STUDENTS from Newcastle and Northumbria Universities have helped shape how enterprise education will be delivered nationally in a new programme to help bridge the ever widening gap between university and a crucial first job.
As part of a national review of its programmes the Young Enterprise ‘Start-up’ Programme has launched this month after students, their business mentors and lecturers from local universities were chosen to help make the former Graduate Programme fit more closely with the reality of starting a business.
The students have been chosen to pilot the new programme, which is supported by global bank Santander, and will see them working more closely with business owners in the region.
Through working together to set up and run their own companies and with mentoring from Young Enterprise North East business volunteers, students taking part in the programme will gain vital first-hand experience of business.
Young Enterprise North East chief executive Catherine Marchant said: “With the job market remaining an increasingly competitive place for graduates, Young Enterprise has launched the Start-up Programme to universities in the North East this month.
“Research shows that nearly two-thirds of UK businesses have found employees joining from University are lacking in business acumen and commercial awareness.
“As the coalition Government beds down and economic uncertainty continues, it is essential we ensure our future workforce is prepared to help the North East compete globally.
“We are in danger of failing our young people by not providing them with the necessary business skills and experience they need to succeed. A workforce lacking in business acumen simply cannot drive an economic recovery.
“But it seems the recession has spawned a new entrepreneurial spirit. These young people aren’t waiting for a job to land in their lap but creating their own opportunities. Recessions, as many top business people will know, can lead to people exploiting niches, creating new business models or going it alone- and this is what the new Start-up Programme aims to inspire graduates to do.”
Newcastle University lecturer Katie Wray, who was involved in consultation process of the new Start-up programme said: “At university, students are used to living on very little, so it’s not much of a sacrifice for them to go on doing that while they build up their own company. It’s sink or swim for thousands of gradates, the new Young Enterprise Start-up programme means it’s graduates will be more equipped to enter the real world and see the recession as an opportunity.
“Students and graduates should seek support, have a go at starting their own business or learn to be more entrepreneurial within one.
“Unfortunately a university degree in itself is no longer a passport to a great career, these days you need more than that and participating in the entrepreneurial activities whilst at university is one piece of advice I would give to people going to university this year.
“There has never been a better time to think imaginatively and create your own future."
The survey, carried out by the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development, found that employers would like to see their employees more equipped with leadership skills, customer services skills, communication and interpersonal skills and work ethic.
With graduates fearing more than ever that they won’t be able to bag the job they want, Young Enterprise North East is calling on universities and businesses across the region to work together and ensure that graduates are equipped with the confidence, ability and ambition to be the driving force behind the North East’s economic recovery.
For more information about how universities can get involved with Start-up Programme visit www.young-enterprise.org.uk.
One person who has gone through the Start up programme and has set up their own business as a result is Pip Lawrence: Case Study Below:
CASE STUDY
Part of the Northumbria University student team that set up vintage clothing company Mango Moon, young entrepreneur Phillip Lawrence has used the experience he gained to go on to set up the successful Naughty Knitwear Company.
As part of the Young Enterprise North East Start Up programme (formerly known as Graduate Programme), Phillip worked alongside his third year team mates to get to grips with business planning, raising finance, marketing and a range of other issues involved in running a business.
The Mango Moon team was supported by business mentor Sheila Walker, who owns Gosforth-based vintage clothing agency the Dressing Room, and whose years of experience in the fast-moving clothing sector made her input invaluable.
By the end of the year-long project Mango Moon was firmly established as a thriving name in the North East vintage and retro clothing market, with a band of devoted clients.
Graduating in summer 2010 with a 2:1 in Business Management, Phillip said: “I learnt such a lot by setting up Mango Moon. Not just in terms of how to go about raising finance for example, but also about assessing what I wanted to do, and about taking calculated risks to get there.
“I’d always wanted to be my own boss, but before the YENE programme I had no real idea how to go about it. Setting up a business is portrayed as scary, mainly because it’s an unknown quantity. But the biggest thing I learnt was that it’s all do-able, if you have the right advice and support.
“YENE gave me the toolkit – and the confidence - to go ahead and set up a business on my own, which I couldn’t have done before. I was busy setting up the Naughty Knitwear Company before I graduated, and six months down the line I’m busy selling at vintage and craft markets around the region, as well as building up an online presence through Facebook and Twitter.
“Now that the business is taking off I’ve also got plans to launch another idea, which is something I could never have seen myself doing if I hadn’t been part of the Start Up programme.”
http://naughtyknitwearcompany.blogspot.com
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