It is no secret that the career space is constantly evolving and today’s school-goers will have new jobs in a decade that no teacher can prepare them for, today. However possessing certain skill sets can help every individual succeed. Here are 10 skills that can help foster students’ entrepreneurial abilities.
Think differently
One sure shot way to help students think out of the box is by allocating assignments that are diverse in nature.
If the standard format of completing assignments is by way of writing a paper, then introducing the freedom to submit different formats of their work through presentations, videos, image banks, and so on, can help them achieve this and will go a long way in fuelling their creativity.
Schools must introduce more creativity in the classroom and emphasise the importance of practical experiments as they facilitate adaptability in the child’s mindset. Those that can adapt easily, have more chances of acclimatising to change and therefore being successful in the real world. Additionally, by allowing students a chance to follow their own interests, passions and imagination, schools can build creativity that will in turn encourage entrepreneurship.
Be a risk-taker
When teachers allow students to explore more possibilities in terms of their assignments, students automatically start experimenting. By doing this, they can gauge what should or should not be done and increase the risk-taking prospects.
Learn to collaborate
If interaction levels are increased between students, there will be room for developing insights into relations and behaviour. Constant exposure to behavioural patterns can influence an individual’s train of thought and decision-making.
By honing this skill, students who grow up to become entrepreneurs can effectively understand what drives the customer and accordingly gauge customer demands.
Consequently, schools must encourage collaboration between students to foster a sense of alliance and partnership. An entrepreneur cannot accomplish everything by himself or herself. There are multiple things that will need to be delegated to third parties or employees. To facilitate smooth collaboration, entrepreneurs will need to learn how to build relations and maintain them constantly.
Research expert
By assigning topics that are outside the syllabus, teachers allow students to pursue different avenues of interest and facilitate adequate research.
By this, students develop the habit of researching in-depth for their material and are also exposed to multiple topics outside their textbooks.
Public speaking
Having the right public speaking skills can help an individual to be confident in life.
Sometimes, entrepreneurs may have the right knowledge to back their idea and venture along with the means to succeed.
But without the necessary speaking skills required, they may find it difficult to sell their idea. Schools can develop this skill at an early stage by holding debate competitions, extemporaneous storytelling contests, and more.
Problem-solving tactics
The key to great problem-solving is finding solutions outside one’s perspective.
Teachers can arrange puzzles and quizzes for students, which challenge their approach and help in finding alternative solutions to existing problems.
Leadership prowess
Lastly, while it is not necessary that every leader must be an entrepreneur, it is important that every entrepreneur must be an effective leader. Teachers can encourage leadership by having group classroom activities that require multiple leaders to strategise and make important decisions. By this, leadership skills can be developed at a nascent stage in their school life.
The author is Head of Curriculum at the Fazlani L’Academie Globale and the DY Patil International School Network.
