Emergent Thinkers™

Yesterday, I was humbled to lead a cluster school Teacher INSET day, bringing together many of the primary and secondary schools I’m working with as part of the Llanelli EntreComp cluster initiative. With time set aside for educators to collaborate within their teams and across disciplines, we explored how the EntreComp framework can enhance key competences such as creativity, problem-solving, and resilience, while aligning directly with the Curriculum for Wales (CfW) and many other frameworks.

What made the day especially meaningful was not only the opportunity to see so many educators across the educational pipeline sharing ideas, but also the chance to witness innovation and fresh perspectives emerge from these discussions. Participants identified ways to reimagine everyday learning by embedding entrepreneurial competences into both classroom and extracurricular activities, building on their existing efforts while establishing a strong foundation for future growth. The EntreComp Flower activity sparked exciting conversations about spotting opportunities to expand their approaches, as well as celebrating and amplifying their competence portfolios.

I also invited James Dovey, from my Llanelli Township collective (a grassroots, non-profit, volunteer driven Community Benefit Society), to pop in and exemplify the broader context of innovative projects at Blueprint. His contribution highlighted the value of collaboration with local talent and showcased how not-for-profit efforts are driving entrepreneurial growth and creating value within our community.

The groundwork has now been laid for exciting new projects that will come to life over the coming months. With the Harmonious Heroes Initiative to work towards, schools will have the opportunity to showcase their progress in front of the wider community at the event in the heart of the town at the end of the academic year.

I’m truly excited to be on this journey with these schools—it’s just the beginning of a meaningful path for both our schools and the wider community. But it must be acknowledged that teachers have very limited time to come together and explore new initiatives. On top of their teaching duties, planning, delivery and assessment, they manage a wide range of administrative tasks, pastoral care, and other responsibilities. Yet, despite these full plates, everyone involved in this initiative has embraced he challenge of capturing and developing entrepreneurial competences with enthusiasm and professionalism. This is a testament to their dedication and their commitment to creating valuable learning opportunities for their students, even in the face of demanding schedules.

Thank you to St. John Lloyd for being wonderful hosts.

A big thanks also to Professor Emeritus Andy Penaluna, and our support from the National Academy for Educational Leadership, whose seed support afforded us the opportunity to engage with the leadership of these schools, a project which has further evolved and is evolving rapidly.

I now count the days down to ISBE’s 2024 Conference hosted by Sheffield University, where Andy and I are set to share “An Entrepreneurial Education Pipeline: Lessons from Schoolteacher Training in Wales” (Andrew Penaluna, Felicity Healey-Benson, Kathryn Penaluna) and “A Welsh Blueprint for Tackling Systemic inequality through Harmonious Entrepreneurship” (Felicity Healey-Benson & David A. Kirby).

Felicity