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1. Policy Framework

2. Formal learning

3. Non-formal and informal learning

4. Educators support in entrepreneurship education

Policy Framework

The National Youth Strategy 2024-2027 (a legal document concerning the entire youth policy approved through the Government Decision nr. 566/2024) includes several actions for the development of entrepreneurial skills and youth entrepreneurship. The development of entrepreneurial skills and youth entrepreneurship in rural areas is a clear strategic specific objective. Moreover, policy measures are planned to support for young entrepreneurs and young people with entrepreneurial spirit and to make entrepreneurship a sustainable alternative to employment for young people. These policy measures involve actions regarding trainings, provision of support in the form of business incubator or hubs and the support for youth led start-ups.

Formal learning

Entrepreneurship education is organised and regulated in the formal education system only at the secondary level of education, being a mandatory class for some secondary education specialisations, for pupils being 16-17 years old. However, analysing the curricula one can observe that the focus is on competences and skills and less on the attitudes that young entrepreneurs should have or should acquire.

At the level of higher education, all the major universities in Romania offer business classes, including an introduction to entrepreneurship. However, given the cultural traditions prevailing in the Romanian university system, the greatest impact stems from the separation between theoretical and practical knowledge, the former being considering superior to the latter. This is reflected not only in the content of courses but also in the teaching methodology, which is almost exclusively based on lectures with less consideration for the active role of students.

Analysing the presentation of university courses on business, including entrepreneurship education in Romanian universities, based on the information published online by the Universities (websites of 10 biggest universities in Romania have been analysed), one can note three aspects that characterize entrepreneurship courses:

1. they are present almost exclusively in economics and management faculties;
2. their main focus is on the start-up of new businesses;
3. their main aim is to transfer knowledge and skills to the development of the business plan.

Non-formal and informal learning

The Ministry of Youth and Sports launched, in 2017, a large project of entrepreneurship training, targeting 200 young people in 8 counties: Bihor, Covasna, Dâmbovița, Giurgiu, Iași, Satu Mare, Teleorman and Vrancea.

In 2020, the Ministry of European Investments and Projects launched a grant scheme, supported by the European Social Fund, encouraging students to become entrepreneurs. The fund – Innotech Student – awarded the first grants at the end of 2021.

The Romania HUB programme, an integrated training program, which provided students, entrepreneurs and potential entrepreneurs, information, support, technical assistance and counselling, as well as an institutional framework for developing entrepreneurial capacities and increasing the competitiveness on the local and international market of small and medium enterprises was opened until 2017.

In 2020-2023, the Operational Programme Human Capital, funded by the European Social Fund, supported, through the initiative Innotech Student, 66 projects through which more than 22,000 students, doctoral students and trainees enrolled in colleges/incubators organized at the level of higher education institutions were supported for the transition from school to working life. 

Additionally, most of the EU funded projects aiming at supporting youth employment, funded under the Youth Guarantee Action Plan by the Youth Employment Initiative or the European Social Fund (within the Operational Programme Human Capital), also include entrepreneurial education for a selected group in their target group and supported a small number of new businesses set up by the young beneficiaries, according to the evaluation of the second Evaluation of the Operational Programme Human Capital, focused on specific objectives regarding employment, conducted and published in 2023.

Educators support in entrepreneurship education

In order to support educators (teachers and youth workers) in developing skills for entrepreneurship education, Romania is promoting the implementation granted by Erasmus Plus programme. No systematic information is provided on the number of teachers or youth workers benefiting from training projects in the field of youth entrepreneurship within Erasmus Plus. After participation in trainings on entrepreneurship education, the multiplication phases depended on teachers’ willingness and motivation to transfer the methods of non-formal learning in class and to promote entrepreneurship among young people.

No other top-level national Romanian initiative has been launched for the educators’ support in entrepreneurship education.