Student entrepreneurship

Different forms of entrepreneurship 

The transformation of work is a fact. Work is fragmented into increasingly small pieces, and people can have many different careers during their lives. In particular, today's young people do not want to limit their own interests to very narrow ones, but rather build a more diverse identity for themselves. 

Many people may take part in daily work for the payment of invoices, but at the same time invest time and energy in other matters – to express their own creativity and to live according to their personal values. Entrepreneurship is a natural way to implement one of these many working personalities. 

The future entrepreneur and employee have several different roles simultaneously and realise their dreams more diversely than before. Entrepreneurship and paid work are approaching each other, and there is increasing demand for the forms of work that exist somewhere between them. In the future, employee work and entrepreneurial work will be carried out in successive and overlapping periods. A full-time employee can be a part-time entrepreneur – and vice versa. It may be difficult to distinguish between paid work, dividend revenue and work for which an invoice is issued as main work and secondary work, as the person may feel that they are of equal value. 

Future researchers have predicted that by the end of the 2030s, up to 60 per cent of the Finnish labour force will be entrepreneurs or freelance workers and only 40 per cent will be traditional wage earners. For this reason, it is a good idea to start familiarising yourself with entrepreneurship well in advance and to map out the most suitable form of entrepreneurship for yourself.

In the discussion about entrepreneurship, you should also not forget about the company's shareholding. Co-ownership can be acquired by buying shares in one's own employer company, as part of an employment contract in connection with a change of job or by acquiring shares in an interesting company in the form of a part-time project. Even as a co-owner, you get to enjoy the hard work of others, without your own business idea or compelling need to give up the stability of paid work. In many ways, you are born an entrepreneur, but anyone can grow into the role of a part-owner. 

The above figure illustrates the different forms of entrepreneurship and visualises Laurea's focus area of entrepreneurship education. With regard to entrepreneurship studies, Laurea wants to provide each student with an adequate basic understanding of the entrepreneurial nature of future working life and the ability to cope with it. After acquiring a basic understanding of entrepreneurship, students can progress to more challenging forms of entrepreneurship, such as sales agent entrepreneurship, change of ownership entrepreneurship or start-up entrepreneurship. 

Entrepreneurship studies at Laurea 

Each degree programme includes a certain number of entrepreneurship studies as part of compulsory studies. The number of compulsory entrepreneurship studies varies depending on the degree. In addition, each student can deepen their competence in the form of complementary entrepreneurship studies. Complementary entrepreneurship studies are the same for everyone, and they are presented in the figure below. 

Get excited about entrepreneurship (1 ECTS)

Get excited about entrepreneurship – the course introduces students to entrepreneurship intentio literature and provides answers to the fundamental questions of entrepreneurship, such as; 

•  What is entrepreneurship?
•  What kind of person is an entrepreneur?
•  Why does one person become an entrepreneur and another not?
•  Why do some companies succeed and others don't?
•  The logic of wealth creation in business? 

The course is structured as a MOOC implementation, where the student can proceed according to their own schedule. The course is suitable for every student, regardless of background or degree program. Registration for the course is twice a year, but you can also join during times outside the registration periods.  

To Whom: Bachelor /Master
When: Continuous implementation
Language: English / Finnish
Contact person: antti.sekki@laurea.fi 

Entrepreneurship as part of a career, 5 ECTS

Entrepreneurship as part of a career familiarises students with the changing world of work and especially its entrepreneurial nature. The course provides concrete tools for identifying, pricing and commercially considering one's own competence. The course also provides a sufficient understanding of the accounting competence areas that a self-employed person needs.

The course is structured as a MOOC implementation, where the student can proceed according to their own schedule. The course is suitable for every student, regardless of background or degree program. Registration for the course is three times a year, but you can also join during times outside the registration periods.

To Whom: Bachelor/Master
When: Continuous implementation
Language: English / Finnish
Contact person: antti.sekki@laurea.fi
 

Co-ownership as part of a career, 5 ECTS

Starting an own business is not for everyone. For those looking for security, paid employment may be the smartest career option. However, this does not exclude the possibility of co-ownership. Acquiring a shareholding is much less risky than starting your own business and is suitable for a wider range of people. It is one way to realise entrepreneurial dreams, but without the uncertainty that entrepreneurship brings. At its lightest, co-ownership is like paid work, but with entrepreneurial benefits. co-ownership can even be practiced as a side business, alongside paid work.   
However, the role of a minority shareholder is not simple. The challenges are the diverse practices of good corporate governance and their implementation. This course delves into the role of a co-owner, earning opportunities and the key differences between traditional, startup and buyout entrepreneurship 
The course is structured as a MOOC implementation, where the student can proceed according to their own schedule. The course is suitable for every student, regardless of background or degree program. Registration for the course is twice a year, but you can also join during times outside the registration periods.

To Whom: Bachelor/Master
When: Continuous implementation 
Language: Finnish
Contact person: antti.sekki@laurea.fi

3AMK Studies

The 3AMK consortium (Laurea, Haaga-Helia and Metropolia) also offers joint studies in entrepreneurship. 3AMK's entrepreneurship courses can be found on the 3AMK website.

More information: