Résumé en anglais

Short description of the addressed problem/ goal - This paper explores to what extent it is possible to develop an entrepreneurial culture amongst students studying in a French engineering school. The thinking behind our study is that business organisations recruit employees with new competencies (Zarifian, 2004; Reynaud, 2001), including entrepreneurial skills, and that, since engineering graduates will be required to display such skills, engineering schools will have to take this into account. Consequently, engineers have to acquire the appropriate relational and social values (Robin, 1994). As the education of engineers tends to focus on technical know-how, however, these new competencies (autonomy, responsibility, risk-taking and leadership) do not always come naturally. Approach/ Basic Thoughts/ Methods - An action-based learning programme designed to develop an entrepreneurial spirit in young students studying in a French engineering school. Methodology : Likert scale questionnaire before and after the course followed by a series of interviews. Consequences, Implications, Recommendations - We assume that a degree of “acculturation” is possible within the framework of a specifically designed constructivist educational programme in which the active participation of students is encouraged. The originality of the study resides in the fact that it applies a perspective characteristic of a new field of study, namely culture and pedagogy. The most striking changes were observed in the following areas: self-confidence, followed by decision-making skills, a critical mindset and lastly, problem-solving skills.