Myriad of reasons to teach entrepreneurship

ENTREPRENEURSHIP should join the three Rs as a basic skill taught to children from as early as year 4, a start-up expert says.

Baden U’Ren, director of the Bond Business Commercialisation Centre at Bond University, said the skills needed for future commerce were different from those currently being taught.

“You still need to be a discipline expert – a finance person, a marketing person or an engineer – but now you need emotional intelligence and transdisciplinary skills and digital literacy and a design mindset,” he said.

“Our education system is 15-20 years behind in delivering on that, especially in the public education system.”

Dr U’Ren, a co-founder of blockchain technology company BlockGrain and veterinary care business Pet Wellness Centres, said the foundation for entrepreneurial thinking should be laid in primary school. Dr U’Ren will join 14 other entrpreneurs and and business identities as part of the Myriad innovation festival, landing in a helicopter at Bond before sharing their insights and workshopping solutions with students.

He said high school graduates should be opportunity-focused, digitally-literate, comfortable with uncertainty, be confident to take measured risks and understand business models.

“One of our biggest challenges in getting programs into high schools is having a teacher or an educator who is comfortable and skilled in delivering the material,” he said.

“You get these early adopters who have seen the light, but getting it across the entire curriculum? Teachers themselves need to re-educated.”

Dr U’Ren is a speaker at the Myriad 2018 start-up festival from May 16-18. Seven Silicon Valley entrepreneurs including Google Maps product manager Clementine Jacoby will visit Bond University on May 15 as part of Myriad.