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Why Do Middle and High School Students Need Entrepreneurship Education?

The Emergence of the AI Era and the Necessity of Entrepreneurship Education

source : pixabay.com

As the age of artificial intelligence (AI) accelerates, traditional industry structures and job markets are undergoing rapid change. With the widespread adoption of automation, routine tasks and jobs based on mechanical thinking are swiftly replaced by machines. This means that simply joining a stable company—be it the public sector or a large corporation with high salaries—is no longer a guaranteed path to a secure life.

In the near future, one of the core abilities will be the capacity to create new opportunities on one’s own and generate value from them to ensure personal survival.

Against this backdrop, the meaning of “entrepreneurship” is steadily expanding. In the past, many people assumed that starting a business required massive investment and the launch of a large corporation. Today, however, entrepreneurship has come to signify any effort to proactively solve market challenges and quickly transform ideas into value. Even so-called “side hustles” or part-time gigs can serve as the foundation of entrepreneurial activity.

In other words, “entrepreneurship” goes beyond the idea of simply becoming an “entrepreneur” and includes all forms of innovation and value creation.

From this perspective, many argue that entrepreneurship education must become commonplace at the middle and high school levels as we enter a new AI- and digitally driven era. While traditional school subjects (math, science, social studies, language arts, and so on) remain essential for building basic academic skills, they often fail to fully cultivate future-oriented abilities—such as sensing market needs, creatively solving problems by turning ideas into action, or organizing and collaborating in teams.

In short, entrepreneurship education is becoming indispensable for teaching young people how to create value in a changing world and how to build organizations that contribute to society. It fills a gap that simpler forms of financial education or career guidance cannot address.

The Limits of the Traditional Employment Paradigm

Schools have traditionally focused on preparing students for “a job”—pursuing higher education, then landing a stable position after graduation, all widely seen as markers of success. However, in recent years, the job market has been anything but stable. Technological advances and fast-evolving business environments mean that demand for traditional forms of stable employment is not growing nearly as quickly as one might expect.

Corporate restructuring and automation: From large corporations to small businesses, there is a growing effort to optimize workforces by integrating AI and robots.
Rise of the platform economy: Platforms such as Uber, Airbnb, or Coupang allow individuals to independently find gigs and conduct economic activities, increasingly reshaping the labor market.
Less job security and more project-based work: Lifetime employment is disappearing; contracting and project-based or task-based collaborations are on the rise.

In such a climate, an education solely oriented toward “getting hired” does not adequately equip students to face the future. Even those who manage to enter large companies may find that the days of staying with one employer for 30 or 40 years are numbered; no one can predict when or how new technologies will make certain jobs obsolete.

Rather than relying on an employer to guarantee your livelihood, it has become essential to continually update your own value and skill set. This includes discovering new market problems, delivering solutions, and—if necessary—forming a team or leading projects to generate income. Entrepreneurship, in a self-directed sense, is therefore rapidly becoming a core survival skill.

Debate continues over how best to define “entrepreneurship education” and whether it can truly be taught within schools or society at large. On one side, Drucker (1985) argued that entrepreneurship is not genetic and can be learned through training; on the other side, some claim that entrepreneurship involves unique talents or personality traits that conventional education may not fully develop. Nonetheless, the mainstream view now holds that entrepreneurship is not optional but essential. For instance, Ronstardt (1987) emphasized the importance of addressing “what to teach” and “how to teach it.” Many researchers, both in Korea and elsewhere, also note that entrepreneurship education must go beyond business or economics and embrace interdisciplinary research.

Indeed, in the United States, entrepreneurship education has significantly broadened its scope in the 50 years since Harvard University first introduced an “Entrepreneurship Class” in its MBA program in 1947. Likewise, in Korea, government-led initiatives have spurred entrepreneurship programs centered at universities, and these have evolved into more practical, wide-ranging curricula that reflect real-world needs.

The Shift Toward Entrepreneurship Education in Middle and High Schools

Currently, entrepreneurship education in Korea is still largely confined to college students or adults. Yet the skill set required by future societies—creative problem-solving, a willingness to take on challenges, reduced fear of failure, the ability to collaborate in teams—really ought to be developed from a young age. That’s why many advocate expanding entrepreneurship education to younger students, allowing middle and high schoolers to explore “entrepreneurship” as part of their regular schooling and engage in team-based idea development.

More important than financial literacy? Financial literacy is certainly important for navigating modern life, but the ability to create value and put ideas into action is arguably even more urgent.
Learning how to turn ideas into profits: If students develop this skill early through small projects or simulations, they’re more likely to tackle their own business ideas head-on as adults, unafraid to fail, learn, and try again.
Team-building and collaboration: By organizing a team, assigning roles, and managing conflicts during a school entrepreneurship project, students gain experience that applies to any workplace or startup environment later on.

Ultimately, the early introduction of entrepreneurship education is not about forcing everyone to “become an entrepreneur.” Rather, it’s about helping each student learn to chart their own path, adapt to shifting market realities, and seize new opportunities.

When we advocate for making entrepreneurship education universal at the middle and high school level, we’re not merely teaching students how to “start a company.” A broad range of entrepreneurial competencies can be cultivated during adolescence—through classes, project-based learning, and more—and then refined further in college or adulthood.

Market Awareness
Students should learn how to sense customer needs and track changing market trends, discovering new opportunities in the process. This can begin with identifying community issues and crafting “startup” solutions in the classroom, encouraging them to investigate local needs and view problems from the user’s perspective.

Creativity
No one spontaneously develops brilliant solutions from day one. Training starts by modifying or rearranging existing ideas and products, building the habit of looking for new angles and value. This involves a willingness to take risks and try new things, even in the face of failure. Project-based classes or maker activities can give students hands-on experiences, fostering independence and originality.

Tech Skills (Especially AI and IT)

While core subjects like language and math remain critical, deeper understanding of technology—its paths of development and current trends—will only increase in importance. Schools should expand computer science, coding, robotics, basic AI, and similar STEM programs so that students gain technical proficiency and the confidence to apply it.

Strategic Thinking
With uncertainty on the rise, individuals need strategic approaches to achieve their goals. Students must learn not just to devise ideas but also to explore how to bring them to market and maintain a competitive edge. By doing so, they gain familiarity with strategic thinking.

In short, entrepreneurship education involves far more than how to “formally establish a business.” It’s about nurturing self-directed learning, problem-solving skills, teamwork, and an innovative mindset—all combined into a comprehensive skill set. Going forward, this will only become more vital in an era shaped by rapid technological change and shifting job landscapes.