All 53 National Core Curricula and Requirements of Competence-based Qualifications issued for different upper secondary vocational qualifications determine entrepreneurship in terms of both internal and external entrepreneurship according to the vocational skills requirements of the relevant field.

All 53 National Core Curricula and Requirements of Competence-based Qualifications issued for different upper secondary vocational qualifications determine entrepreneurship in terms of both internal and external entrepreneurship according to the vocational skills requirements of the relevant field.

Internal entrepreneurship is adapted to vocational competence required in each specific field in the following terms:

• Entrepreneurship, which aims for students to evolve into proactive, conscientious, self-assured and resourceful workers, self-employed people or entrepreneurs, who value their work. High-quality and customer-focused activity, which aims for students to be able to master the required quality management methods, which are most commonly applied in their occupational field. They must know how to take customers’ expectations and individual needs into account and to manage various customer service situations. The objective of consumer skills is for students to be able to take the obligations of consumer legislation into account and to function at work and as citizens in compliance with the rights, duties and responsibilities of consumers. Students must know how to act as consumers and workers so as to promote the national economy.
• Student counselling should be implemented so as to ensure that students receive information on and experience of working life, entrepreneurship and occupations. During periods of on-the-job learning (worth at least 20 credits), students will learn to function in accordance with a business enterprise’s business idea, in a profitable manner and so as to promote its operations. In addition, they will become acquainted with business activities and how to function as an entrepreneur in their own field.
• The core subjects determined by the Government for all upper secondary vocational qualifications include social, business and labour-market subjects (1 credit). The core contents of this study module are for students to be able to function as members of a community and of society and as citizens of the EU, as members of a working community and according to the procedures of the labour market and to understand the central effects of households and businesses on the national economy of Finland.

Studies in external entrepreneurship are optional in all upper secondary vocational qualifications, with the exception of the beauty care field. Depending on their individual study plans, students may even complete the whole upper secondary vocational qualification with specialisation in entrepreneurship.

• Entrepreneurship (0–4 credit(s)) is included as an optional core subject. Its core contents comprise development of a business idea and a product, setting up a business enterprise, customer service and sales and marketing for the enterprise and product.
• Study modules in entrepreneurship (5–10 credits) are included as optional studies, corresponding to the needs of each specific field, in fields such as culture, natural resources, hairdressing, health and social services, and tourism, catering and home economics. Education and training in the business and administration sector may be implemented as a whole with emphasis on external entrepreneurship.
• During 2004, sections governing new modules entitled ‘entrepreneurship and business’, worth 20 credits (10 + 10), are being prepared for the National Core Curricula of all upper secondary vocational qualifications. Provision of these studies will be decided by the education providers.Students may study them as part of their optional and free-choice studies. Entrepreneurship studies will be adapted to the vocational field being studied by individual students. Education and training will be implemented in co-operation with business enterprises operating in the specific field.

Key development measures at the National Board of Education include the following:

• developing the Virtual School so as to enable students to study business activities in their own field in the form of interactive online studies; 
• participating in projects that develop local curricula so as to promote entrepreneurship and business activities in different fields;
• developing a new Study Programme in Entrepreneurship, Business Entrepreneur, as a trial for the Vocational Qualification in Business and Administration, which will be a multi-field programme providing entrepreneurial skills;
• developing students’ on-the-job learning periods so as to promote entrepreneurship and business activities;
• making use of the support programme for on-the-job learning from the perspective of entrepreneurship;
• developing student counselling in order to promote entrepreneurship and business activities; 
• developing business incubators for upper secondary level, also in co-operation with polytechnics;
• supporting the extension of the ‘practice enterprise’ learning method to cover all fields;
• supporting development of Young Enterprise activities to meet the needs of different levels of education;
• creating opportunities for people with impaired working capacity or disabilities to participate in on-the-job learning and to establish social enterprises;
• charting future needs in entrepreneurship and business activities and developing education and training as required for these in co-operation with the National Education and Training Committee for the Entrepreneurship Sector;
• participating in development and dissemination of best practices;
• increasing competencies among teaching staff through continuing training and periods spent at work in their vocational field;
• maintaining up-to-date entrepreneurship sites as part of the NBE’s Edu.fi website and encouraging users to take part in interactive use and development of the site.
• producing material in support of the above-mentioned points.

Elisabeth Kinnunen