Education and entrepreneurship: entrepreneurial training in secondary education and its impact on entrepreneurial interest in the United States and Spain

Abstract

The pivotal role of education and entrepreneurial training in fostering economic growth, recovery and societal advancement is widely recognized. This study examines the influence of entrepreneurial training in secondary education on students’ entrepreneurial interest in the United States and Spain, exploring how tailored educational approaches can shape future entrepreneurial ecosystems. Specifically, the objective of this study is to show and to analyze the relation that exists between training in financial knowledge and the didactic methods associated with entrepreneurial interest. An explanatory and transversal type of design is proposed. The entrepreneurial interest of students at Burgos University (Spain), with no formal business education and where actions to promote entrepreneurial spirit are limited, is compared with a sample from Washtenaw in the state of Michigan where entrepreneurship education has achieved a notable degree of maturity. The sample under study amounted to 276 students, between 13 and 17 years of age. The results confirmed the positive influence of entrepreneurship education as a factor that improved the entrepreneurial interest of the students from both Burgos and Michigan. Investigations are needed that follow students who subsequently become entrepreneurs over time to know which subjects taught at school were most useful when starting out as an entrepreneur.