Interest to become an entrepreneur has increased among Higher Education (HE) students in Finland; currently, approximately every fifth student considers entrepreneurship as a likely career option in the future (GUESSS 2016; UNIFI 2016). This trend is also detected in the rise of student entrepreneurial activities, such as the student-led co-operatives and entrepreneurship societies that constitute powerful arenas for HE students to acquire entrepreneurship competences outside the class room (Parkkari and Kohtakangas 2018; Siivonen, Peura, Hytti, Kasanen and Komulainen 2018). This is also recognized by the Ministry of Higher Education and Culture in Finland (2017), Universities Finland UNIFI (2016) and The Rectors’ Conference of Finnish Universities of Applied Sciences ARENE (2015) in their recommendations for entrepreneurship education in HE. They propose that students’ prior learning and competences in entrepreneurship should be considered as a resource, and consequently, transparent and new practices should be developed for Finnish Higher Education Institutions (HEI) for the recognition of prior learning (RPL) and studification of activities that enhance students’ entrepreneurship competences.

The objective of the project is to review, systematize and model different ways HEIs in Finland can recognize prior learning of entrepreneurship competences and studificate activities that develop entrepreneurship competences. In order to achieve this, the project will conduct a best practice analysis of RPL and studification practices related to entrepreneurship competences, produce practical recommendations based on the analysis, pilot new practices in different educational sectors in higher education, and develop a digital tool to be used in the RPL and educational processes in HEIs. The project is a sub-project in the Entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial behaviour spear head project (2018-2020), which is based on needs related to the development and recognition of entrepreneurship competences among HE students, and creating flexible study paths in order to speed the transition from HE to the working life.