their help building the graduation. To all of the trainers who helped guide students through the course, your involvement on this project is invaluable. So much love, passion, commitment, and energy poured into this project, and a fair share of that goes out and on through our wonderful committed fabulous EntreCompEdu Teacher Pioneers and EntreCompEdu Pioneer School (Dafen Community Primary School, Wales).

Continuing the EntreCompEdu journey: