Entrepreneurship Opportunities after Military Career: Practice in Central and Eastern versus Western Europe

This paper seeks to contribute to the discussion devoted to entrepreneurship of a specific profession group – early retired servicemen. The aim of the paper is to provide a composition of existing practices of entrepreneurship skills development of early retired servicemen in EU member countries and evaluate the differences between Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and Western Europe (WE) practice. Institutional survey was employed as a methodological approach for this study. The survey questionnaire included request data on programs and services that maintain the promotion, training, counselling and financial or infrastructural support by fostering entrepreneurship activities of retired officers. The results indicate the lack of entrepreneurship development policies for early retired servicemen, while service in military often provides highly specific competencies that can be adapted as transferable expertise and knowledge for entrepreneurship. The paper has identified the need to include entrepreneurship skills development in the reintegration programs of early retired servicemen. Development of entrepreneurship skills may prepare servicemen, who are being dismissed from the service, for new economic activities, as well as create conditions for their successful reintegration into civilian life. The paper contributes to the debates surrounding entrepreneurship of a specific professional group – early retired servicemen.