How does Explorer apply the Entrecomp Framework?

Entrecomp is the common European framework for entrepreneurship. Through it, the EU aims to create a bridge between education and actions aimed at fostering entrepreneurship.

By Patricia Araque, Executive Director at Explorer.

Entrecomp sees entrepreneurship as a vital skill and defines it as “the ability to act on opportunities and ideas to create value for others. The added value can be either social, cultural or economic”.

When we approached Explorer’s redesign process —back in 2019— we decided that Entrecomp should go through this adaptation process. Firstly, we understood that it was a potent self-diagnosis tool for Explorers to reflect on the new competencies they were tangibly incorporating into their curriculum. But not only that: we assumed (rightly, as we were able to see later) that this diagnosis would allow us to align Explorer with other initiatives that would continue to help the boys and girls progress in their entrepreneurial journey once they had completed their twelve weeks of pre-incubation in a programme like this one.

Entrecomp identifies three competence areas: ideas and opportunities, resources, and action steps. Each section is further divided into specific competencies, a total of 15 (five per area). These competencies show what makes a person entrepreneurial. From each particular competence, a series of threads emerge to explain what each one of the competencies means in practical terms. These threads are associated with eight levels of progression in which the person could be. The participants will also obtain different learning results based on four levels: initial, intermediate, advanced, and expert. This competence framework considers entrepreneurship as a reality that can be learned and taught. Explorer does not limit itself to the belief that becoming an entrepreneur is not possible, as it is wrongly understood that being an entrepreneur is a competence that is either possessed innately or not.

Of these fifteen specific competencies, at Explorer, we put particular focus on six of them. We consider them to be crucial in the early stages of entrepreneurship. They help to lay solid foundations to boost the young people who participate in the programme in their professional future, either as entrepreneurs or intrapreneurs. These competencies are:

1. Opportunities’ Detection (ideas and opportunities area).
2. Creativity (ideas and opportunities area).
3. Self-awareness (resources area).
4. Motivation and perseverance (resources area).
5. Taking the initiative (action area).
6. Learning through experience (action area).

Knowing the degree of progress of every Explorer allows us to align Explorer with programmes that Santander X makes available to our community to give continuity to the pre-incubation stage. This is the case of the Santander X Training Prepare to Launch initiative, taught by the prestigious US institution Babson College. Babson provides 100 scholarships to the best Explorer graduates each year to help them continue their entrepreneurial journey and prepare their initiatives to become profitable and sustainable in their respective markets. 

The entrepreneurial journey is circular. The knowledge we incorporate in this journey revisits what we have learned, deepens it, and consolidates it. Entrecomp’s fifteen competencies are the perfect compass to speak a common language within the ecosystems and to outline proposals that help entrepreneurs navigate them. We still have many bridges to build to help young people explore entrepreneurship as a career option. Still, no doubt, speaking common languages will allow us to be more efficient and make better use of available resources. So let’s think, identify opportunities and resources, and take action; Entrecomp guides and aligns us in the process. 

References: https://www.scielo.cl/scielo.php

Opening photo: Jenny Ueberberg on Unsplash