Entrepreneurs are not born, they are taught!

I read recently where this year was being set aside as Women into Enterprise Year. In one of the local papers was an invitation for women to attend a free introduction to enterprise course at the local Enterprise Centre. It's perhaps timely then to examine the progress of enterprise and entrepreneurship within our schools.When Learning for Life (Employability) became a statutory part of the Revised Curriculum, teachers were charged with bringing the twin concepts of Enterprise and Entrepreneurship to the attention of all KS3 and KS4 pupils.
  At a time when young people are seriously thinking about career options as they complete formal post primary education after sixth form, few 16 -19  careers education programmes show evidence of a cohesive and progressive link to the work done earlier in the student's school life on enterprise and entrepreneurship! Yet, isn't this the very age group that the government are targeting in the hope that innovation and invention as well as an entrepreneurial mindset in young people will help drive the UK economy out of recession. Programmes such as Dragon's Den have been given key air time to deliver this very message.

One of the Dragon investors and now skills teacher, Peter Jones would argue that many young people entering the labour market do not seem to have the entrepreneurial skill-set needed by most employers. Up until now, Jones continues, schools have simply not done enough to unlock the entrepreneurial talents of our young people. As young people take up further and higher education traditional business courses they are equipped with valuable theoretical business knowledge, but within the UK there is no consistent provision of enterprise education. This matters because enterprise and entrepreneurship drive economic growth.

Enterprise and entrepreneurship are key skills upon which future growth are predicated. They have not enjoyed the same billing as traditional subjects and have suffered somewhat from an image problem; a gap between people's perception and the reality. For too long enterprise has been defined in quite narrow terms - a vague notion of business start-ups. This definition has confined the subject to the fringes.

Peter Jones believes that entrepreneurs are not born, they are made. The key skills needed can and should be taught. In January 2009, 28 students were recruited to join the National Enterprise Academy (NEA) Pathfinder pilot programme - an intensive six month programme designed to develop, shape and test the UK's first ever qualification dedicated solely to enterprise and entrepreneurship. Jones has been delighted with the results offering some of the successful graduates positions across his own portfolio of companies.  More significantly for us, he has been working in partnership with Edexcel, the UK's largest qualifications awarding body to develop two unique qualifications - a level 2 BTEC diploma in understanding enterprise and entrepreneurship and a level 3 BTEC diploma in enterprise and entrepreneurship. Both qualifications are available to 16 - 19 year old from September 2009 to any school or college that would like to offer them.
These new qualifications will expose students to real life issues in real business environments, enabling them to develop the entrepreneurial mindset and self-confidence that are so vital. There will be a high level of input from successful entrepreneurs, who will support experienced teachers by acting as coaches and mentors to the students.
The NEA will be working with schools and FE colleges in an attempt to reach a target of 18,000 learners over the next five years. Jones has already started working on the idea that more primary school children need to be taught business skills! Perhaps by the time our seven year olds are ready for Dragon's Den, we can then claim to be the most enterprising region in the world.

It has often been said that a period of upheaval can also be a time of renewal, with new business ideas arising from the ashes of the old.  In an effort to assist such people with their ideas FE colleges and regional Enterprise Centres are increasingly offering support, both in the form of formal qualifications or as a gateway to new business resources in the area. CEIAG teachers, keen to develop sixth form programmes progressing  from the enterprise/entreneurial lessons covered in KS3/4, would be well served in asking for help and assistence from personnel at their local Enterprise Centre.

A £20,000 scholarship fund has been launched to support young people across NI who have an entrepreneurial solution to a social problem.The 'Impact' programme will offer budding social entrepreneurs under the age of 31 the opportunity to research and develop an idea that will create social change. The emphasis of Impact is on providing tailored support to the young person so that they can develop their entrepreneurial skills to set up a social venture. Young people should sign up at Read More

Examples of social enterprises including credit unions, housing associations, John Bird's Big Issue, Jamie Oliver's '15' have encouaged others to improve society by setting up on their own. In a nutshell, social enterprises are businesses that exist to address a social or environmental need and social entrepreneurs are the visionaries behind them. By increasing social enterprise in NI, we enter a win-win situation because the local economy grows as does the quality of life for those within it. Phone 02890244007 for pre application guidance.

Finally, David Gibson, Queens University Belfast Management School will represent Europe at the third International Entrepreneurship summit in India towards the end of December. India is keen to increase their links with QUB and NI. Collaboration could benefit both economies and could lead to spin out companies. Mr. Gibson will be speaking about how important it is to have entrepreneurial motivation in order to create high growth businesses. For people who don't necessarily want to start their own businesses it is still important to have an entrepreneurial mindset and to be able to think innovatively within the workplace.

I came across this interesting innovative project offering international opportunities and funding for young people from NI in 11 to 19 year olds sector. The Lefevre Trust helps groups of young people to work on innovative joint projects with partner groups in France. For more information, read more