The world needs more entrepreneurial innovators to tackle the wicked environmental, economic, and societal challenges we face today. University graduates should be equipped to develop solutions to these challenges, providing both societal value and personal career readiness.

This paper presents a “framework in action” called the Innovation Toolkit, a collection of 40 tools designed to teach students how to problem-solve and innovate like entrepreneurs. Housed in a learning management system, the tools include instructions, case studies, and interactive forms, functioning like a dynamic textbook. When applied as a process, the framework yields two key outcomes: training students in foundational “soft skills” (e.g., communication, emotional intelligence) and fostering entrepreneurial outcomes such as market-validated solutions, project plans, or business proposals.

The framework was developed through an integrated literature review of pedagogical approaches to entrepreneurial and business innovation education. The curricula were categorized and standardized, then mapped to the workforce’s foundational skill needs. Industry tools that aligned with these curricular goals were identified and enhanced with detailed instructions and use cases.

Since its implementation, the Innovation Toolkit has been utilized by thousands of students and continues to be used across various disciplines at the University of Guelph.

The framework’s unique features include:
- Scalability: The framework is flexible and can be integrated into a single assignment, serve as the foundation for a capstone class, support a micro-credential, or be used in co-curricular events such as hackathons.
- Accessibility: Designed with inclusive language, the framework meets the needs of students across disciplines and academic levels, offering equal value to, for example, both first-year biology students and executive business students.
- Integration: Intended for campus-wide use, the framework includes “train the trainer” modules, enabling faculty members without a business background to incorporate these resources into their existing curricula, regardless of the field of study.
- Evaluation: The framework offers a robust evaluation method that assesses both entrepreneurship and innovation outcomes while mapping these against foundational skill development.

This paper will explore the design process of the Innovation Toolkit and share insights from its first five years of use.

Keywords: Entrepreneurial education, innovation education, future of work, workforce readiness, transferable skills, foundational skills, changemakers, accessible education.