Attitudes of Higher Education Students to New Venture Creation: The Relevance of Competencies and Contextual Factors

Overview & Synopsis

Higher education institutions (HEIs) play an important role in the generation of high-tech "entrepreneurial capacity". As entrepreneurship education gives greater attention to the creation of new ventures, there is an urgent need for a better understanding of the attitudes of students, potentially the entrepreneurs of the future. Logit estimates using 4,413 responses from students enrolled in Portuguese HEIs show that students who have business-related competences and live in an environment that fosters and encourages entrepreneurship have a stronger desire to become entrepreneurs. This supports the contention that entrepreneurship is a process that can be learned and that HE establishments, teachers and other institutions and individuals are in a position to encourage entrepreneurial behaviour. (Contains 10 figures, 4 tables, and 6 notes.)