Enterprise education in an Olympic year: sprint or

decathlon?

31st Institute for Small Business & Entrepreneurship Conference – Belfast, 2008

Andrew Corcoran

7th November 2008

‘Our’ Entrepreneurial Olympian

•Six years of business

start-up activity

•HEIF3 SPEED pilot

•Uncertain M/L term

success

•Diverse audience of

student entrepreneurs

Context

Objectives•Looking beyond start-up

support (1-3 years)

•Who needs help?

•When do they need it?

•What needs?

•Role for enterprise

education?

About our audience

Art, Media, Design, Music, 72

Engineering, 9

Medicine, 2

Management, Marketing, Finance,

37Sport, Health, 5

ICT, Computing, 28

Languages, Social Sciences, 8

Environmental Sciences, 4

About our audience

Our plan

•750 SPEEDies (T=50)

•Via local project

managers at 10 HEIs

•Online survey

•£10 Amazon voucher

•n=165, 22% response

•Choice of response

options

Findings - evolution•Significant skills development needs beyond start-

up phase (e.g. cash flow, employment law)

•Dynamic (c. 1 year) portfolio career

•Multiple tools for busy learners (core of workshops

supported by other tools)

Findings - value•Need for entrepreneurial

skills even if not intending to

start a venture

•Focus on specific and

relevant skills (case studies)

•Invest 16 days and £678

p.a. on CPE/D

Findings - model

University courses

19%

Private training providers

16%

Conferences11%

Professional networking

15%

Books22%

Videos6%

Internet downloads

11%

Strategy

Finance

LeadershipMarketing

HRICT

Management

Administration

Service

What are the implications?

•Improved success of the

venture beyond 3 years

•Move to sustainable

portfolio careers

•Integrating the roles of

e-, m-, distance learning

and coaching/mentoring

•Clear link with Lifelong

Learning agenda targeting

non-traditional learners

•Longitudinal study

•Continuing Professional

Education/Development

for SME owner-managers

Next steps

Enterprise education but not as we know it . . .

• NOT an MBA

•Chartered entrepreneur?

• Additional dividend of

entrepreneurial faculty

•Principally unaccredited

•Huge ongoing positive

social and economic

impact