The Associate degree in Entrepreneurship trains students to be both self-employed business owners and entrepreneurial managers/assistant managers in a multi-channel SME or retail organisation. Business management within a broader framework is key in both cases. Graduates are practical individuals who can carry out the various tactical and operational elements of running a business. With this regard, market focus and operational management, personal effectiveness and leadership are important qualities. A graduate of the Associate degree in Entrepreneurship is proactive, alert to new developments in the market, able to apply strategic policy through concrete action on the shop floor, capable of providing leadership to a small team, result-oriented and unafraid to take action.

Alumni with an Associate degree are firmly grounded in real-world practice, use their head to maintain a clear view, and bring people and resources together in order to connect thinking with doing.
 
Graduates hold different positions in diverse sectors. Some graduates work as managers/assistant managers in the wider SME branch, or more specifically, within retail companies. Others found companies of their own, even before finishing the degree programme. Such businesses are unfailingly characterised by a strong focus on the consumer.

 

The associate degree programme equips the student with the learning outcomes required of a professional in the field of Entrepreneurship. These are:

• Innovating: launch new ideas, achieve innovations creatively and use technological possibilities to this end.
• Value creation: create sustainable and commercial value targeted at the wishes and needs of clients as well as other stakeholders. Students do so based on developments within the national and international context.
• Result-focused approach: demonstrate responsibility and perseverance, taking the decisions needed to achieve the intended outcomes. Students adapt quickly to changing circumstances and are not afraid to run risks.
• Leadership: show passion and drive, take the lead within teams, and activate others based on the corporate culture and values.
• Managing & organising: shape and substantiate business operations, focusing primarily on the customer.
• Collaborating & networking:  function in a group context by making an active and substantive contribution to the intended outcomes as well as the group process. Students build a network of relationships.
• Research skills: demonstrate an inquisitive and critical attitude in their working method. Students apply a suitable research approach leading to useful outcomes.
• Analytical skills: analyse situations and data systematically. Students manage based on performance indicators.
• Learning capacity: develop themselves as a person and as a professional with the use of vision, reflection and feedback.
• Communication: communicate convincingly, including in one or more foreign languages. Students make efficient use of various communication tools tailored to the target audience.