The Erasmus+ project SELF – Solo Entrepreneurs Learning Framework, co-funded by the European Union, is proud to announce the publication of its European Manifesto developed within Work Package 5 (WP5) of the project.

The SELF Manifesto represents one of the project’s key strategic outputs and reflects the consortium’s long-term vision for strengthening entrepreneurial learning, solo-entrepreneurship, and self-employment opportunities among Higher Education students and young people across Europe.

Developed through the collaboration of project partners and informed by the research, training, and validation activities carried out throughout the project lifecycle, the Manifesto aims to contribute to broader discussions related to:

• entrepreneurial education; 
• employability transformation; 
• youth self-employment; 
• digital labour market evolution; 
• and innovation in Higher Education systems. 

The document highlights the growing importance of solo entrepreneurship as a viable and increasingly relevant professional pathway in contemporary European labour markets. At the same time, it underlines the need for more accessible, inclusive, and practice-oriented educational approaches capable of preparing young people for emerging forms of work and independent professional activity.

The SELF Manifesto particularly calls for:

• stronger integration of entrepreneurial competences within Higher Education; 
• wider accessibility of entrepreneurial learning opportunities; 
• increased support for young aspiring solo entrepreneurs; 
• greater recognition of non-traditional career pathways; 
• and more flexible educational ecosystems capable of responding to labour market transformation. 

The publication also emphasises the importance of:

• digital readiness; 
• adaptability; 
• resilience; 
• creativity; 
• and lifelong learning 

as key competences required for navigating future employability environments.

The SELF consortium believes that entrepreneurial initiative should not be limited to business creation alone, but should instead be understood as a broader competence framework supporting autonomy, innovation, problem-solving, and proactive participation in economic and social life.

The Manifesto therefore seeks to encourage dialogue and cooperation among:

• Higher Education institutions; 
• educators and trainers; 
• policy makers; 
• entrepreneurship support organisations; 
• employability stakeholders; 
• and wider European educational ecosystems. 

As with all major outputs developed within the project, the SELF Manifesto is available:

• in open-access format; 
• free of charge; 
• and in multilingual versions 

through the official SELF platform.

The document is published according to Open Educational Resources (OER) principles in order to maximise accessibility, dissemination, transferability, and long-term sustainability of the project results.

The consortium hopes that the SELF Manifesto will contribute to fostering a broader European reflection on the future of entrepreneurial learning and on the role that Higher Education can play in empowering young people to navigate increasingly dynamic and independent professional pathways.

The SELF Manifesto is available through the official project platform: https://www.solobiz.eu/guidelines.php?lang=EN

The SELF project is co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.