Entrepreneurial Skills, Human Capital, and the Future of Work: The Entrepreneurial Education as a Lifelong Learning Process

This chapter explores the relationships among entrepreneurial skills, human capital, and the future of work, highlighting the potential of entrepreneurial education as a lifelong learning process for navigating the rapidly evolving labor market. Drawing on recent research and global labor market predictions, we argue that entrepreneurial skills – such as critical thinking, resilience, creativity, and leadership – are becoming increasingly vital in a world characterized by technological disruption, particularly with the advent of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI).While entrepreneurship has traditionally been associated with business creation, we redefine it here as a mindset and skillset that enhances individual adaptability and innovation, empowering people to succeed across various professional fields. We discuss how entrepreneurial education, when rooted in experiential and action-based methodologies, plays a transformative role in equipping individuals with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes (KSAs) that constitute human capital. This approach not only fosters entrepreneurial intention but also helps develop competencies relevant to intrapreneurship, innovation, and knowledge management. By combining theoretical and practical learning, such education prepares learners to recognize opportunities, manage risks, and lead change in uncertain environments. The chapter also underscores the necessity to redesign educational strategies to meet the demands of a knowledge- and innovation-driven economy. Entrepreneurial education significantly enhances intellectual capital and strategic adaptability, serving as a crucial element in developing a workforce capable of sustaining innovation, inclusion, and resilience in the future of work.