The Academy of Entreprenurship, Athens, Greece.

The Academy of Entrepreneurship (AKEP) is a non-governmental, non-profit organisation, with an innovative and authentic character. It has been founded in 2007 by the historical Educational Association of Athens “HFAISTOS”. Its aim is to create a healthier entrepreneurial environment on a national and European level and to support young people who wish to make their innovative entrepreneurial ideas come true. AKEP’s main objective is the cultivation of the essential entrepreneurial attitude and transfer of the necessary knowledge to public and private organisations in the VET Sector.

AKEP’s also aims to facilitate Greek entrepreneurs’ non-formal entrepreneurial learning experience throughout Europe and to connect experienced entrepreneurs with new or aspiring entrepreneurs. For that reason, AKEP has been one of the Intermediary organisations in Greece for the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs programme since 2012. AKEP is an entrepreneurship ecosystem accelerator as it cultivates entrepreneurship and employability soft and technical skills. In other words, AKEP focuses on non-formal learning of soft and technical skills on entrepreneurship for public and private organisations and anyone involved in them (trainers of entrepreneurs). AKEP’s vision is to accomplish the Global Sustainable Goals until 2030 in the best way possible through the cultivation of an entrepreneurial mindset in private and public organisations in Europe.

AKEP has been the national partner of the Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) in Greece since 2008 and is also a member of the Global Entrepreneurship Research Network. As a member of the Entrepreneur Envoy network and the European Association of Development Research and Training, AKEP is fully aware of the requirements of the European labour market and the entrepreneurial skill-set, transferring this knowledge to the participants of its non-formal educational programs. AKEP has been nominated as the official National partner in Greece for the Startup Nations Global Network and constitutes an important communication channel for startup entrepreneurs and policymakers both on a European and global level.

AKEP is participating in various European research projects that support entrepreneurship development and employability, especially with regard to the young population. The research and social innovation department can strongly support the activities of any project related to business, youth entrepreneurship, the labour market, and employment.

AKEP’s network also involves Higher Education Institutions (Universities) and Research centres In 2018 AKEP became a member of the Vision2020: The Horizon network, an Open Innovation platform for research organisations & businesses, and a member of Euclid Network for Social Enterprises.

Since January 2021, AKEP has been a member of Innovation Greece, an association promoting innovative extrovert entrepreneurship in Greece. AKEP holds the accreditation for Quality Label in the European Solidarity Corps programme and can host young people for volunteering, traineeship, and job purposes (2020-1-EL02-ESC52-005933). The organisation is also registered in the EU Transparency Register.

In 2020, AKEP started developing the Academy of Entrepreneurship E-learning Hub (https://academy.akep.eu/) with a special focus on non-formal and VET training for entrepreneurship (e-courses and online workshops). AKEP is also the Greek partner of IdeXlab on the Open Innovation for SMEs platform supporting innovative SMEs and Start-up companies.

AKEP has a long experience in EU funded projects, having developed non-formal educational programs and initiatives for entrepreneurs, SMEs and the VET Sector. AKEP, throughout the years, has developed an educational and training path aiming at the support of (future) entrepreneurs in developing leadership and entrepreneurial skills.

Article extracted from the Succession Ready project proposal.

Editor: Mario Ceccarelli, Project Officer at UIIN