Developing an Entrepreneurship Model to Increase Students’ Entrepreneurial Skills: an Action Research Project in a Higher Education Institution in Indonesia

Abstract

The University of Cenderawasih (Uncen) has developed a locally relevant entrepreneurship education model within its curriculum to increase students’ understanding and skills in entrepreneurship. Using an action research project, the university undertook an entrepreneurship project by engaging second-year economic science students in a formal course centered on entrepreneurship activities that provided them with start-up capital, intensive training, apprenticeships and supervision from the project’s team members. The findings showed a change in the students’ mind-sets, where self-confidence was the most dominant-weighting factor in shaping the students’ entrepreneurial spirits. The program provided a major contribution to the national accreditation requirements of the university and resulted in entrepreneurship becoming a compulsory teaching subject across the faculties. The proposed model begins with an administration phase that identifies the students’ interests. An assessment is then made of the students’ business proposals using in-depth interviews and observations. This is followed by an implementation phase, with the students’ entrepreneurship activities as the main project, along with intensive monitoring and evaluation. Institutional commitment and support of the learning environment, finance and coordination among related parties are key contributors to sustaining the program.