Experiential Learning, Entrepreneurship and Enterprise: Designing Learning for the Future of Work

Abstract

Existing industry insights and research—including work from the Foundation for Young Australians (FYA) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)—suggests that young people need enterprise skills such as creative problem-solving, communication and collaboration to thrive in increasingly complex and ambiguous working environments (Wilson, 2009; Davies et al., 2011; OECD, 2012; FYA, 2015). This chapter explores how experiential learning supports the development of these skills. Learning-by-doing provides opportunities for students to explore, experiment and reflect upon concepts and ‘ways of being’, in unstructured settings. Placing students within familiar, tangible situations such as entrepreneurship and the start-up environment can play a useful role in contextualising and driving learning. This chapter comprises three sections. First, it explores the changing working environment and the range of increasingly necessary future skills—or ‘enterprise skills’. Second, it discusses the evolution of experiential learning theory, before positioning entrepreneurship as a valuable learning experience. Finally, a case study is presented around an educational experience delivered within RMIT Activator, the university’s entrepreneurship hub. This will offer insight into how RMIT uses experiential learning design to prepare students for life and work.