provides assessment criteria against which to measure entrepreneurship programs and courses. The assessment can inform action plans to strengthen the relevance and quality of policies and practices.
STEPS:
Review each of the seven components of the GEET+ scorecard.
Evaluate the program and course using the 35 assessment criteria.
Your responses will be tallied automatically
Construct an action plan to address gaps identified in the feedback.
Commitment to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
Degree to which the organization's leaders champion inclusive culture and programming. Organizational leaders (e.g., program managers, executives)
Use their role(s) to promote learning opportunities for all, including people from underrepresented, minority and marginalized groups.
Are accountable for meeting equity diversity and inclusion (EDI) goals (e.g., engaging diverse participants, staff, advisors; advancing inclusion programs; overseeing complaint resolution processes).
Communicate the organization’s mandate to advance EDI to multiple stakeholders (e.g., through media statements, industry events and internal memos).
Foster collaboration with diverse organizations and constituents (e.g., economic agencies, LGBT+ Chamber of Commerce, women’s associations, Indigenous/Aboriginal centers).
Find and provide resources (e.g., funding, staff time, hiring experts) to support EDI initiatives (e.g., curriculum development, mentorships, targeted financing programs).
Gender Expertise
Degree to which personnel are knowledgeable about equity, diversity, inclusion and gender influences in venture creation and entrepreneurship education. Program and course personnel
Receive EDI training in the context of small business and entrepreneurship (e.g., stereotypes about who is an entrepreneur).
Assist participants in constructing strategies to address challenges to entrepreneurship, acknowledging structural inequalities (e.g., unequal access to financing and networks).
Understand the rationale for targeted supports (e.g., women-only courses, Black entrepreneur funds).
Create supportive learning environments (e.g., psychologically safe, judgement free, open to diverse opinions).
Respect different types of entrepreneurs (e.g., necessity versus opportunity-based entrepreneurship, social entrepreneurship).
Access to Resources
Degree to which programming increases access to resources including other support services. Program and course personnel
Refer participants to auxiliary services (e.g., supplier diversity programs, industry associations, community networks, events).
Assist participants in securing resources (e.g., labour; capital such as grants, lines of credit, loans, angel investors, crowdfunding, venture capitalists).
Assist participants in developing their networks by facilitating their interactions with diverse role models, instructors, speakers, and program personnel (e.g., advisors, coaches, mentors).
Provide access or referrals to family support services (e.g., child or eldercare bursaries, memos of understanding with daycare services)
Enhance access to infrastructure supports (e.g., software targeted at entrepreneurs and small businesses).
Program Design
Degree to which program design focuses on the needs of diverse learners. Program and course personnel
Engage participants to understand what they need to learn about entrepreneurship through outreach and recruitment of diverse participants.
Employ language and imagery that are socially and culturally representative to attract people who might not otherwise consider entrepreneurship as a career (i.e., broad definitions of entrepreneurs, such as founders and community builders).
Incorporate different organizational structures and sizes of enterprises (e.g., self-employed, micro/small and employer firms, for-profit and non-profits, co-operatives).
Reduce systemic barriers to program entry (e.g., arbitrary revenue thresholds, inflated growth expectations).
Learning objectives reflect individual (e.g., personal wealth creation) and broader stakeholder outcomes (e.g., community engagement).
Program Development
Degree to which program content aligns with the learning needs of diverse participants. Program and course personnel
Showcase content that is relevant to participants (e.g., contributions of diverse entrepreneurs, role models, speakers, sectors, types of enterprises).
Foster understanding about industry norms, socio-cultural expectations, and biases to help participants recognize challenges and to develop response strategies (e.g., race, gender and occupational role stereotypes associated with entrepreneurship).
Provide opportunities to reflect on the impacts of entrepreneurship on individuals and marginalized groups (e.g., social change; financial loss).
Incorporate a spectrum of business models and learning aids (e.g., traditional, sustainable, green, feminist, lean and social business model canvasses).
Foster understanding about the link between personal and professional risk management (e.g., household and business budgeting; power balances in domestic relationships).
Program Delivery
Degree to which delivery methods respond to the needs of diverse participants. Program and course personnel
Offer alternative modes of delivery (e.g., full/part-time, online/in-person, hybrid, modular) to accommodate for professional and personal demands (e.g., family care responsibilities).
Incorporate activities that build on participant strengths and address differences in experience, skills and confidence (e.g., small business financial literacy, digital competency).
Employ multiple experiential teaching methods to reflect different ways of learning (e.g., problem-solving, reflective practice, experimentation, play, collaborative ideation).
Practice response strategies to address cultural norms and biases in the entrepreneurial ecosystem (e.g., power dynamics among actors).
Pilot test program or course—content, learning tools, delivery—to ensure relevance and clarity for participants.
Program Evaluation
Degree to which feedback (monitoring and evaluation data) informs programs and courses.Program evaluators
Collect data from multiple stakeholders within the entrepreneurial ecosystem (e.g., participants, instructors, small business intermediaries).
