Entrepreneurship 2020 - a focus on Enterprise Education

Enterprise UK has launched a new report entitled Entrepreneurship 2020: Practical ideas for an enterprising society. The ideas have been drawn from a focus group of entrepreneurs and the organisations that support them over a three period of discussions. The group submitted almost 200 ideas to help shape the future of entrepreneurship and enterprise in the UK.

The report highlights three areas where entrepreneurs could be better supported. These are: inspiring society through teaching the realities of entrepreneurship and recognising entrepreneurial activity as a legitimate part of education, training and employment; building entrepreneurial capital through developing a strategy for enterprising places and improving mentoring; and placing entrepreneurship at the forefront of our future productive economy though raising entrepreneurs’ global ambitions and incentivising entrepreneurial support systems.

As it stands the concept of entrepreneurialism and enterprise is not formally recognised as a legitimate part of education, training or employment. The structure of policies that support people in education and employment doesn’t show a huge amount of consideration for the more unconventional or enterprising options towards entrepreneurialism and self employment. In fact, for many potential entrepreneurs the compulsory education system serves to be a hindrance rather than a help as they are required to go through the motions of a traditional education that may have no relevance to the entrepreneurial ideas that they wish to develop.

The focus group of entrepreneurs suggested the following ideas to improve the existing reference to enterprise in education and suggestions on how to implement them effectively:

• Give young people, within education and volunteering schemes, opportunities to ‘learn by doing’ and develop enterprise skills through practical experiences that test their ability to start a business at a level of risk that they are comfortable with.

• Create new paths for entrepreneurial young people such as by developing new Enterprise Apprenticeships, enhancing work placement schemes and internships with SMEs.

• Ensuring that self-employment and entrepreneurship are given sufficient emphasis in the proposed all-age careers service, which we welcome as a way to help individuals to direct their passions and talents into meaningful work, and that career advisors are trained accordingly.

• Enhance the support available for unemployed people aspiring to start-up.

Overall it was agreed that there needs to be an increase in exposure to SMEs and the practices of entrepreneurs, so that students from a young age accept that enterprise is a viable option as an alternative to traditional education and employment.

To access the whole report please follow this link: http://www.enterpriseuk.org/entrepreneurship_2020