3.8 Development of entrepreneurship competence
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Policy Framework
Denmark doesn’t currently have a single strategy related to this topic. All of the following strategies are instead relevant to the development of young people's entrepreneurship competences in Denmark.
Strategy for Education and Training in Entrepreneurship
Denmark’s Strategy for Education and Training in Entrepreneurship, introduced in 2010, aims to strengthen entrepreneurial competences across all education levels by embedding entrepreneurship in curricula and fostering innovation with both commercial and social value. Implementation is coordinated by the Danish Foundation for Entrepreneurship and supported by an inter-ministerial partnership, ensuring alignment across sectors. As the national reference point, the Foundation develops programmes, teaching methods, and research initiatives while promoting an entrepreneurial culture in education. The strategy targets students and educators from primary to higher education, offering support through training and institutional strategy development. A 2020 update broadened the scope to include all disciplines and link entrepreneurship education to the green transition and UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Strategy - A nation of solutions
Launched in 2012, Denmark – A Nation of Solutions aimed to strengthen the country’s position in innovation-driven growth, reaffirming the role of entrepreneurship education in national policy. The strategy promoted the ability to turn ideas into financial, cultural, or social value, and positioned education as key to enhancing innovation capacity. Implementation focused on hands-on learning, teacher training, and integration of entrepreneurship at all education levels, especially in vocational programmes. It fostered partnerships between businesses, researchers, and educators, encouraging real-world entrepreneurial activities. Targeting students from primary to PhD level, and supporting educators through training, the strategy also expanded entrepreneurship education to all disciplines and aligned it with the green transition and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Panel on entrepreneurship
In 2017, the government set up a panel on entrepreneurship. In 2018, the panel presented its recommendations to the government. The ambition of the panel is that Denmark should be the best country in Europe to establish entrepreneurial enterprises per capita. Furthermore, the panel recommends a change in the way entrepreneurship is discussed in Denmark: Entrepreneurship must be articulated as a serious career option in the Danish education system and entrepreneurship education should be strengthened.
Implementation process of entrepreneurship strategies
Several state institutions contribute to the long-term realisation of the 2010 and 2012 strategies (also see section 3.9):
- The Danish Foundation for Entrepreneurship
- Innovation Fund Denmark
- The Danish Growth Fund
- The Technology Pact
1) The Danish Foundation for Entrepreneurship is described above.
2) In 2014, Innovation Fund Denmark was established as an independent institution under the auspices of the Ministry for Higher Education and Science. Innovation Fund Denmark provides the setting for innovation and entrepreneurship in research and in enterprises and creates support frameworks for entrepreneurs, researchers, and businesses so that they can develop innovative and viable solutions to society’s challenges.
In October 2020, Innovation Fund Denmark launched a new strategy for 2025 that aims to create a stronger and more integrated ecosystem for innovation, where the fund will play a more significant role. The fund supports strategic research and innovation projects in eight different funding programmes.
Several of the programmes support young people’s entrepreneurial experiences, for instance:
- Innobooster – a programme for start-ups or SMEs (small or medium-sized enterprises)
- Innovation Pilot in Rural Districts – enterprises in rural areas may hire newly graduated masters
- Innofounder Graduate – a programme for recent graduates
- Industrial PhD/Industrial Postdoc – a programme for master’s or PhD students
Target groups:
- Entrepreneurs
- Start-ups and SMEs
- Researchers
3) Denmark’s Export and Investment Fund (EIFO) is the Danish state’s investment fund. The fund promotes the growth and renewal of small and medium-sized enterprises in order to achieve a greater socio-economic return. The fund contributes to the creation of new companies by providing capital and expertise.
Formal learning
The strategies of 2010 and 2012 address entrepreneurship in the formal education system.
A report from the Danish Foundation for Entrepreneurship establishes that the number of pupils and students who receive entrepreneurship education has been increasing since the 2010 strategy. In the school year 2020/21, 268 500 students at all levels received entrepreneurship education, which equals 22%. This is a decrease from the previous year 2019/2020, where 24% of the students received some form of entrepreneurship education. In 2024, the number is estimated to be 300 000 meaning approximately 25% of the students take part in entrepreneurship teaching and programmes every year.
Entrepreneurship in primary and lower secondary education (Folkeskole)
There are three cross-cutting themes in the subjects of primary and lower secondary schools: ‘language development’, ‘IT and media’ and ‘innovation and entrepreneurship’. The themes are part of the common objectives (fælles mål) for Danish primary and lower secondary education (folkeskole), and they must be incorporated into all of the mandatory subjects in school. Working with the theme ‘innovation and entrepreneurship’, there is a focus on idea development, process, and product. The lessons can inspire experimentation and challenge students to find new solutions. It should also support students’ curiosity and ability to develop creative solutions. This can, for example, happen in relation to topics about green transition.
The Ministry of Children and Education has developed teaching materials that are available on the online portal emu.dk. Emu.dk is described in detail in section 5.7.
There are four dimensions in entrepreneurship education in primary and lower secondary education corresponding to the taxonomy mentioned in the section above: Action, Creativity, Comprehension and Attitude.
In connection with each dimension, a list of competence objectives is established. Furthermore, in the last section of each subject’s curriculum is a subject-related text on innovation and entrepreneurship.
Two subjects deal specifically with entrepreneurship:
- Craft and Design: Craft and Design is a mandatory subject for 4th-7th forms, and from 2020, an elective subject in the 7th-9th forms.
- Entrepreneurship: Entrepreneurship is an elective subject in the 10th form. Municipalities may offer the subject as an elective subject in the 7th-9th forms.
Entrepreneurship in general upper secondary education programmes
Entrepreneurship plays a key role in Denmark’s general upper secondary education, where students are encouraged to develop their creative and innovative competencies. The curriculum integrates entrepreneurship into both core and elective subjects, ensuring that students gain practical experience in idea generation, value creation, market demands, and business models. Evaluations of entrepreneurial competencies may be included in relevant exams, and particularly talented students can participate in talent development programs that support their projects or business ventures. To strengthen teaching quality, teachers have opportunities to receive in-service training in innovative educational theory and entrepreneurship pedagogy.
Innovation is embedded across subjects in Denmark’s four general upper secondary education programs (STX, HF, HHX, and HTX, (LBK nr 1003 af 28/08/2024)). In STX and HF, innovation is applied to general academic and interdisciplinary problem-solving. In HHX, the focus is on developing commercial and vocational solutions, with Innovation B-level being a mandatory subject for some students. In HTX, innovation is centered on product development, technological solutions, and entrepreneurship. Across these programs, students engage in real-world challenges, fostering their ability to develop creative and entrepreneurial solutions.
Several subjects incorporate innovation and entrepreneurship as core learning components. Technology courses in upper secondary education focus on product development, prototype modeling, and market analysis, preparing students for higher education in innovation and entrepreneurship. Information Science and Study Area subjects include digitalization, design, and innovation as central themes. Teaching resources, available through EMU.dk, support educators with materials and interdisciplinary courses that integrate entrepreneurship into multiple subjects, ensuring that students at all levels gain exposure to entrepreneurial thinking and skills.
Entrepreneurship in vocational upper secondary education in Denmark
Innovation is an integral part of the objectives of vocational education and training (VET) education. The objectives of the VET programmes, (LBK nr 961 af 16/08/2024) establish that ‘the education programmes must meet the demands of the labour market, among these an innovative and creative workforce’. The ministerial order on vocational education, (LBK nr 961 af 16/08/2024), establishes that vocational education must ‘contribute to the development of the pupil’s innovative and creative competences in preparation for the pupil’s participation in production and service development as well as the pupil’s establishment of their own enterprise.’
The subject Innovation and Entrepreneurship (LBK nr 555 af 27/04/2022) is taught at the first-year core course (grundforløb 1) for students within the first 12 months after having finished compulsory schooling. The subject Innovation (Level 1) is mandatory. The duration of the subject is one week.
Educational institutions can offer Innovation (Level 2) as an elective course, with aduration of one week, as well. During the main course (hovedforløb) of the education with elective subjects, the vocational education institutions must offer elective teaching in innovation and the establishment of one’s own enterprise. The trade committee (faglige udvalg) in cooperation with the local school determines the criteria for the assessment of competences and whether innovation is part of the assessment.
Entrepreneurship in higher education in Denmark
Higher education in Denmark includes professional bachelor’s and academy profession programmes, maritime programmes, artistic programmes, and university programmes. The strategy on entrepreneurship education from 2010 has led to a greater emphasis on introducing innovation and entrepreneurship in higher education. Higher education institutions have developed subjects and programmes with an emphasis on entrepreneurship.
In recent years, there has been an increased focus amongst higher education institutions on the topic of sustainable and impact-driven entrepreneurship, with new and additional courses offered, new strategies launched that combine the topics, and an increase in the number of extracurricular activities such as hackathons, boot camps, etc. In October 2020, the Foundation for Entrepreneurship published a mapping of initiatives, courses and strategies within sustainable entrepreneurship across the Higher Education Institutes in Denmark, which amounted to more than 200 different initiatives.
Entrepreneurship in adult education and FGU
The target groups for adult education and Preparatory Basic Education and Training (FGU) are individuals who have experienced challenges within the formal education system or have limited educational qualifications. As such, the primary aim of these programmes is to strengthen participants’ basic skills and increase their chances of progressing to further education or employment. While innovation and entrepreneurship are not core components of the curricula, elements of entrepreneurial competence—such as initiative-taking, problem-solving, and collaboration—are increasingly recognised as valuable transversal skills. In some FGU programmes and adult learning initiatives, project-based learning or vocational elements may include activities that foster a sense of responsibility, creativity, and engagement, which are foundational to entrepreneurship competence. Moreover, the national emphasis on lifelong learning creates opportunities to integrate entrepreneurship competences more systematically in future adult education strategies.
Practical experience in entrepreneurship education
Practical experience is an integral part of the entrepreneurship education. For instance, the Danish Foundation for Entrepreneurship organises several competitions and training programmes that teachers at all levels can use in their courses, including start-up programmes for almost all higher education institutions (except universities). The competitions in particular have a practical focus.
Non-formal and informal learning
The events and competitions organised by the Danish Foundation for Entrepreneurship are extracurricular activities, the credits for which are not required when completing a degree. The activities offer pupils and students the possibility to acquire entrepreneurship skills and competences in a non-formal context. The activities are often in parallel to formal education courses in schools.
Furthermore, entrepreneurial skills, creativity, and leadership competences are established in the associational and voluntary sectors, where young people engage as assistant coaches in local sports clubs, as scout leaders, or leaders of little league players, etc.
The Danish associational and voluntary sector is described in sections 2.1, 2.2, and 5.7.
The recognition of competences acquired in non-formal and informal learning is described in section 2.7.
Educators support in entrepreneurship education
Supporting educators in entrepreneurship education is a key priority in Denmark, with various initiatives ensuring access to training, materials, and professional networks. The Danish Foundation for Entrepreneurship serves as a national knowledge hub, offering continuous professional development, teaching resources, and financial support for educators. The foundation facilitates competence-building programs, creating and distributing teaching materials, and supporting the development of entrepreneurship curricula.
Educators have access to NEIS, a nationwide network for teachers at all education levels, providing collaboration opportunities and best practices in entrepreneurship education. University educators can engage with UNIEN, a network designed specifically for higher education professionals. Additionally, grants and funding opportunities are available biannually to support the development of entrepreneurship courses, teacher training, and initiatives promoting diversity, sustainability, and strategic implementation of entrepreneurship education.
Public platforms such as EMU.dk provide guidelines, digital resources, and interdisciplinary teaching materials to integrate entrepreneurship into various subjects. Moreover, targeted training programs and certification options are available for educators seeking formal qualifications in entrepreneurship education, ensuring that teachers and trainers are well-equipped to foster entrepreneurial skills among students. These efforts strengthen Denmark’s commitment to entrepreneurship education by providing educators with the tools, knowledge, and networks necessary to prepare young people for innovative careers.