Developing Entrepreneurial Competencies of the RLG Project Participants – Applicability of Assessment Tools and Results of Pilot Studies

Abstract

The paper shows the results of the research on competencies, including assessment of acquisition of ten entrepreneurial competencies specified within the Reaching Lost Generation (RLG) project. The competencies developed among participants are classified to broadly describe the sense of initiative and entrepreneurship as one of the eight key competencies in the European education system. In Poland, competency assessment was based on the observation of participants in the two selected schools-partners of the RLG project. The target group were students of final grades of upper secondary schools, who were preparing for the matriculation exam and had serious problems in choosing their educational and career path, and had a weak sense of mastery of entrepreneurial competencies. The assessment of acquired competencies was based on the observation tasks carried out during the initial and final evaluation. Based on the study, it can be concluded that the level of acquired competencies of the participants after completing the course of workshops for all tested ten competencies has increased significantly among both groups analysed, as well as in most individual cases. In addition to that, self-assessment of workshop participants was conducted. With the help of a questionnaire, the workshop participants assessed their acquisition of given competencies. The results of participants self-evaluation also show an increase in acquired competencies, although they are not as vast and clear as in the case of the assessment done by the observers, which may indicate a high sense of responsibility and prudence in the self-assessment among workshop participants. The conducted research can be a starting point for further studies and analysis of the process of developing entrepreneurial competencies among students of different types of schools and teaching profiles, especially showing the process and methods of acquisition of skills necessary for finding an attractive profession in the rapidly changing labour market. Nevertheless, the results of the pilot studies conducted during the test phase of the project indicate the usefulness of the proposed tools, both regarding the assessment of the level and the development of entrepreneurial competencies in the training practice.