Campus Review Volume 28 - Issue 6 | June 2018 | Seite 20

industry & research
campusreview.com.au
Start up, start now
‘J
What is the best
way to teach
entrepreneurship?
By Ian Eddie and
Bikram Chatterjee
18
ust do it’ has been a mantra for entrepreneurs
for decades. However, the question remains
as to whether or not it is possible to teach and
learn entrepreneurship.
If yes, then what is the best way to teach it?
Does a teacher of entrepreneurship need to be
practically qualified (an experienced entrepreneur)
as well as academically qualified? Should an
education program in entrepreneurship fit into a
standard academic program such as a bachelor or
master's degree? How should the learning outcomes
from an entrepreneurship program be assessed?
The future of work is changing rapidly in response to
digital disruption, social changes and the expectations
of Millennials. Traditional employment is no longer
a preferred option for many young people, and
they have asserted a strong desire to start their own
businesses and become self-employed. This changing
demographic, social and technological environment
is creating a demand for better, more responsive and
dynamic education and training to prepare a new
generation of entrepreneurs.
Universities and other higher education providers
have been responding to this change in demand by
creating various new forms of programs and startup
and incubator hubs to attract and develop student
entrepreneurs. It remains uncertain as to whether these
responses have been successful or will require further
innovation. Outside the higher education sector are
numerous startup hubs, business incubators and non-
educational institutions and venture capital funds that
provide support for emerging entrepreneurs.
One way of moving forward is for careers
offices at Australian universities to consider startup
entrepreneurship as a career option. This will
distinguish Australian universities from many others
around the world and will add to the strength of this
sector. In order to offer such an option, it is expected
that the careers office will interact with successful
startups, business mentors and the local business
network. Their focus will change from advertising
on behalf of employers to attract graduates, holding
employer recruitment forums and assisting with
student CVs, to challenging future graduates to think
outside the box, and relating graduates and students
from multiple disciplines where such interdisciplinary
skills are required.
The careers office needs to interact with students
regularly and early in their studies to sow the seeds
of innovation. The subject-specific courses need
to be flexible to incorporate electives from multiple
discipline areas, such as business, arts and sciences,
that may be of relevance to a student’s startup.
The startup economy demands new forms of
resources and interactions in universities. This will
include knowledge of legal requirements, ways
to protect new ideas, business plans and financial
budgets, in addition to being comfortable with barriers
and the skills to identify those barriers.
Disciplines need to be interconnected in a way
not envisaged before, and need to be visible in each
other’s discipline areas. The skills to identify, interact
and expand networks are the key to startups. The
initial leadership from the career advisory service of
universities is one way forward.
The future lies in fusion degrees, training graduates
for specific industries with skills required from arts,
science, technology and business disciplines, and
so stretches across traditional boundaries. Certainly
traditional discipline-specific degrees will still have a
place to cater to those inclined.  ■
Ian Eddie is VinaCapital professor of private equity
in the Asia Graduate Centre at RMIT University
Vietnam. Dr Bikram Chatterjee is a senior lecturer
at the School of Accounting, Economics and
Finance, University of Waikato.