Experiences and social representations of entrepreneurship among Portuguese graduates: a case study

Abstract

This paper focuses upon a case study in entrepreneurial learning, involving students from different scientific fields from the University of Minho. The specific purpose of this paper is to analyse the experiences and perceptions regarding entrepreneurship viewed as an alternative means of accessing a profession or a career as well as to explore the main initiatives/programmes, forms of support and infrastructure deployed in academic preparation and training for the labour market. We will make specific use of the key deliverables from two projects, namely ‘The Potential of Entrepreneurship at the University of Minho’ (2010-2012) and the on-going PhD project ‘Qualified Entrepreneurship: Higher Education Policy and (Re)configuration of the Career Paths of Graduates’ (2010-2013). The present study is based on the results from sixteen semi-structured interviews conducted with young people from different socio-demographic and educational profiles, all of whom were in a professional transition phase. Specifically, we point out: i) the main stakeholders, their missions and strategies for fostering entrepreneurial learning, ii) the entrepreneurial experiences undertaken by young people and the meanings and representations of - entrepreneurship and its effects on identity re-composition. The conclusion presents a summary of the main results, highlighting the privileged relationship between non-formal/ informal entrepreneurial learning.