Higher Education Enterprise Champions
Stimulating enterprise and entrepreneurship across our higher education institutions is now seen by many governments as fundamental to driving economic success and social cohesion. When we consider the concept of life long employment with large corporations is increasingly a thing of the past, entrepreneurialism encompasses the attributes a society of the twenty first century needs.
Many students leaving university are having great difficulty finding employment and as a result the introduction of enterprise and entrepreneurial education is becoming increasingly prominent in higher education institutes.
The European Union promotes the ‘fostering of entrepreneurial mindsets’ for all young people. In the UK, the government and devolved administrations encourage and support increases in the scale and diversity of students and graduates taking up entrepreneurial opportunities.
To help graduates to be more enterprising and potentially become successful entrepreneurs, the HE Enterprise Champions Project in the North West Region of England is connecting them with an Enterprise Champion.
The “Enterprise Champion” will offer encouragement, guidance and practical support to students and graduates who show entrepreneurial ideas and commitment, providing them with the opportunity to explore the possibility of turning these ideas into real profit-making enterprises. The champions are made up of academics, entrepreneurs, company leaders and project managers, they are all examples of enterprising people who have taken control of their careers using their skills and qualifications.
The HE Enterprise Champions Project in the North West Region of England is supported by the NWDA, financed by EU funding and is managed by NCGE. The project initially runs for two years.
Project awards have been provided to 5 institutions in the first phase of the project and a further 5 will be introduced in the following year. The participating institutions are as follows:
• University of Bolton
• University of Cumbria
• Lancaster University
• University of Liverpool
• Liverpool Hope University
• Liverpool John Moores University
• Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts
• Manchester Metropolitan University
• Salford University
• University of Central Lancashire
For more information of the The HE Enterprise Champions Project in the North West Region of England please follow this link: http://enterprisechampions.ncge.com/welcome