Digital Entrepreneurship Education for the Gig Economy: A Systematic Review and Integrative Framework

Purpose – The accelerating expansion of the gig economy, enabled by platform-based digital infrastructures and algorithmic labour coordination, is fundamentally reshaping the nature of work, careers, and entrepreneurial activity. This structural shift demands a comprehensive reconceptualization of entrepreneurship education, particularly in relation to how individuals are prepared for sustainable, autonomous, and ethically grounded participation in digitally mediated labour markets. This systematic literature review critically examines the role of Digital Entrepreneurship Education (DEE) and skill-based learning paradigms in equipping learners for gig-based entrepreneurial careers. Specifically, it evaluates the extent to which prevailing educational models align with the complex entrepreneurial competencies required to navigate volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) labour environments characterized by precarity, rapid technological change, and evolving institutional norms. Methodology – Guided by the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) protocol, this review synthesizes evidence from 87 peer-reviewed journal articles published between 2010 and 2024, retrieved from Scopus, Web of Science, and EBSCOhost databases. A rigorous screening and quality appraisal process was applied to ensure conceptual relevance and methodological robustness. Search strings incorporated key terms such as digital entrepreneurship education, micro-credentials, skill-based learning, gig economy, platform work, and related pedagogical, competency-based, and labour market constructs. Thematic analysis was employed to identify recurring patterns, tensions, and gaps across disciplinary perspectives including education, management, labour studies, and digital sociology. Findings – The review identifies four interrelated thematic fault lines shaping contemporary DEE discourse. First, a skill–transaction paradox emerges, wherein short-cycle, market-oriented technical skill acquisition is privileged over higher-order entrepreneurial competencies such as adaptability, resilience, ethical leadership, and opportunity recognition skills essential for long-term career sustainability. Second, a pedagogical dichotomy is evident between experiential, practice-based entrepreneurship education and increasingly transactional, content-driven digital delivery models. Third, the literature highlights a growing tension between credential accumulation through micro-certifications and the development of integrated, transferable entrepreneurial competencies that support identity formation and strategic agency. Fourth, an institutional hybridity gap persists, reflecting systemic challenges in effectively integrating scalable digital learning platforms with mentorship-rich, experiential educational ecosystems. Originality/Value – This study advances the literature by moving beyond instrumental narratives that frame digital learning as inherently beneficial. Instead, it offers a critical, integrative synthesis that exposes structural and pedagogical limitations within prevailing DEE models. In response, the paper proposes the Integrative Digital–Experiential Learning (IDEL) Framework, a novel conceptual model that intentionally bridges modular digital skill acquisition with experiential learning, reflective practice, and entrepreneurial identity development. The IDEL framework reframes scholarly and policy discourse from a narrow focus on whether digital entrepreneurship education is effective to a more consequential question: how DEE must be designed to cultivate sustainable entrepreneurial capability in future labour markets. Practical Implications – For educators, platform designers, and policymakers, the findings underscore the need to co-create hybrid learning architectures that combine digital scalability with mentorship, peer learning, ethical reflection, and real-world entrepreneurial experimentation. Higher education institutions are encouraged to develop stackable, market-recognised micro-credentials aligned with entrepreneurial competency frameworks, facilitated through strategic partnerships with gig platforms, industry bodies, and public agencies. Such models can enhance learner agency while preserving educational depth and coherence. Research Implications - The review highlights the need for longitudinal and comparative research examining career sustainability, income stability, entrepreneurial self-efficacy, and professional identity formation among learners engaged in digital micro-credential pathways versus traditional entrepreneurship education programs. Future studies should also explore contextual variations across regions, platforms, and regulatory environments. Social Implications, when intentionally designed, Digital Entrepreneurship Education has the potential to promote equity, inclusion, and career autonomy, particularly for marginalized and non-traditional learners seeking access to entrepreneurial opportunities. However, the continued reliance on transactional, skills-only educational models risks reinforcing labour precarity, deepening workforce stratification, and exacerbating social fragmentation within the gig economy. A shift toward integrative, competency-driven DEE is therefore both an educational and societal imperative.