NACUE Review the LEPs
In
response the recently formed Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) across the
country, the National Consortium of University Entrepreneurs (NACUE) has
released a review of the LEP proposals to identify to what extent universities
had been consulted in the planning process and to review the prevalence and
level of policy within the bids aimed towards enterprise education,
student/graduate entrepreneurship and graduate unemployment.
Following the closure of the country’s Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) and
the restructure of Business Link, LEPs have been implemented to support local
people and businesses and enterprising activity on the whole as we emerge from
the recession.
NACUE conducted the research to determine what challenges and opportunities universities across the UK faced following the establishment of the LEPs and the challenges and opportunities they will go on to face when delivering enterprise education given that no LEP will be the same.
The review invited contributions from supporters and partners of the organisation to gain an insight to the thoughts on the initiative from a local perspective.
Positive comments from representatives at selected universities included that educators feel they will be better equipped to support the economy on a local level whilst remaining in line with the Government’s national economic agenda and they generally agree that LEPs can play a key role in establishing the necessary higher education enterprise and innovation ecologies.
However for many, the 69 day time frame set by the government for local authorities and business leaders to conceptualise and submit LEP proposals was far too short to allow for proper consultation and stakeholder engagement. This was especially inconvenient for educators as this time frame was over the summer holidays.
The time frame was also raised as an issue as it favoured established partnerships and organisations as making new relationships in such a short time is difficult to do.
NACUE note that the embedding of enterprise into the curriculum is critical to ensure that all students have access to enterprise and entrepreneurship education beyond the limited opportunities that extra-curricular activities allow.
In addition to this support for students and graduates looking to start businesses is another important consideration for Local Enterprise Partnerships. Given the right support, training and mentoring success rates will potentially increase, contributing to economic growth and reducing graduate unemployment.
The review highlights that while a vast majority of LEP bids mention the overall importance of business start up support, very few focus on the support available for students and/or graduates.
The review’s conclusion suggests that although the LEPs represent a radical reshape the way that local government, partner agencies and businesses interact, the process in which they were formed was rushed and neglected to include any extensive input for higher education institutes.
To access the entire review visit: http://nacue.wordpress.com/2011/01/27/nacue-review-of-the-lep/