Erasmus + Programme Promotes Entrepreneurial Skills: A Study of the Multidimensional Scale of Entrepreneurship Skills (MSES)

Carlos Augusto Castanheira (), Jacinto Jardim () and Anabela Pereira ()
Additional contact information
Carlos Augusto Castanheira: Universidade Aberta, Global Studies Centre
Jacinto Jardim: Universidade Aberta, Department of Social Sciences and Management
Anabela Pereira: Universidade de Évora, Centre for Research in Education and Psychology (CIEP)

A chapter in Entrepreneurial Education in a Global and Digital World, 2026, pp 269-281 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract Entrepreneurial competences have been studied for their relevance to current challenges such as employability, sustainability, and social cohesion. Meanwhile, the Erasmus + programme is presented as an initiative that promotes European cohesion through the internationalisation of education and cultural interaction. However, no studies have evaluated Erasmus + in terms of developing Entrepreneurship skills. This study aims to evaluate the impact of the Erasmus + student mobility programme on the development of entrepreneurship skills among young adult higher education students. For this purpose, an instrument was constructed, validated, and assess the entrepreneurial dimensions of the Multidimensional Scale of Entrepreneurship Skills (MSES). The sample consisted of 413 students of both genders, all attending Portuguese higher education institutions. The preliminary study to construct the items of the Competence Assessment Instrument was carried out by experts (researchers and university professors specialised in psychology and entrepreneurship). The final version of the scale consisted of 22 items and three dimensions were identified: Self Dimensions, Interpersonal and Ethical Relationships, and Cognition and Communication. The results show that participation in the Erasmus + programme contributes to the development of Entrepreneurship skills, especially among younger students and women. Age was negatively correlated with the development of these skills, suggesting that younger participants experienced greater growth in Entrepreneurship skills. Implications of the study are suggested, as well as the need for further research in different cultural backgrounds and longitudinal research.

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Higher Education; Erasmus+; Skills scale; Young adults (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

There are no downloads for this item, see the EconPapers FAQ for hints about obtaining it.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:seschp:978-3-032-17012-5_14

Ordering information: This item can be ordered from
http://www.springer.com/9783032170125

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-032-17012-5_14

Access Statistics for this chapter

More chapters in Studies on Entrepreneurship, Structural Change and Industrial Dynamics from Springer
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().