Abstract
The purpose of this chapter is to provide a methodological framework for assessing digital entrepreneurial competencies (DEC) of university students and to point out the importance of different socio-demographic, institutional, and contextual factors as drivers of DEC levels. The chapter provides a roadmap for measuring DEC levels of university students along with the detailed corresponding methodology. The preliminary results of the pilot study targeting the first competence area of the corresponding DEC framework (EmDigital) and conducted simultaneously in Kuwait and Serbia are also presented in this chapter, demonstrating the perceived DEC levels and exact DEC levels of university students in two countries. Those results indicate that different factors drive the DEC levels of university students. This is the first research of this kind in academic literature.
TopIntroduction
Following the strategic documents of the European Union (European Commission, n.d.), creativity, entrepreneurship, learning-to-learn, digital competence and other 21st century skills and competences are emerging as more and more important for innovation, growth, and participation in a digital society and economy (EU Science Hub - European Commission, 2020). The digital competences represent one of eight key competences for lifelong learning as proposed by Reference Framework for lifelong learning (The European Parliament, 2006). The digital competences refer to the confident and critical usage of the full range of the digital technologies for communication, information and basic problem solving in all aspects of life.
Digital entrepreneurial competences (DEC) are a specific variation of general digital competences and entrepreneurial competences. DEC are recognized as critical for the success of digital entrepreneurship by the World Development Report 2016 (Van Welsum, 2016). Digital entrepreneurship is broadly defined as creating new ventures and transforming existing businesses by developing novel digital technologies and/or novel usage of such technologies, (European Commission, 2015). Ngoasong (2017) defines DEC as a set of knowledge and skills required to search and acquire new information, to identify and pursue entrepreneurial opportunities and to innovate. The interest in DEC is driven by the rising importance of digital entrepreneurship which has been viewed as a critical pillar for economic growth, job creation and innovation by many countries including the Member States of the European Union (Zhao & Collier, 2016). Van Welsum, (2016) suggests that critical DEC includes communication skills, the ability to identify new technology enabled business opportunities and the ability to exploit data in regards to big data emergence. One way to acquire the DEC is through formal education (Fayolle & Gailly, 2013) The implementation of the entrepreneurship education in schools, colleges and universities is one of the strategic interventions proposed by European Union’s Entrepreneurship 2020 Action Plan. (European Commission, 2020) The students’ entrepreneurship is considered as one of the driving forces of the overall social welfare (Scuotto & Morellato, 2013).
The key challenge in regards to DEC is to identify and bridge the gap between the competences the students acquire through the system of formal education and the competences needed in real-life situations. To do so, it is necessary to develop mechanisms for measuring the actual level of DEC the university students acquire during the course of their formal university education. Around 83,33% of higher education institutions (HEI) in Kuwait (both state-owned and private) offer entrepreneurial courses in their curriculums alongside IT (digital) courses. In Serbia this percentage is around 33,47%. According to the UNESCO report (UNESCO, 2021) the total number of students in Kuwait in tertiary education (aged between 18 and 22) is around 213.000 in 2019. Given the fact that the average duration of university education is 4 years, it can be estimated that in one year the number of graduates in Kuwait would be around 53.000. Out of that number, around 83,33% (44,000) of students will be in possession of some level of DEC on their graduation. The data of the Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia (Republican Bureau of Statistic, 2020) shows that in 2018 the number of HEI graduates in Serbia was around 42.500. It can be estimated that out of that number around 14.000 graduates leave the HEI in Serbia each year in possession of some level of DEC. Based on above estimations it can be assumed that by 2030 the number of these graduates in Kuwait and Serbia would be around 440.000 for Kuwait and around 140.000 for Serbia respectively. No one knows and no one ever tried to measure the level of their DEC and their readiness for the labor market. Simovic & Domazet (2021) propose the creation of the DEC framework and corresponding methodology which can be used for the purpose of measuring the level of DEC the students acquire during their formal university education.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Entrepreneurial competencies: A series of skills enabling an individual to enhance a concept, idea, or product, take risks, and demonstrate initiative and leadership in order to complete a project.
Digital Competence: The confident and critical usage of digital technologies for communication, information and basic problem-solving in all aspects of life.
Competence Assessment Tool: An online tool for self-assessment and knowledge and ability assessment of the relevant competence
Digital Entrepreneurial Competence: A specific combination of knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed for starting a digital entrepreneurial project.
Knowledge: The ‘set of know-what’ (e.g., programming languages, design tools, etc.) and can be described by operational descriptions.
Skills: The ‘ability to carry out managerial or technical tasks’ – which are components of competences and specify some core abilities that form a competence.
Competence: A combination of knowledge, skills, and attitudes in various life situations.