The “Education, Entrepreneurship and Cultural Heritage” Initiative: Eleusis 2023 European Capital of Culture

Abstract

The purpose of the present study is to underline the importance of our cultural heritage and how potential future teachers can connect education, culture, and the entrepreneurial field. The reason behind this study is the “Education, Entrepreneurship and Cultural Heritage” Initiative of the Teacher Education Program of Athens University of Economics and Business. The research questions refer to the investigation of (1) the impressions and opinions of the Cultural Heritage Entrepreneurship program participants about their experience in the respective program; (2) the business sectors that they had suggested to develop a Cultural Heritage Business as teacher trainees; and (3) the innovative educational methods which they suggest for a respective initiative. For this reason, we conducted interviews with a sample of 45 Teacher Education Program graduates from Athens University of Economics and Business. We used the qualitative type of research. Key findings of our study are the positive assessment of the experience of the “Education, Entrepreneurship and Cultural Heritage” initiative and the plethora of innovative business sectors that could be used to develop the region of Elefsina, a Greek region with a deep culture and history. Finally, we drew some opinions concerning introducing a respective program in high schools. Through this study, we emphasize the importance of Cultural Heritage Entrepreneurship and bring to the forefront future teachers’ positive beliefs about introducing similar initiatives at schools.

1. Introduction

Each country’s culture is characterized by its historical background, geography, religion, language, and social traditions. The values, beliefs, and behaviors are driven by culture as common ground. In this context, Cultural Heritage Entrepreneurship refers to many practices, mainly aiming to develop and promote cultural heritage while creating economic value.

As the “European Parliament Resolution of 8th September 2015 towards an integrated approach to cultural heritage for Europe (2014/2149(INI))” emphasizes, culture and creativity are key assets for the economy. They should be promoted for improving life quality and strengthening social cohesion, integration, sustainable growth, and peace. Specifically, Article 18 stresses that all programs related to the development of cultural heritage should be a clear example of multi-level governance, and the importance of cross-border interdisciplinary cultural projects, which contribute to greater economic and social cohesion and encourage participation [1].

Cultural Heritage Entrepreneurship can be divided into two sub-scopes. The first one is entrepreneurial attempts concerning the sectors of arts, culture, and creative industries. From this point of view, structures constituting the Cultural Sector, like classical antiquity, are emphasized here. The second scope refers to utilizing cultural heritage to embody cultural and economic value, focusing on services and marketing tools that promote cultural heritage and can lead to growth.

Aiming to come in touch with the second scope, the Teacher Education Program of Athens University of Economics and Business holds the “Entrepreneurship, Education and Cultural Heritage” Initiative. During the time this initiative takes place each academic year, the participants, in groups, have to form business plans about promoting cultural heritage in a chosen city. The key principle of this initiative is to place culture at the heart of sustainable social and economic development by proposing projects and strategic plans and promoting business models emphasizing an integrated, holistic approach and links through entrepreneurship and culture. The university cooperates with the “Diazoma” Association, a non-profit organization that aims to preserve and highlight ancient theatres and monuments, to support this initiative.

In this innovative context, students form a business plan project pointing out cultural heritage sites in historically significant areas of Greece. Involving group-oriented and experiential learning techniques, like cultural promenades and drama, which have a powerful effect on teacher candidates’ learning and values [2], this initiative’s learning outcomes have long-lasting and multi-dimensional results and conclude with high-level publications. During the academic years 2018–19, 2019–20, 2020–21, and 2021–22, the focused area of action was Eleusis, the European Capital of Culture for 2023. Eleusis (or Elefsina, in Greek) is an area on the west side of Attica (21 km away from Athens), with a splendid history in ancient times, known for the Eleusinian Mysteries [3]. These originated from the myth of the ancient goddess Demeter, who arrived in Eleusis looking for her daughter, Persephone, and included rituals that remain a mystery until today [4]. The university students and graduates who have participated in this initiative these academic years have presented plenty of ideas on how to take advantage of Elefsina’s heritage sustainably and creatively. For example, they came up with Consultancy and Marketing Firms and Tourist Packages combining Elefsina with other important cities like Athens. They used technology facilities to develop the experience for the visitors. All these business plans have been created with the consideration of a sustainable way of living and technological solutions to provide an innovative experience for visitors. Moreover, the socio-economic development of Elefsina was at the forefront of the business plans. One of the project’s main aims was to instill in potential teachers (the Teacher Education Program trainees) the idea of sustainability and to embody it in the educational system.

The present study aims to report the impressions of Teacher Education Program graduates who have taken part in the respective initiative and their opinions about such initiatives’ benefits in education. Furthermore, the study investigates the sectors in which they created the business plans and the educational methods these participants, potential high school teachers in the future, find suitable for a program like that.

Therefore, the study aims to connect education with entrepreneurship and show the beneficial prospects of the adoption of innovative initiatives in schools in Greece. Moreover, part of the study’s novelty is the innovative educational methods that should be part of a modern and open school.

2. Literature Review

Involving youth in entrepreneurship is a big step toward approaching sustainable development goals in the business sector [5,6]. Young people form a significant fraction of the population, especially in developing countries, and by supporting youth entrepreneurship, countries can promote innovation and progress on the SDGs [7]. Education plays a huge role in this. Inserting sustainable entrepreneurship into learning can lead to a more sustainable economy. Thus, universities and other education providers can include relative training programs in their curricula [8]. Several studies have noted that young people need training to build skills to offer innovation and creativity in their enterprises [9,10,11]. A study [10] found that, in many cases, young people are not aware of everything needed to form a business.

Bureaucracy can be a burden to young entrepreneurs [10]. The two last studies also mention that youth might turn to entrepreneurship due to the will of independence. Also, research in Latin America highlights that many poor people with less education start businesses because they cannot find a job. These businesses are very likely to fail. Successful entrepreneurial moves come from middle-class young people with a level of education. Thus, this study suggests providing financial aid and technical education to young people interested in business [12]. Another study, in the context of Eastern Africa, showed that youth entrepreneurship programs alone could be ineffective. The environment has to be appropriate so that new businesses from young people can grow, including a broader shift from the policymakers [13]. These studies, along with several others, shed light on the role of the political, social, legal, and economic environment and the financial support by the public sector needed for growing young people’s businesses [9,14,15,16]. Many countries in the EU, like Greece and Spain, face a big problem with youth unemployment. The percentage of young people who start their businesses is relatively low, but the number of those interested in starting one is higher. Therefore, support from the public sector is crucial. Also, policymakers must pay attention to gender equality [17].

Cultural Heritage Entrepreneurship (CHE) is a business sector that offers many opportunities for young people to apply their innovative and creative enterprise ideas while highlighting their culture. Estonia includes cultural heritage in the “creative industries” sector. Culture and entrepreneurship need to be linked. Thus, entrepreneurs interested in this sector must build skills that will allow them to highlight their cultural heritage with creativity [18]. Digital technologies and social media have a notable influence on cultural tourism. Thus, enterprises in this sector must include them in their marketing mix while being open to feedback; tourists care about feedback from their experiences via travel blogs and communication, and the importance of this will rise in the future [19]. People can receive information about a monument without the need to go there. Therefore, cultural sites and businesses need to insert innovation to attract them. Young people can offer this innovation while providing creativity and new activities [20]. As mentioned before, young people’s businesses need support from the public sector; this also applies to cultural enterprises [21]. Cultural Heritage Entrepreneurship (CHE) can face many challenges, especially in the context of small enterprises. These can come from promoting and highlighting cultural assets while generating revenue for work. However, a country can benefit from them in more ways; apart from the innovation driven by young entrepreneurs, enterprises which use cultural heritage sites can create employment effects on the economy, especially in the hospitality sector, since many tourists interested in a cultural heritage site will use the services of these enterprises [22].

Eleusis—European Capital of Culture

In 1985, Melina Mercouri, the most influential cultural ‘diplomat’ of Modern Greece, as the Greek Minister of Culture, raised the question about the role of cultural policy within the European Union towards a sustainable future for Europe and all humanity. The main purpose was to raise Europeans’ awareness of the “common ground” and their common characteristics. Each city nominated as ECoC would have the unique opportunity to establish a cultural identity, to be placed on the Cultural World Map, and to rebirth its development through culture. Since then, the ‘European Capital of Culture’ has been an ambitious cultural project in Europe over the last 39 years and has become one of the most appreciated cultural activities of the European Union (EU) [23].

The European Capital of Culture (ECoC) aims to trigger the participation of the respective Capital’s inhabitants to benefit the city and its surroundings. As a multidimensional concept, culture encompasses shared values, beliefs, norms, and practices, with a fundamental role in shaping individuals’ social, economic, and political lives. In light of its significant contributions to society, culture deserves greater recognition and support as a fundamental pillar of sustainable development, peace, and human well-being. Consequently, the part of culture in the EU is more essential than ever, as it demonstrates the “common ground” and combines past, present, and future [23].

Furthermore, ECoC, as a tool for cultural diplomacy, is an innovative way to promote international and political relations, understanding, and cooperation through initiatives and exchanges, facilitating the dialogue between governments to achieve peaceful goals [24] and the Agenda SDGs for a sustainable world.

A remarkable example is Greece, which hosted the European Capital of Culture four times: Athens in 1985, Thessaloniki in 1997, Patras in 2006, and Eleusis. Eleusis was nominated as the European Capital of Culture 2021 in Greece on the 9th of December 2016, to become an effective mediator in the European dialogue through its program called “Transition To EUphoria” from the Greek word “ευφορία”, but due to the COVID pandemic, the celebration was transferred the year 2023 [3,25].

One of the most significant contributions of ECoC for cities is that it gives them opportunities to invest in creative sectors. In opposition to Patra and Thessaloniki, Eleusis created the challenge of redefining the connection between sustainability, human activities, and culture. For instance, some programs are the “Demeter-Mother Earth” which focuses on the relationship with food; the “Persephone” program, which focuses on the relationship with urban green areas; the “Ecoculture” program, which focuses on climate change, energy, and recycling, and the “Feminine Nature” program about cultural heritage and femininity [25].

To conclude, as a European Capital of Culture, the city of Eleusis had to take advantage of its title and create projects to attract tourism, organize cultural events, and maximize the benefits sustainably and innovatively.

The European Commission has supported the efforts of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in teaching, learning, and assessing creative thinking [26]. There is a significant link between levels of education and participation in culture, the need for transferable competencies, and certain skills that stimulate creativity and critical thinking. Creativity and critical thinking should be extended to all levels of education and training.

In these terms, the “Teacher Education Program” of Athens University of Economics and Business in Greece, which is a one-year program that educates economics and computer science final-year students in teaching their sciences [27], develops the “Education, Entrepreneurship and Cultural Heritage” Initiative, in synergy with the DIAZOMA Association. This association was founded in 2008 by the former Minister of Culture, Stavros Benos. Being in constant cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs, Culture, and Sports, it aims to motivate and connect all the forces of the Greek Society to promote and protect a special category of monuments. Through many activities, it develops pioneering ideas of members and volunteers, mainly proposed by young people, upgrading our cultural heritage [28]. “Diazoma” supported students with information and specific guidance to form innovative ideas and bring them the concept of entrepreneurship.

The initiative consists of an innovative group project that leads to pioneering ideas of utilizing cultural sites and cities, like the ECoC, through an educational frame and progress. It approaches cultural management, driven by the disciplines of the constructivist theory, focusing on a holistic, multidisciplinary education, using digital tools, teaching, and research methodology to transform cities into significant cultural destinations. The selection of Eleusis as a European City had a huge capacity for experimentation, anticipating new strategic plans, and exploring new models of social and economic innovation to a culture-led development. Culture and tourism were considered powerful drivers of economic activity. In urban areas, restoring and upgrading cultural and natural tangible and intangible heritage can contribute to sustainability and potential growth.

3. Materials and Methods

3.1. Method

The study aims to examine whether the respective Teacher Education Program graduates—economics and computer science students and graduates who are potential future teachers are willing to adopt the idea of entrepreneurship education and similar initiatives in schools. Such initiatives promote cultural heritage and help develop regions such as Elefsina. Introducing entrepreneurship into the Greek Education system could play a huge role in skill-building and regional development, and one of the goals of this study is to highlight its benefits and significance. Therefore, we examined the impressions of some Teacher Education Program participants regarding their experience with the “Education, Entrepreneurship and Cultural Heritage” Initiative and their opinions on a possible application of a similar initiative from them as teachers. We chose the qualitative type of research so that a plethora of information can be drawn on the subject under consideration. This type of research is suitable for answering the questions “Why” and “How” concerning social phenomena like the present one [29] and for investigating this phenomenon from the viewpoint of the participants [30]. The research design involves descriptive and interpretive methods [31]. The reliability assurance of data processing has been accomplished by using simple and clear language without ambiguity or jargon [30]. The validity of the data has been assured by the continuous analysis and interpretation of them to be as objective as possible [32].

Moreover, the presence of the researchers was to provide further help if necessary and not to direct the participants [33]. Finally, the research’s credibility was assured by some criteria. The first one was the period the survey was conducted, after the Orthodox Easter holiday, which means the interviewees were not tired and happy to discuss. The second criterion concerns the experience and engagement of the researchers in this program, who are also teachers.

3.2. Population and Sample

The research sample consists of Athens University of Economics and Business (AUEB) graduates, specifically the Teacher Education Program graduates. This means they had participated in the “Education, Entrepreneurship and Cultural Heritage” Initiatives. Simple Random Sampling was used on a population of 220 members. All members have the same possibility of being selected as members of our sample [34]. The only criterion was to be suitable for the scope of our study. Each member had to be a Teacher Education Program graduate and have taken part in this specific initiative.

The final sample consists of 30 women and 15 men, namely 45 people, as seen in

Table 1. Socio-demographics of the sample.

Demographics	Values	Frequency	Percentage
Gender	Female	30	66.7%
	Male	15	33.3%
Age	21–23	18	40%
	24–26	19	42.2%
	27–29	8	8.9%
	30+	8	8.9%
Income	0–5000€	4	8.9%
	5000–10,000€	6	13.3%
	10,000–15,000€	4	8.9%
	15,000–20,000€	6	13.3%
	20,000–30,000€	7	15.6%
	30,000€+	10	22.2%
	I don’t know	8	17.8%
City	Athens	27	60%
	Big country town	12	26.7%
	Small country town	4	8.9%
	Village	2	4.4%

below. Furthermore, 18 of the questionees are between 21 and 23 years old, meaning they completed the project during the academic year 2021–22. Moreover, the number of questionees between 24 and 26 years old is 19, while 16 students are over 27, meaning there are representatives of all the years the initiative took place. The table below also presents the economic background of the sample based on their family income per year and the place they have grown.

Concerning the University Department, our sample comes from the eight departments included at AUEB. Graduates from the Department of Informatics can teach Computer Science, while the others can teach Economics. Therefore, seven questionees (15.6%) are potential computer science teachers, and the rest (84.4%) are potential economists. More specifically, the interviewees’ backgrounds are presented in Figure 1, below:

3.3. Data Collection and Analysis

We chose the in-depth interview as the most appropriate tool for our qualitative research. This allowed us to investigate and gather data that could not be collected in other ways. During the Teacher Education Program, the participants have to engage in an innovative project in which they have to create a Business Plan to promote the culture of a Greek city. This city, over the last academic years, was Elefsina. Therefore, we aspire to investigate the graduates’ impressions of this initiative and how it has affected them in practical knowledge and emotional domains. These graduates are potential high school teachers; thus, we also measure if they, as teachers, consider the application of such programs effective.

Moreover, we examine the main focus of the business plans that these graduates had made when they were student participants in the Teacher Education Program. Finally, we investigated the graduates’ opinions about innovative educational techniques and their applicability to enhance the results of such initiatives in schools.

The interviews were conducted after the Orthodox Easter Holidays in Greece, specifically between the 10th and the 25th of May 2024. Each interview lasted approximately 15 min, and each interviewee chose between a face-to-face interview or via MS Teams. Additionally, all respondents consented at the beginning of the interview to the recording of this procedure. Also, the researchers assured them about the confidentiality and anonymity of responses.

The interviews consisted of eight open-ended questions, which managed to obtain answers from different perspectives of each participant, in opposition to answering multiple-choice questions [30]. The questions were the following:

• Was the organisation you created as a participant in the “Education, Entrepreneurship and Cultural Heritage” Initiative a profit or a non-profit one? If it was a profit-making business, which field/sector was it about?
• Did you gain soft and hard skills by participating in this initiative? If yes, please report some of them.
• On a scale from 1 to 5, with 1 being very negative and 5 being very positive, how do you assess your experience with this initiative?
• Would you, as a teacher, use a similar initiative?
• To what extent do you believe that introducing entrepreneurship in education is necessary?
• To what extent do you believe entrepreneurship initiatives can benefit students’ behaviour?
• To what extent do you believe that entrepreneurship initiatives can lead to better learning outcomes?
• What educational techniques would you use as teachers to encourage entrepreneurship?

The collected data were analyzed using content analysis techniques. Content analysis is a process that quantifies the data in text form and turns it into measurable data systematically and repetitively [32]. It is considered a technique useful for concluding by identifying objectively and systematically defined characteristics of messages [35]. This definition reflects two qualities: objectivity, which has to do with reducing personal bias, and transparency in classifying material.

We turned our results into measurable data to analyze them and export general conclusions. For the analysis, we used IBM SPSS Statistics and MS Excel. Therefore, we could quantify and compare our results.

4. Results

A general overview of the results shows that the participants have positive opinions about the CHE program.

Table 2. Encoding of Question 3 Answers: On a scale from 1 to 5, with 1 being very negative and 5 being very positive, how do you assess your experience with this initiative?

Values	Frequency	Percentage
Very negative	1	2.2%
Negative	3	6.7%
Nor negative/or positive	10	22.2%
Positive	21	46.7%
Very positive	10	22.2%

, below presents the general impressions of the interviewees about the program, regarding the respective Question.

4.1. Impressions of the Graduates Who Participated in the Program

To examine our first research question, we formulated questions concerning the introduction or not of a respective initiative in the education system. We also asked the interviewees their opinions about introducing entrepreneurship in education and the potential benefits such programs could have for high school students.

We created Likert scales, measuring from 1 (very negative opinion) to 5 (very positive opinion) to encode the interviewees’ answers.

Most of the questionees have a positive opinion about the entrepreneurship initiative they had to participate in as teacher trainees. They are willing to apply respective initiatives as teachers, as they understand the benefits such programs have for the students.

More specifically, twenty-seven (60%) interviewees answered they would apply entrepreneurship initiatives as teachers. Fifteen stated that perhaps. Only three questionees had a negative opinion towards such initiatives.

Through this program, the participants obtained new knowledge concerning their studies. The forty-five participants, who came from Business, Economics, or Informatics degrees/backgrounds, enhanced their experience with business plans. They encompassed impressive ideas and researched the factors needed to create a start-up business. Also, they communicated with many public services to gather the necessary information. Furthermore, they worked as a team and cooperated positively. The interviewees told us specifically that strong friendships were created through this program. For all these reasons, they evaluated their total experience as positive.

Furthermore, thirty-two (71.2%) participants consider introducing entrepreneurship in the educational system important, while sixteen (35.6%) think respective programs can positively affect students’ behavior. Finally, nineteen interviewees (42.2%) see effective learning outcomes from such projects. According to most respondents, a fundamental benefit of entrepreneurship in education projects is the team spirit that can be built inside the classroom. Working in small groups, the students cooperate to make their ideas a reality. The main role of the teacher-trainer is to support and guide the students. Thus, the students participate actively in the learning process, and a more student-oriented approach can be successful. Also, these initiatives bring the term cross-thematic integration to schools. Cross-thematic integration is the multifaceted study of issues and concepts in the context of diachronicity and synchrony and the connection of scientific fields (interdisciplinarity) so that beyond specific knowledge, the student understands the connection of sciences and their contribution to all aspects of everyday life. Multiple school subjects can be communicated for this project. As a result, the students learn empirically, and “Experiential learning” is achieved.

4.2. Business Sector

Concerning our first question, most graduated teachers (33 respondents, 73.3%) had made plans for profit-making businesses. Regarding the sector, they mostly chose touristic and educational activities, while 18 participants’ business plans included opening museums to promote undeveloped regions’ culture. The table below,

Table 3. Business Sector.

Business Sector	Frequency	Percentage
Touristic Field	11	24.4%
Educational Field	11	24.4%
Museums	18	40%
Entertainment Field	11	24.4%
Introduction of technology	10	22.2%
Social Events	8	17.8%
Services	6	13.33%
Introduction of Entrepreneurship	1	2.2%
Environmental and Health	1	2.2%

, shows the number and the percentage of total participants who included each sector in their projects (each project can refer to more than one sector).

Through the second question, referring to hard and soft skills, we collected the interviewees’ answers and formed them into clusters. The charts below (the two subfigures of Figure 2) show the major hard and soft skills that the program participants reported. Regarding soft skills, most answered skills related to creativity and teamwork, and hard skills related to business administration (the participants’ answers could refer to more than one skill).

4.3. Educational Methods

In Figure 3, below, we present the answers to the last question concerning the teaching methods that the program participants would use as potential teachers to introduce a respective entrepreneurship initiative at high schools (each participant could refer to more than one method). Addressing Question 8 of the interviews, cross-thematic integration and experimental learning are parts of the participants’ opinions. They are young, potential future teachers with innovative ideas and methods, and they want to introduce innovative educational techniques to make classes interesting. The educational methods presented below are suitable and transform the learning process from learning-oriented to student-oriented. Most interviewees chose teamwork as the most proper method to apply entrepreneurship initiatives in schools.

Finally, we have specified the business sectors preferred by the department that each program graduate came from to determine the preference in business fields of graduates from different academic backgrounds. The following table,

Table 4. Preferred business sector by each university department.

Department	Sector	Frequency	Percentage from Department
International & European Economic Studies (2 interviewees)	Entertainment	2	100%
	Educational Field	1	50%
	Museums	1	50%
	Social Events	1	50%
Economics (9 nterviewees)	Touristic Field	3	33%
	Educational Field	3	33%
	Museums	2	22%
	Entertainment	2	22%
	Technology	1	11.1%
	Social Events	1	11.1%
	Services	2	22%
	Entrepreneurship in Culture	1	11.1%
Business Administration (14 interviewees)	Museums	7	50%
	Touristic Field	2	14.3%
	Educational	2	14.3%
	Entertainment	2	14.3%
	Technology	3	21.43%
	Social Events	3	21.43%
	Services	3	21.43%
Marketing and Communication (7 interviewees)	Technology	3	42.8%
	Touristic Field	2	28.6%
	Educational	2	28.6%
	Museums	2	28.6%
	Entertainment	2	28.6%
	Social Events	2	28.6%
Accounting and Finance (4 interviewees)	Museums	3	75%
	Touristic Field	2	50%
Management Science and Technology (1 interviewee)	Touristic Field	1	100%
	Educational	1	100%
	Museums	1	100%
	Entertainment	1	100%
	Technology	1	100%
	Social Events	1	100%
Informatics (7 interviewees)	Museums	2	28.6%
	Entertainment	2	28.6%
	Technology	2	28.6%
	Environmental and Health	1	14.3%
	Touristic Field	1	14.3%
	Educational	2	28.6%
Statistics (1 interviewee)	Services	1	100%

, consists of the preferred sectors of each department, ordered by preference (the answers could contain more than one sector).

5. Discussion

The main purpose of the current study was to investigate and highlight the significance of cultural heritage and its connection with educational and sustainable entrepreneurship through the interview students’ scope. Most interviewees have, on average, had positive experiences and impressions from participating in the Cultural Heritage Program.

We had 60% verify that they would apply this initiative to their potential students as future teachers, while 30% might use such initiatives. In association with the above, it must be added that 70% of the respondents supported introducing entrepreneurship in education. A relatively small percentage of respondents who felt dissatisfied with the program would not use a similar initiative, such as conducting a cultural entrepreneurship project, in their future jobs as educators. Apart from learning, all interviewees agreed about the behavioral benefits culture and entrepreneurship initiatives might have. More specifically, about 64% support the idea that such activities would enrich students’ behavior, learning performance, and outcomes. Only 4.5% doubt the effectiveness of learning outcomes, possibly attributed to the anachronistic and conservative characteristics that partially remain in the Greek educational system.

As in the case of other studies [6,7,8], this research highlighted the need and tendency of young people to innovate, combine new ideas, inspire, and contribute to a sustainable society.

These findings are encouraging for the Greek education system, as the idea of entrepreneurship is absent in Greek high schools. Thus, teachers willing to apply innovative programs like that in the future would be crucial.

These statements indicate the need for universities to update and improve projects and impressions.

It is important to refer to the business sector most participants had chosen to engage in as teacher trainees. The majority, approximately 40%, had decided that the best option as a field of their virtual business was a project about a museum or an archaeological site, aiming and agreeing to promote cultural heritage; 24.5% chose the tourist sector. A relatively large percentage chose social events as a business sector, demonstrating Greece’s tradition in tourism, museums, and sites of historical importance. Undoubtedly, projects with educational character aim at creating team bonds and collaborative skills, among other intellectual skills. This statement aligns with the answers as “teamwork” was referred to as the most important skill that the participants obtained through the “Education, Entrepreneurship and Cultural Heritage” program, with “creativity” following in second place. Some skills also worth mentioning are problem-solving, ingenuity, and organization, as stated by most respondents.

The main target assigned to the then-university students/program trainees was to create an innovative business plan. Consequently, it was expected that the knowledge they gained or expanded the most was business administration and organization combined with marketing and finance and less with economics and informative systems, as youth entrepreneurship programs promote and supply students with business, economic, and more relevant skills [11,14].

Furthermore, the most reported technique to promote entrepreneurship initiatives in school was shown to be teamwork and cooperation. This result could be justified as respondents had to cooperate and develop their business plans in teams. Other popular techniques mentioned were field research, cultural walks, and simulation/roleplay. Cultural promenades and traveling play a significant role in teaching and promoting entrepreneurship [2].

Furthermore, the entrepreneurship initiative brought important knowledge to the students. In particular, the students gained both knowledge and skills from this project. Several interviewees from all departments, even from the marketing one, felt that they had gained marketing knowledge, while many reported gaining business management skills. This aligns with the relevant literature, stating that relevant education helps young people understand how businesses work. Also, again, in agreement with the literature, this initiative influenced the values of future teachers, as the majority who stated that they had a positive experience with this initiative would use a similar initiative in their classroom. Finally, creativity was a skill that respondents felt they had acquired, agreeing with the literature that considers cultural heritage entrepreneurship to be a creative business industry.

The present study has reported essential findings and results for the importance of entrepreneurship programs in higher education. However, there are some limitations. First, it would be interesting if the sample consisted of more university students and graduates who have taken part in similar projects all over Greece or abroad. It would also be interesting to have potential teachers from other scientific fields in the sample, as the specific university graduates are economics and computer science teachers. Combining and comparing the aspects and the answers of economists, mathematicians, philologists, artists, sociologists, and historians would undoubtedly raise interest in the study’s results and implications.

The collaboration of different field universities or between Greek and foreign universities could add validity and novelty to the paper and these research questions. The significance of cultural heritage and its connection with educational and sustainable entrepreneurship would gain popularity as a scientific field. School students could also participate in the research. This way, an interesting outcome would occur as the researchers could compare the aspects and the perceived contribution to the personality and skills of a graduated teacher and a student. Last but not least, the current study could be enlarged and further examined by adding data from similar research on different European Capitals of Culture or other cities of “The Attica Trilogy” like Athens, Piraeus, and Lavrion to compare the impact of time, evolution and civilization of the selected city on the business plans.

Necessary changes should be considered to make the above applicable. Even though progress has been made, policymakers should enable more cooperation among foreign universities and generally educational and cultural institutions to transmit information and knowledge. Finally, it would be intriguing to gather information from the participants about how the skills they acquired helped them during their job or employability status.

6. Conclusions

The present research highlighted the suggested educational techniques for introducing entrepreneurship in education, the business sector participants in a respective initiative selected for their business plans, and their impressions about the benefits of integrating sustainable entrepreneurship in education. Research has proven that the vast majority prefer teamwork, field research, and simulation/roleplay, while the main business sectors chosen were museums, entertainment, and tourist fields. The following interesting outcome is the positive opinions of the participants about introducing sustainable entrepreneurship to education. Culture, by all means, is related to social, economic, and financial growth. Cultural organizations are making efforts to adapt to changing patterns of cultural integration. In summary, the paper highlights the importance of cultural heritage entrepreneurship through a new holistic and innovative approach in many aspects, like cultural diplomacy, mutual respect, financial growth, and the necessity of introducing cultural and sustainable entrepreneurship in schools. This research sheds new light on ideas of developing areas with significant cultural heritage that are underdeveloped, not only in Greece but in the world. As the global bibliography suggests, such programs help both people and cities develop, and such initiatives should be starting in more countries, for example, in universities, to enhance and preserve the whole world of culture.