Cultural and Arts Entrepreneurship in Adult Education

At the heart of different lifelong learning programmes across the globe is the discussion of the creative economies, their characteristics and local peculiarities, and the need for adult training for a future workforce that possesses both creative, cultural or artistic skills and considerable business acumen. Within this context, the gradual shift from an almost exclusive focus on management to the potential of cultural entrepreneurship, has seen an explosion in interest and a multitude of definitions of cultural entrepreneurship as a pedagogical approach and/or practical training for the creative industries. Nevertheless, the added value that the creative industries represent, is often underestimated and underemployed by other sectors; so is the power of female entrepreneurs. For aspiring women entrepreneurs coming from marginalised backgrounds, it is even more crucial to develop the necessary knowledge and skills, to enable them to positively put a spot-light on the under-recognised added value and unique identity of the cultural and creative industries. With this project, we highlight the central role of culture and training in and through cultural narratives in entrepreneurial and innovative practice—what we refer to as cultural entrepreneurship—and advocate that policy makers and practitioners in the field of adult education, need to take a broader, inclusive view of cultural entrepreneurship education and training, to incorporate the diverse cultural and social meaning making systems that entrepreneurs use as tool kits to facilitate their pursuit of novelty. Based on these realisations, the intention through the CREATION PROJECT is to explore the theoretical roots, pedagogical approaches, and practical training in and for cultural entrepreneurship, targeting specifically underrepresented groups, being women who come from marginalised backgrounds (migrants, refugees and asylum seekers). In particular, it seeks to address the gap in the field of theory, pedagogy and practice on cultural entrepreneurship, in particular with regards to the training of women entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds. To succeed the latter, through CREATION project, the Consortium envisages to develop the kind of entrepreneurial skills framework for adult education for the creative and cultural sectors across Europe, that will focus in particular in bridging the gender gap in entrepreneurship and the need to address inclusion in instructional design. A holistic approach that takes the previous into consideration, is necessary to boost female entrepreneurship and can contribute to economic development and social cohesion, while also emphasising the cultural value of this sector for society. Indeed, research findings indicate that the creative sector holds tremendous social value, especially through the stimulation of various arts forms and the preservation of cultural heritage. In its essence, cultural entrepreneurship and the creative and cultural industries, are a powerful tool towards sustainable development and social inclusion.The intention is to reflect on the education principles and programmes in cultural entrepreneurship and provide with new lenses to undertake actions that promote innovative pedagogies and methods for inclusive cultural and arts entrepreneurship teaching, learning and assessment, and that support educators and learners to use digital technologies in creative, collaborative and efficient ways to create cultural capital. To pursue this, CREATION will identify the knowledge, skills and attitudes for becoming a cultural and arts entrepreneur and define the approaches, tools and support required for adult educators and migrant support providers who teach individuals coming from different backgrounds, to facilitate learning of these entrepreneurial skills that will enable them to succeed in cultural and arts entrepreneurship.