Teaching 21st Century Entrepreneurial Competences Using a Problem Based Approach

Abstract

“Throughout the world, shifts in populations, demographics, technology changes, fluctuating economies and other dynamic forces have transformed societies as never before, bringing new challenges and opportunities to the forefront, causing interest in entrepreneurship by governments and the public” (Xavier, Kelley, Kew, Herrington & Vorderwülbecke, 2012, p.6). Youth unemployment and under-employment have become key concepts for both the developed and developing world (Herrington & Kew, 2014). Due to the financial crisis of 2011 a considerable downturn in economic growth in most parts of the world is seen, with an increase in the levels of uncertainty within the business world. These changes have a far- reaching implication for the workforce and population at large, with many activities taken over by computers with subsequent job losses and increasing unemployment statistics (Allen & van der Velden, 2012). Youth unemployment is enormous with a quarter of the world’s young people (290 million) neither working nor studying. Amongst the employed youth many young people have only informal, temporary or unpaid family jobs resulting in almost half of youngsters between the ages of fifteen and twenty four being outside the formal economy (Xavier et al., 2013).