European Commission Vice President Antonio Tajani, Commissioner for Industry and Entrepreneurship, presented recent Commission projects on educating the educators at the fourth meeting of EU SME envoys. The Commission underlined that entrepreneurship education needs to be boosted.

Entrepreneurial education and training to support growth and business creation is one of three key areas identified for immediate intervention by the European Commission's Entrepreneurship 2020 Action Plan. At the fourth meeting of EU SME envoys held on 8 of February, European Commission Vice President Antonio Tajani, EU SME envoy Daniel Calleja Crespo, and SME envoys discussed the Entrepreneurship Action Plan launched in January, which contains initiatives for entrepreneurial education and training.

The Commission highlights that the Plan is a blueprint for joint action to revolutionise the culture of entrepreneurship and create a more supportive environment for entrepreneurs to grow and thrive. While a number of Member States have successfully introduced national strategies for entrepreneurship education or made entrepreneurial learning a part of curricula, more action is needed, according to the Commission.

In the Entrepreneurship Action Plan the Commission invited Member States to offer the young people the opportunity to have at least one practical entrepreneurial experience before leaving compulsory education, such as running a mini-company, being responsible for an entrepreneurial project for a company or a social project. The Commission also intends to establish, as part of the "SME Week", a Europe-wide EU Entrepreneurship Day for students in their last year of secondary education. The Commission also stressed that EU Higher education in entrepreneurship can boost high-tech and high growth companies by supporting business ecosystems, partnerships and industrial alliances.