In March 2008 the Government published Enterprise: unlocking the UK’s talent which outlined ‘the Government’s renewed enterprise vision to make the UK the most enterprising economy in the world and the best place to start and grow a business’.
This week as we enter national Enterprise and Global Entrepreneurship Week, we take a look at the progress of the strategy’s implementation.
For organisations and individuals involved in supporting enterprise education and entrepreneurship from primary to post-graduate stages, we hope the following update will provide you with an overview of white paper policy proposals the Government has successfully implemented to date.
In March 2008 the Government committed a further £30m to extend enterprise education, today over 90% of secondary schools provide enterprise education for all their pupils aged 14-16. Three years ago, fewer than half did. Many secondary schools are also providing enterprise education capability lessons for younger children some are already working with primary schools and some with Further Education colleges and universities.
To help stimulate an entrepreneurial culture in young people, Manchester City Football Club launched its Enterprise Academy on 23 September, followed by the launch of Aston Villa Football Club Enterprise Academy (AVFCEA) on 17 November 2008.
For further information visit http://nds.coi.gov.uk/Content/Detail.asp?ReleaseID=379436&NewsAreaID=2
On October 7 2008 John Denham announced a new skills academy for Enterprise had been given the go-ahead. Entrepreneur Peter Jones led the bid and is developing a pilot programme which will be run from 5th January to 3rd July 2009. Interviews for the 35 places on the pilot will be held week beginning 24th November 2008.
To keep up to date visit www.nationalenterpriseacademy.org
This week sees the launch of Global Entrepreneurship Week, over 70 countries have signed up to participate in the week which focuses on enterprising activities for young people aged 14 to 30.
For further information visit www.unleashingideas.org
To strengthen the productive relationships between universities, businesses and government an investigation of the role innovation vouchers scheme was proposed and has resulted in the scheme being piloted in the East and South East of England.
Business, the public sector and universities will benefit from the development of enterprise networks which will be led by the National Council for Graduate Entrepreneurship. The University Enterprise Networks (UENs) launched on 20 November.
Ian Robertson, Chief Executive of the National Council for Graduate Entrepreneurship, said: “These networks will act as a catalyst for closer engagement between business, universities and the public sector, to respond to industry needs and contribute to UK competitiveness.”
“The NCGE’s role is to set up and manage the UENs in order that they create the right conditions for better, more responsive collaboration. The UENs will also ensure more students and graduates acquire the skills for enterprise and entrepreneurship they need to achieve business growth, whether as employees or in starting and running their own businesses.”
For further information visit www.ncge.com
The implementation of policy proposals within the white paper which impact on the provision of business support centre mainly around the Business Support Simplification Programme’s ‘Solutions for Business’ package. On October 23, a streamlined portfolio of 30 publicly-funded business support products and services that will be accessed via Business Link were launched. Benefits will include greater employment in assisted areas and greater opportunity for minority groups. Within the ‘Solutions for Business’ package a framework for the delivery of investment readiness support was outlined and is being implemented.
For further info visit www.berr.gov.uk/files/file48471.pdf
With regard to establishing better links between existing mentoring programmes and the business support network overall, progress is underway with the development of linkages between mentoring programmes, business support providers and SME’s. A mentoring guide is being developed upon completion of this.
In addition to the implementation of ‘Solutions for Business’ the white paper proposed Regional Development Agencies (RDA’s) undertook a pilot of Women’s Business Centres. Of the five RDA’s identified to undertake the pilot 2 Centre’s are now operational, these are sited in East of England and West Midlands.
Further support for Women was identified in the form of a national mentoring network. Progress has been made with key partners on the development of a National Mentoring Network for Women. A mapping report is being finalised as a precursor to establishing a national mentoring network. The new network will provide the mentoring capacity for the Women’s Enterprise Ambassadors Network.
The creation of a new set of national standards for all organisations involved in the delivery of business support sees Business Link advisors in the network meeting the new standards.
A national campaign developed by Enterprise Insight and RDA’s to encourage older people to realise the benefits of unlocking their talent and exploiting their skills and knowledge will be launched in the North West during Global Entrepreneurship Week.
To make enterprise support and advice more women-friendly and readily available four pilots working through Children’s Centres have been established in Rotherham.
Following the announcement from Shriti Vadera on 15 May 2008 that £1m funding to Prince’s Trust was in place, Yorkshire and the Humber outlined in its response to changing economic circumstances a programme to provide start-up loans and mentoring support through the Prince’s Trust.
Key policy proposals outlined in Enterprise: unlocking the UK’s talent will continue to be developed and introduced over the coming months, EnterpriseUpfront will explore these in more detail in future issues.
To download a copy of Enterprise: unlocking the UK’s talent visit www.berr.gov.uk/files/file44992.pdf
To keep up to date with the enterprise agenda visit www.berr.gov.uk