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STEP – Student Training for Entrepreneurial Promotion has a wide-ranging impact

Impact: Academic Impact, Economic Impact, Educational Impact, Environmental Impact, Health and Quality of Life Impact

Description of impact

Creating tangible change in the world: STEP, the Student Training for Entrepreneurial Promotion, is a course to teach students how to start their own business. It was developed by two members of the Leuphana School of Management & Technology: Prof. Michael Frese, who received the 2024 Global Award for Entrepreneurship Research, also known as the Nobel Prize for Entrepreneurship Research, and Prof. Michael Gielnik. The course has been encouraging young adults to start their own businesses for almost two decades. More than 50,000 young adults in twelve countries have already taken part, including various countries in East, South, and West Africa, such as Kenya, South Africa, and Nigeria, as well as countries in Central America (e.g., Mexico), and Asia (e.g., the Philippines).

The number of business start-ups by people who took part in STEP rose by 22% and their income increased by 10% two years after the training, compared to a control group that did not participate in the programme. This is a strong indicator for its economic impact. Moreover, STEP empowers people to take their faith into their own hands and proactively seek out opportunities to generate income. It thus creates considerable societal impact among communities affected by high levels of poverty. Therefore, STEP offers a practical, hands-on solution to the global problem of youth unemployment.

The programme is being taught, scientifically evaluated, and constantly adapted further to address current challenges and trends – for example with the STEP Sustainability approach, developed by Janina Peschmann und Paul Herrmann at Leuphana. This meets the criteria for academic impact. Moreover, the new approach focuses on encouraging the creation of businesses that not only generate profits but also have a positive impact on the environment and communities. This includes, for example, business ideas that use social and sustainable solutions to solve local problems, such as the development of antibacterial soap from sustainable raw materials or the use of old plastic bottles to make chairs.
Category of impactAcademic Impact, Economic Impact, Educational Impact, Environmental Impact, Health and Quality of Life Impact

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