Pedagogical strategies to foster an entrepreneurial mindset in the vocational training provided by the National Training Service (SENA)
Keywords:
Entrepreneurship, education, motivation, curriculum developmentAbstract
Entrepreneurship is a fundamental competency for preparing learners to respond effectively to contemporary economic and social challenges. This study aimed to describe the pedagogical strategy used at the Financial Services Center of the National Learning Service (SENA) to develop entrepreneurship skills among learners. A mixed-methods approach was employed, integrating quantitative and qualitative techniques, with a sample of 290 learners selected through simple random sampling. The findings revealed that a significant proportion of participants perceived the learning guides as insufficiently dynamic and some instructional materials as outdated. In addition, limited awareness was identified regarding the Entrepreneurship Unit, the services it provides, and the success stories of entrepreneurs who have benefited from institutional support programs. These findings highlight the need to strengthen entrepreneurship education through more innovative and context-based pedagogical strategies. In this regard, the study proposes enhancing the entrepreneurship curriculum through the application of effectual logic, with the aim of fostering an entrepreneurial mindset, increasing perceived self-efficacy, and strengthening learners’ ability to identify opportunities, develop sustainable initiatives, and create value in diverse productive contexts. It is concluded that updating educational resources, incorporating practical learning experiences, and exposing learners to real entrepreneurial role models can significantly contribute to the development of entrepreneurial competencies and the preparation of future entrepreneurs committed to economic and social development.
Downloads
References
Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50(2), 179–211. https://doi.org/10.1016/0749-5978(91)90020-T
Boldureanu, G., Ionescu, A. M., Bercu, A. M., Grigoruță, M. V. B., & Boldureanu, D. (2020). Entrepreneurship education through successful entrepreneurial models in higher education institutions. Sustainability, 12(3), 1267. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12031267
Clement, T. (2025). Start something! Effectual action in the entrepreneurship classroom. Management Teaching Review, 11(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/23792981241299764
Congreso de Colombia. (2020). Ley 2069 de 2020, por medio de la cual se impulsa el emprendimiento en Colombia. http://www.secretariasenado.gov.co/senado/basedoc/ley_2069_2020.html
Congreso de Colombia. (2022). Ley 2234 de 2022, por medio de la cual se promueve el emprendimiento social en Colombia. https://www.funcionpublica.gov.co/eva/gestornormativo/norma.php?i=189388
Congreso de la República de Colombia. (2006). Ley 1014 de 2006, de fomento a la cultura del emprendimiento. http://www.secretariasenado.gov.co/senado/basedoc/ley_1014_2006.html
De Sousa Filho, J. M., García-Salirrosas, E. E., Lessa, B., & Castro, J. L. (2023). El papel del miedo al fracaso en las intenciones emprendedoras de los estudiantes en América Latina. The International Journal of Management Education, 21(3), 100880. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijme.2023.100880
Gandhi, M. H., & Mukherji, P. (2023). Learning theories. StatPearls Publishing.
Hadley, G. R. (2026). Embedded entrepreneurship pedagogy: Six key practices for an entrepreneurial classroom. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 59, 101993. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2025.101993
Hytti, U., Matthews, C. H., Ogilvie, D., Shelton, L. M., & Winkel, D. (2025). What I’ve learned about teaching entrepreneurship: Perspectives of five master educators. In Annals of Entrepreneurship Education and Pedagogy 2025. Edward Elgar Publishing.
Kumari, S., & Sudha, S. (2026). Entrepreneurship education for management students: A framework-based review. The International Journal of Management Education, 24, 101311. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijme.2025.101311
Lambarri Villa, M., Gordon Isasi, J., & Arrondo Diez, E. (2025). Competencia emprendedora en la educación superior: Una evaluación de la importancia que le atribuyen los estudiantes de último año de pregrado. World, 6(3), 110. https://doi.org/10.3390/world6030110
Machingambi, J., & Iwu, C. G. (2025). Teaching entrepreneurship in a South African university: Who should teach and which methods work best? Administrative Sciences, 15(8), 322. https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci15080322
Olutuase, S. O., Brijlal, P., & Yan, B. (2023). Model for stimulating entrepreneurial skills through entrepreneurship education in an African context. Journal of Small Business & Entrepreneurship, 35(2), 206–225. https://doi.org/10.1080/08276331.2020.1786645
Sørensen, K. B., & Trolle Gronemann, S. (2025). Broadening the entrepreneurial mindset to meet sustainable goals: Introducing the 4-foci mindset. Industry and Higher Education, 39(3), 261–275. https://doi.org/10.1177/09504222241295651
Tavakoli, M., Radu Lefebvre, M., & Fayolle, A. (2025). The impact of the passion for teaching entrepreneurship: A conceptual model. International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business, 54(3). https://doi.org/10.1504/IJESB.2025.144224
Tunstall, R., & Neergaard, H. (2021). Flashmob: Una herramienta heutagógica para el aprendizaje social en la formación emprendedora. Entrepreneurship Education and Pedagogy, 5(1), 31–48. https://doi.org/10.1177/25151274211017547
Wang, C., Shi, Y. C., & Jiang, S. H. (2024). The early bird catches the flywheel: Pedagogical components of entrepreneurship education in American higher education institutions. Education + Training, 66(8), 1077–1095. https://doi.org/10.1108/ET-05-2023-0202
Wu, L., Jiang, S., Wang, X., Yu, L., Wang, Y., & Pan, H. (2022). Entrepreneurship Education and Entrepreneurial Intentions of College Students: The Mediating Role of Entrepreneurial Self-Efficacy and the Moderating Role of Entrepreneurial Competition Experience. Frontiers in psychology, 12, 727826. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.727826
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Martha Cecilia Pachón

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish in Revista UGC agree to the following terms:
1. Copyright
Authors retain unrestricted copyright to their work. Authors grant the journal the right of first publication. To this end, they assign the journal non-exclusive exploitation rights (reproduction, distribution, public communication, and transformation). Authors may enter into additional agreements for the non-exclusive distribution of the version of the work published in the journal, provided that acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal is given.
© The authors.
2. License
The articles are published in the journal under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0). The terms can be found at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/deed.en
This license allows:
- Sharing: Copying and redistributing the material in any medium or format.
- Adapting: Remixing, transforming, and building upon the material.
Under the following terms:
- Attribution: You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if any changes were made. You may do this in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses or sponsors your use.
- NonCommercial: You may not use the material for commercial purposes.
- ShareAlike: If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your creation under the same license as the original work.
There are no additional restrictions. You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.





