IASP North American Division President participates in the OECD EECOLE 2023

EECOLE, OECD’s entrepreneurship education collaboration and engagement platform, hosted their second roundtable in the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy in Toronto, Canada.

On 30th November – 1st December they brought together higher education institutions (HEIs), business leaders, and the entire societal spectrum to discuss and identify the best practices that facilitate the mainstreaming of entrepreneurship education and skills for entrepreneurs and SMEs, in all regions. The roundtable has been co-hosted by the University of Toronto and the Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS) and co-chaired by the Economic Research Institute of ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA). 

IASP North American Division President Carol Stewart (Tech Parks Arizona, USA) participated in a session on “Entrepreneurial ecosystems and the role of innovation intermediaries” alongside Charles Wessner, Manasi Joshi, Shawkat Ferdousi and Chris Lau.

During their conversation, a unanimous recognition of the need for a robust framework delineating entrepreneurial skills emerged, possibly leading to a credentialing mechanism. This framework, pivotal in the era of digital transformation, can serve to certify the bundle of skills that are essential for navigating evolving labour markets.

Entrepreneurial ecosystems are gaining prominence as key players and vital contributors to the advancement of Sustainable Development Goals, and can play a pivotal role in harnessing purpose-driven entrepreneurship to promote inclusivity and environmentally conscious innovation across diverse locations.

An innovative policy approach to entrepreneurship ecosystems that takes into account assets, synergies, and connections among agents in all places would also help facilitating the strategic outcomes and resource allocation that are necessary to sustain the momentum generated by this kind of initiatives, as identifying key activities that facilitate scalability will be paramount to our collective success.

The annual OECD EECOLE Roundtable offers a platform to discuss ongoing research, evidence, and international best practices to continue supporting different entrepreneurial ecosystems, resulting in the creation of a unique approach focusing on the needs of entrepreneurs, HEIs and research centres.