Turning ideas into strategies

Turning ideas into strategies with tools and collective energies

Brief introduction to the Training Area 2 of EntreComp

What it takes to make it happen

Coming up with ideas is just the beginning—turning them into action requires courage, persistence, skills, and support. That’s where the “Resources” area of EntreComp comes in.

It focuses on building the learner’s capacity to gather, manage, and sustain the resources—personal, human, material, and financial—needed to bring an idea to life.

Self-awareness and self-efficacy
Motivation and perseverance
Mobilising resources
Financial and economic literacy
Financial and economic literacy

Competence 1: Self-awareness and self-efficacy

Confidence is the engine of well-doing

Self-awareness and self-efficacy help learners recognize what they’re good at, what they need to improve, and most importantly—believe they are capable of making change. This competence fuels resilience, decision-making, and the courage to take initiative.

Students learn to:

Identify their own strengths and areas for growth and build confidence in their abilities
Reflect on how they handle challenges, feedback and setbacks
Set personal goals and monitor progress over time

Training activities for self-awareness and efficacy

Know yourself to grow yourself

1. Personal strengths mapping	2. Confidence timeline	3. Setbacks roleplays	4. Goal-setting journal
Learners list skills and traits they value in themselves; peers add external feedback to deepen the map.	Students create a timeline of past achievements and moments they overcame difficulty—used to discuss self-belief.	Simulate failure scenarios and coach students on how to reflect and bounce back.	Learners track small weekly goals, their motivation levels, and reflection on progress.

Learners’ progression model in self-awareness and efficacy

1. Foundation		2. Intermediate		3. Advanced		4. Expert
Relying on support from others		Building independence		Taking responsibility		Driving growth and innovation
Under direct super-vision.	With reduced support from others, some autonomy and together with my peers.	On my own and together with my peers.	Taking and sharing some responsibilities.	With some guidance and together with others.	Taking responsibility for making decisions and working with others.	Taking responsibility for contributing to complex developments in a specific field.	Contributing substantially to the development of a specific field.
*Discover*	*Explore*	*Experiment*	*Dare*	*Improve*	*Reinforce*	*Expand*	*Transform*
Learners recognize that their actions affect outcomes.	They begin identifying their personal strengths and limitations.	Learners test their abilities in small challenges and reflect on success/failure.	They take initiative in unfamiliar tasks, trusting in their ability to improve.	Learners set clear goals and track their progress over time.	They support peers in developing confidence and share strategies for personal growth.	Learners lead by example and demonstrate resilience in complex situations.	They empower others through mentoring, helping build self-belief in teams or communities.

Competence 2: Motivation and perseverance

The energy to keep going when it gets tough

Motivation and perseverance enable learners to sustain effort, overcome setbacks, and pursue long-term goals even when challenges arise. These qualities are essential for developing grit, focus, and emotional endurance in any life or work context.

Students learn to:

Understand what motivates them and how to stay focused on their goals despite difficulties
Practice resilience and problem-solving under pressure
Support others in staying on track when things get tough

Training activities for motivation and perseverance

Grit is grown, not given

1. Goal pyramid structure	2. Challenge and resilience journal	3. Motivational roadmap	4. Inspired by success studies
Students break down big goals into small, manageable steps.	Each student documents a difficult week and how they got through it—used for class reflection.	Learners explore what gives them energy—praise, results, impact, learning—and track patterns.	Read or watch local success stories and identify common traits of persistence.

Learners’ progression model in motivation and perseverance

1. Foundation		2. Intermediate		3. Advanced		4. Expert
Relying on support from others		Building independence		Taking responsibility		Driving growth and innovation
Under direct super-vision.	With reduced support from others, some autonomy and together with my peers.	On my own and together with my peers.	Taking and sharing some responsibilities.	With some guidance and together with others.	Taking responsibility for making decisions and working with others.	Taking responsibility for contributing to complex developments in a specific field.	Contributing substantially to the development of a specific field.
*Discover*	*Explore*	*Experiment*	*Dare*	*Improve*	*Reinforce*	*Expand*	*Transform*
Learners recognize what makes them excited or engaged.	They reflect on how they respond to setbacks or challenges.	Learners try short-term goals and manage frustration when progress is slow.	They push through difficult situations with renewed energy.	Learners develop strategies to stay motivated over long periods.	They share coping strategies and encourage perseverance in others.	Learners lead group efforts, motivating teams toward common goals.	They inspire and mentor others through sustained, mission-driven action.

Competence 3: Mobilising resources

Working with what you have to build what you need

Mobilising resources means being able to identify, access, and use tools, materials, time, space, and knowledge to make an idea possible. It also includes knowing how to ask for help and work within constraints.

Students learn to:

Identify and request the resources they need, make effective use of available tools and networks
Allocate time and tasks effectively
Work around limitations and innovate with what’s at hand

Training activities for mobilising resources

Build big using what’s already around you

1. Resource inventory game	2. Need-finder for community	3. The Barter challenge	4. Team asset mapping
Groups are given a project challenge and must solve it using only listed classroom resources.	Students identify what resources are underused in their environment.	Simulate exchange of skills or materials—students must “trade” to complete a project.	Teams identify what skills, knowledge, or materials they each bring to the table.

Learners’ progression model in mobilising resources

1. Foundation		2. Intermediate		3. Advanced		4. Expert
Relying on support from others		Building independence		Taking responsibility		Driving growth and innovation
Under direct super-vision.	With reduced support from others, some autonomy and together with my peers.	On my own and together with my peers.	Taking and sharing some responsibilities.	With some guidance and together with others.	Taking responsibility for making decisions and working with others.	Taking responsibility for contributing to complex developments in a specific field.	Contributing substantially to the development of a specific field.
*Discover*	*Explore*	*Experiment*	*Dare*	*Improve*	*Reinforce*	*Expand*	*Transform*
Learners identify resources in their environment.	They connect needs with tools or people that can help.	Learners test out how to use or share resources creatively.	They take initiative to request or negotiate access to needed materials.	Learners manage time and resources strategically in projects.	They help others assess and use available tools effectively.	Learners coordinate resource use across teams or settings.	They design systems or models to optimize resource use on a larger scale.

Competence 4: Financial and economic literacy

Making ideas work with money that makes sense

Financial and economic literacy equips learners with the basic understanding of money, costs, value creation, and responsible decision-making in both personal and project contexts. It’s not about accounting degrees—it’s about making informed and realistic financial choices.

Students learn to:

Understand simple financial concepts: cost, profit, budget, and investment
Plan a small project using a basic financial framework, make conscious spending decisions and assess risks
Reflect on the economic consequences of their choices

Training activities for financial and economic literacy

Money is not the problem—it’s the opportunity

1. Budget builder (simple version)	2. Cost hunting game	3. Buy or build? Open debate	4. Value-chain simulation
Students plan a mini project (e.g., school campaign) with a simple budget: income, expenses, surplus/loss.	Students investigate what things really cost—materials, services, tools—and present surprise findings.	Teams argue whether to buy, rent, borrow, or build a resource—encourages financial decision-making.	Create a product and track all inputs: materials, labor, packaging, marketing—to understand value creation.

Learners’ progression model in financial and econ. literacy

1. Foundation		2. Intermediate		3. Advanced		4. Expert
Relying on support from others		Building independence		Taking responsibility		Driving growth and innovation
Under direct super-vision.	With reduced support from others, some autonomy and together with my peers.	On my own and together with my peers.	Taking and sharing some responsibilities.	With some guidance and together with others.	Taking responsibility for making decisions and working with others.	Taking responsibility for contributing to complex developments in a specific field.	Contributing substantially to the development of a specific field.
*Discover*	*Explore*	*Experiment*	*Dare*	*Improve*	*Reinforce*	*Expand*	*Transform*
Learners recognize the role of money in daily life.	They begin to understand basic costs, value, and saving.	Learners try simple budgeting or pricing exercises.	They make financial decisions and justify them in project contexts.	Learners manage small budgets with planning and record-keeping.	They help teams stay financially realistic and transparent.	Learners oversee budgeting across teams or events.	They teach or model financial thinking to improve sustainability and impact.

Competence 5: Mobilising others

Getting others on board to build something bigger

Mobilising others means being able to involve, inspire, and work with people to support an idea or project. It includes leadership, teamwork, influence, and communication—skills that make ideas grow beyond the individual.

Students learn to:

Communicate their ideas clearly and convincingly
Identify who to involve and how to ask for support, build and coordinate teams
Practice empathy, collaboration, and leadership

Training activities for mobilising others

No vision succeeds alone

1. Pitch partner exercise	2. Stakeholder wheel	3. Leadership rotation	4. Ask for help challenge
Students must convince a classmate to support their idea using only a 1-minute pitch.	Learners map who should be involved in a project and why.	In a team challenge, students take turns as leaders and reflect on what worked.	Learners must achieve a simple task by negotiating for support from others—promotes communication and trust.

Learners’ progression model in mobilising others

1. Foundation		2. Intermediate		3. Advanced		4. Expert
Relying on support from others		Building independence		Taking responsibility		Driving growth and innovation
Under direct super-vision.	With reduced support from others, some autonomy and together with my peers.	On my own and together with my peers.	Taking and sharing some responsibilities.	With some guidance and together with others.	Taking responsibility for making decisions and working with others.	Taking responsibility for contributing to complex developments in a specific field.	Contributing substantially to the development of a specific field.
*Discover*	*Explore*	*Experiment*	*Dare*	*Improve*	*Reinforce*	*Expand*	*Transform*
Learners understand they can’t do everything alone.	They start asking peers or teachers for help when needed.	Learners practice explaining their ideas and inviting participation.	They take initiative to organize people and lead small teams.	Learners adapt their communication style to different people or contexts.	They inspire others and help groups stay coordinated and motivated.	Learners build partnerships and networks that amplify impact.	They become role models who empower others to lead, collaborate, and grow.

Recap & integration

From inner strength to collective action

Learners now understand how to:

Trusting their ability to make change
Staying the course when it gets tough
Using what’s available to take action
Making informed and responsible decisions
Expanding ideas through communication and teamwork

Reflection’ trigs for trainers

How do you help learners get what they need?

Please take some time to reflect on the following:

What types of perseverance or motivation have you seen in your students—how can you nurture more?...
How do you currently address teamwork or resource-sharing in your class?...
How do you help learners recognize their own strengths and build confidence?...

Share:

Turning ideas into strategies with tools and collective energies

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