Entrepreneurship Education (EE) often fails to equip students with the essential skills and, more critically, the entrepreneurial mindset required for success. In higher education (HE), EE remains predominantly rooted in business management and economics, overlooking the comprehensive competencies outlined by the European Union’s EntreComp Framework.

The GameItAway Erasmus+ project addresses this shortfall by developing an innovative Entrepreneurship Training Programme (ETP) tailored for HE students. This programme emphasizes the cultivation of transversal skills and EntreComp-aligned competencies through the integration of game-based and experiential learning. Employing a design-thinking approach, students are guided to conceive, design, and pitch board or digital games to experts, fostering both creativity and practical application. The programme is hosted in a maker-space setting and offers accreditation through micro-credentials.

This paper details the development of the ETP, which was collaboratively designed by the project consortium leveraging their collective expertise A pilot testing phase was conducted across five countries from February to April 2024, engaging 175 students, 12 team members involved in designing and implementing the pilots and 4 external stakeholders involved in the discussion of the ETP version before the pilots. The three rounds of testing provided valuable insights, enabling the refinement of the programme content and the establishment of a robust micro-credentialing framework.

The paper outlines the ETP's comprehensive structure, reflecting on empirical evidence from the pilot testing. It also discusses the decisions and strategies that shaped the programme’s design and accreditation, offering a valuable contribution to the advancement of entrepreneurship education.

Keywords: Entrepreneurship Education, Game-based Learning, Maker Space, Competences, EntreComp.