INCLINATION OF UNIVERSITY STUDENTS TOWARDS ENTREPRENEURSHIP: A GREEK CASE STUDY

The important role of young people for societies and economies has been broadly recognized over the years. Nevertheless, in recent years their ability to exploit their full potential at personal, social and economic level is strongly challenged. Young cohorts have to confront unprecedented obstacles in their social and professional activities. The global financial crisis of 2008 not only aggravated the socio-economic environment for them further, but also intensified the deficiencies that hinder youth transition to employment. The danger of the European Union being deprived from valuable human resources highlighted the need to develop policies and establish initiatives in order to increase their opportunities for creative economic engagement and to support their employment prospects. Entrepreneurship has been designated as a strategic pillar for development, as it incorporates both the creative vision and the individuals’ employability and social inclusion. It is presented as an attractive professional option for young people and countries are required to focus on youth entrepreneurial aspirations. The paper presents the findings of a survey carried out with a structured questionnaire among students of a Greek university, which aimed at evaluating their entrepreneurial dynamics. The interest in the particular group derives from the fact that they combine a valuable knowledge potential with strong professional aspirations, while at the same time they experience a transitional process for their labour market integration. First, the paper describes the conditions in the European Union labour market and focuses especially on the unfavourable employment prospects of young cohorts. Then, it analyzes the motivational perceptions and attitudes of the students regarding entrepreneurship and attempts to define the desirability and the feasibility of their engagement in corporate ventures in the future. Special emphasis is given to the personal competences and the values which the students consider important for a successful involvement that would further support their ideological commitment as entrepreneurs. Finally, the paper explores the hurdles that would exercise a deterring role on students’ entrepreneurial intentions in order to indicate potential interventions, which would proactively enhance their dynamics