E-learning, employability and entrepreneurship: approaches from the economic framework

Abstract

E-learning has become consolidated as an increasingly used method to train workers, managers and entrepreneurs. However, unlike face-to-face training, the models developed to evaluate the economic dimensions of virtual learning environments, in particular those associated with online training for employment and entrepreneurship, are rather scarce. In order to provide new evidence, this issue presents five articles analysing the effect of e-learning on the employability and entrepreneurship conditions of the workforce. The first article underscores the usefulness of e-learning in the development of skills that help to ensure job stability among European workers. The second article highlights the importance of virtual communities of practice for the development of professional practice and organisational dynamics in the healthcare field. The third article presents new business models underpinning the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) phenomenon. The fourth article reports on the design and validation of a scale for measuring the quality of e-learning in training for employment. And lastly, the fifth article analyses the effect of e-learning on the development of entrepreneurial competencies in firms located in business accelerators. They all open the door to future research and emphasise the need to carry on analysing the economic dimensions of e-learning.