Teaching the Un-teachable? Developing Capabilities in Opportunity Identification through Entrepreneurship Education and Training: A Systematic Literature Review and research agenda

Abstract

The global growth in entrepreneurship education and training programmes (EET) has spawned an associated boom in academic scholarship assessing the merits of such interventions. This systematic literature review is the first to synthesise the growing number of empirical studies that consider the impact of EET on opportunity identification capabilities (OIC). In doing so, it reviews the extent to which EET has been observed to support entrepreneurial ideation, before elucidating on the mechanisms and boundary conditions surrounding how such an effect is transmitted. Amongst recommendations for future research, it highlights the need for greater empirical rigour, calls for more empirical studies to measure the impact from training specific cognitive techniques, and urges more attention to be focused on the boundary conditions of ‘who’ is most suited to attend these programmes and ‘how’ they are best delivered.