Efectiveness of online university training on entrepreneurial intentions: towards a sustainable and socially just Post-Covid 19 future

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has generated a major global economic crisis with significant job losses. Entrepreneurial intention attempts to protect and create jobs. During this period, a greater degree of Corporate Social Responsibility was implemented by several companies, shaping a sustainable response to the crisis. This more sustainable and fairer vision of entrepreneurship can be fostered by online university training, as it helps to avoid the ravages of the crisis among students by not requiring physical presence but greatly hindering their ability to learn. This paper aims to explore the effectiveness of online university training on entrepreneurial intentions based on this new sustainable and fair vision of entrepreneurship. Qualitative research on the response to an open-ended questionnaire by Spanish entrepreneurs who have received university training in entrepreneurship adjusted to experience and applying a service-learning methodology (n = 51). The results show the effectiveness of this training on entrepreneurship in general, particularly on potential and intrapreneurship. This effectiveness manifests in specific employment issues, relationships with stakeholders, teleworking with implications for the labor market insertion of women and people with disabilities, the benefits for the local society and the rest of the stakeholders, and entrepreneurs’ quality of life and happiness. These effective results also extend to women and adult entrepreneurs, which favors the entrepreneurship of those who have difficulties attending university.