Study Programme for Creative Entrepreneurship in Hämeenlinnan Yhteiskoulun lukio (Hämeenlinna Upper Secondary School)

Pieta Tukkimäki-Hildén, Anne Ahvenharju and Leena Virtanen

Hämeenlinnan Yhteiskoulun lukio (Hämeenlinna Upper Secondary School) emphasises the relevance of innovation and entrepreneurship in its studies. The primary emphasis is on the enterpreneurial attitude and on studying entrepreneurship as a way of thinking and acting. Additionally, entrepreneurship helps to realise a unifying approach to studies and in the choice of study methods. The pilot courses have already been carried out and we have good results and experience to carry on with the entrepreneurial studies.

Our goal is to select 20 students every year in the specific study programme. The first entrance exams (some creativity exercises, a motivation test and an interview) were held in May and the programme started for the first time in August 2008.

Any student in the school can take courses (18) in entrepreneurship, but those studying in the programme have also compulsory courses in entrepreneurship.

We have international cooperation for example with Philipp-Melanchthon-Gymnasium in Bautzen, Germany. 13 students and two teachers will make an excursion to this school in early October 2008. In the course of the project the two schools will cooperate, getting to know the each other’s entrepreneurial curricula, developing communicative skills, and comparing the insemination of entrepreneurial procedures and methods in different environments and working contexts. During the one-week stay in Bautzen the students will participate in a three-day business plan game (Wirtschaftsplanspiel).

The specific curriculum is based on internal entrepreneurship, external entrepreneurship and creativity. The main goals in our study programme are

• Learning by Doing is FUN!
• Encouraging entrepreneurial attitude
• You are responsible for yourself
• You are responsible for your own studies
• You are responsible for your own life

Courses in Creative Entrepreneurship:

• Internal Entrepreneurship: The focus is on co-operation, team work, drama skills
• Courses in companies – Rautaruukki, Konecranes
• Entrepreneurship within tourism
• Project management
• Courses on the internet (Tavastia vocational college)
• 24h camp Internal Entrepreneurship. Junior Achievement – Young Enterprise Finland (JA -YE Finland)
• Best Idea competition: also for students completing comprehensive school
• Savings and investments
• NY Junior Achievement – Young Enterprise Finland (JA-YE Finland) - a year as an entrepreneur, offers students the possibility of testing and developing products and service ideas up to market readiness. Immediately in their first study period new students form small groups in order to work on the development of innovative business ideas.
• Team adventure camp
• Diploma in creativity
• Practical training in companies
• Entrepreneurship as a profession
• International co-operation

Club: Creative Creepy Creatures – Omituisten Otusten Kerho

• We have a specific brainstorming club where different creativity counselling techniques will be deployed. The aim is to develop it into a kind of a pre-incubator of ideas.

Partners and supporters are:

§ Schools – upper secondary schools in Hämeenlinna region and the whole of Finland, Philipp-Melanchthon-Gymnasium in Bautzen Germany, HAMK University of Applied Sciences, Tavastia Vocational College, University of Tampere

§ Companies – e.g. Rautaruukki, Konecranes, OP- bank, SME

§ Organisations – TAT group, Local Organisation in Developing Entrepreneurship

Contact information:

Anne Ahvenharju and Pieta Tukkimäki-Hildén

Hämeenlinnan Yhteiskoulun lukio (http://koulut.hameenlinna.fi/yhteiskoulunlukio/)

Viertokatu 1

FIN-13210 HÄMEENLINNA

tel. +358 3 6212344/+358 3 6212578

fax +358 3 6871134

e-mail: anne.ahvenharju@hameenlinna.fi

pieta.tukkimaki-hilden@hameenlinna.fi