What happens when digital skills meet entrepreneurial thinking?

You get learners who aren’t just ready to use the tools of the future, but ready to do something with them.

That’s the thinking behind HEX’s first official TAFE NSW partnership, bringing entrepreneurship education into learning pathways for learners across New South Wales.

And we’re incredibly proud of the team behind it.

Entrepreneurship as a Core Skill

Entrepreneurship is often associated with startups, but the skills behind it are useful far beyond starting a business.

It’s about curiosity, problem solving, initiative, confidence and knowing how to turn an idea into action.

For learners who are upskilling or cross-skilling through TAFE pathways, these capabilities can complement digital and technical skills, helping them navigate a workforce that is constantly changing.

At HEX, we’ve always believed learning should be practical and connected to the real world. Our programs give learners opportunities to test ideas, solve problems, collaborate and build with confidence. 

Learning through Start Smart

Together with the Institute of Applied Technology Digital, a National Centre of Excellence led by TAFE NSW, HEX has helped develop Start Smart: The Entrepreneur’s Toolkit.

This practical, online microskill is designed to help learners build confidence, make better decisions and turn an idea into a clear and actionable mini business plan.

Across two hours of self-paced learning, learners explore how to:

• Think like an entrepreneur
• Find a problem worth solving
• Understand who their idea is for
• Use the Business Model Canvas
• Make an idea real
• Pitch their idea

It’s hands-on learning designed to help learners take entrepreneurial thinking from theory into real-world contexts.

And it’s not about turning everyone into a founder.

It’s about giving people another set of skills they can take into their careers, businesses and everyday problem solving.

Skills for a changing workforce

As people continue to upskill and cross-skill, the connection between digital capability and entrepreneurial thinking becomes increasingly important.

Digital skills can help us use new technologies.

Entrepreneurial skills can help us see what we can do with them.

That might mean starting something new, improving an existing process, solving a problem at work or spotting an opportunity that others haven’t seen yet.

The future of learning isn’t just about having the right skills. It’s about knowing how to apply them.

Our partnership with TAFE NSW is an exciting step in making that kind of learning more accessible, and another way for HEX to put our education, values and ideas into the world.

We’re proud of what the team has created, and excited about the learners who will take these skills forward.

⁠Explore Start Smart: The Entrepreneur’s Toolkit

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