Standard Entrepreneurship Curriculum

A Standard Entrepreneurship Curriculum is Critical in efforts towards Youth Employability and Empowerment.. There is great interest and effort in the country to encourage youth and women to entrepreneurship through training and incubation.

Entrepreneurship not known to many is an attitude or a lifestyle that requires molding, training, practical and experience learning. Entrepreneurship training should not be a one day, one week or one month package, it should involve, ideation, trial process, incubation process, mentorship and sustenance process. It should be a specific training for a specific target but not to pool everyone in a hall for training.

There are various ways and methods to teach end learn entrepreneurship across the globe and in the country, these models and trainings however require some guideline and standardization in order to be useful and relevant. In Kenya, there are many uncoordinated, unguided and unstandardized training methodologies that may seem confusing and non-impactful to the intended target population purpose. Our country is unique with varied dynamics in our youth population and in the business ecosystems that necessitates a well thought and standard entrepreneurship curriculum. It will not help us when we have training models borrowed from other countries or from projects implemented elsewhere.

Going through various entrepreneurship training models in Kenya, you will realize that some of these training models are farfetched from the reality and challenges in the country. The trainers or consultants need some form of capacity building and training guideline to deliver the trainings in a more practical approach as compared to the theoretical way which most trainers do. Many individuals and institutions have come up with entrepreneurship training programmes not to impact but to mint money or earn names at the expense of the youth and women; this can be well managed through a standard national approved curriculum.

Some of the subtopics or topics to be incorporated in this curriculum may include the following;

1. Legal information and processes involved in entrepreneurship, this involves business registration processes, tax laws and compliance related guidelines. 
2. Leadership, mentorship and transition for successful business processes. 
3. Change management and people management for success. 
4. Information, communication and technology in entrepreneurship. 
5. Value chains in entrepreneurship and opportunities for scaling up and replication. 
6. Financial literacy and management for business success. This includes profit and loss management, resource mobilization and financing avenues for business. 
7. Market analysis, survey, market sustenance and growth. 
8. Communication for business success. 
9. Working and existing entrepreneurship models in Kenya. 

As we focus on entrepreneurship to enhance employability, we need to be reminded that not all of us can not be entrepreneurs but through it many can be employed in the entrepreneurship value chains. I challenge the government to take lead in developing a standard policy and curriculum on entrepreneurship. #Youth254 #Youthempowerment2018 #Devcon2018

Written by; Kelvin Keya Source: Facebook