Government goals and entrepreneurship education – an investigation at a Grande Ecole in France

Across the European Union there has been an increase in the number of programmes and initiatives aiming to promote small business and entrepreneurship. In line with this general trend, enterprise creation and entrepreneurship are increasingly recognised as vital for French post‐industrial society, yet France is lagging behind Spain, the UK, Italy and the USA in terms of enterprise creation. This article discusses entrepreneurship education and the role of the Grandes Ecoles. Draws on primary research into student attitudes to entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship and concludes that both societal and educational aspects as well as the creation of entrepreneurial environment at a management school are key to promoting an entrepreneurial student population.