The Erasmus+ project SELF – Solo Entrepreneurs Learning Framework, co-funded by the European Union, has published the results of its Pan-European assessment developed within Work Package 2 (WP2), providing important insights into the current realities, challenges, and opportunities connected to solo entrepreneurship and self-employment across Europe.
The assessment represents one of the key analytical outputs of the SELF project and explores how entrepreneurial education, labour market transformation, digitalisation, and emerging professional models are reshaping self-employment pathways among young people and Higher Education students.
Developed through collaborative research activities carried out by the international SELF consortium, the assessment examines:
- evolving trends in freelancing and solo entrepreneurship;
- barriers affecting young aspiring self-entrepreneurs;
- educational and competence gaps;
- digital labour market transformations;
- and current European approaches supporting entrepreneurial initiative and self-employment.
The findings reveal that, despite the growing popularity of freelancing and independent professional pathways, structured and institutionalised entrepreneurial education opportunities for solo entrepreneurs remain limited across many European contexts.
In many cases, entrepreneurial learning opportunities are still primarily offered through:
- fragmented online courses;
- private training initiatives;
- or non-formal learning environments
which may not always provide adequate long-term support for young people transitioning towards self-employment and entrepreneurial activity.
At the same time, the assessment highlights the increasingly important role played by the European Union in supporting entrepreneurship education and employability innovation through:
- accessible educational resources;
- youth empowerment initiatives;
- digital skills development;
- and entrepreneurial competence frameworks.
Another key finding emerging from the assessment concerns the evolving nature of self-employment itself. The report underlines how:
- rapid technological transformation;
- platform economies;
- digitalisation;
- and the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic
have significantly reshaped entrepreneurial ecosystems and independent professional pathways across Europe.
The assessment also identifies persistent inclusion challenges, particularly regarding gender disparities in solo entrepreneurship and unequal access to entrepreneurial opportunities among different social groups.
These findings reinforce the importance of developing:
- more inclusive entrepreneurial education systems;
- accessible training opportunities;
- flexible learning pathways;
- and stronger institutional support mechanisms for aspiring solo entrepreneurs.
The SELF consortium believes that Higher Education institutions can play a much stronger role in preparing students for contemporary labour market realities by integrating entrepreneurial competences, self-employment awareness, and future-oriented employability skills into educational environments.
The evidence collected through this Pan-European assessment has directly informed the development of the SELF educational framework, training modules, case studies, and operational resources aimed at supporting future solo entrepreneurs across Europe.
In line with the dissemination and accessibility principles promoted throughout the project, the assessment and related outputs are available:
- in open-access format;
- free of charge;
- and through the official SELF online platform.
The SELF project aims to contribute to the creation of a more inclusive, accessible, and innovation-oriented entrepreneurial ecosystem capable of empowering young people to navigate increasingly flexible and dynamic professional futures.
The Pan-European assessment is available through the official project platform:
https://www.solobiz.eu/mapping.php?lang=EN
The SELF project is co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.
