The Role of Formal Education in Promoting Entrepreneurial Spirit Alakhawayn University as a Case Study

This study is carried out with students of the School of Business Administration in Alakhawayn University, Ifrane (AUI), Morocco, with the aim of exploring their attitudes and mindsets towards entrepreneurship. To this end, a questionnaire was administered to 150 students including current and graduated students. Semi-structured interviewing was also adopted as a data collection tool to get an in-depth and comprehensive understanding of the respondents’ attitudes and lived experiences vis-à-vis entrepreneurship education. This study concluded that entrepreneurship education promotes the spirit of initiative and entrepreneurship, fosters entrepreneurial mindsets and forms well-prepared individuals to overcome the obstacles lurking in the entrepreneurial route. In addition, it not only provides students with adequate knowledge and skills required to build a successful start-up but also boosts their entrepreneurial awareness. Keywords: Entrepreneurship education, university-educated entrepreneurs, students’ perceptions. DOI: 10.7176/JEP/13-15-02 Publication date: May 31 st 2022