Purpose The purpose of this paper is to evaluate career impact of entrepreneurship education (EE) considering evidence drawn from a quantitative study of alumni within two UK higher education institutions (HEIs) from a retrospective perspective. The findings inform the value of the EE experience and its impact on both self-employability and wider employability career choices. This study will be of relevance to both enterprise support agencies and government policy makers. Design/methodology/approach This research study considers evidence drawn from an online quantitative survey of EE within two UK HEIs. The survey evaluated a range of issues including course design, programme satisfaction, impact, career outcomes and respondents demographics. Over 80 respondents completed the survey in full which was analysed using a range of bivariate techniques. Findings The evidence suggested here indicates that EE programmes provide value both in terms of helping to enable business start-ups and also in supporting other career paths, through the enterprising knowledge and skill sets graduates acquire during their specialised studies. This study contributes to the literature by recognising and measuring these contributions. For example, this study enables discernment between different EE course components and their value for different career outcomes. Research limitations/implications The study recognises the limitations of this survey data in terms of the size of the sample, number of HEIs evaluated and its point in time design. Practical implications The HEI sector must evaluate its practices and measure the effectiveness of its graduates in terms of achieving sustainable business start-up. In course design, the evidence suggested that students value both the enterprising and entrepreneurial skills and knowledge components and discern value between them in their later careers. The findings suggest that EE graduates typically experience portfolio careers with multiple occupations in different sectors and roles within both employment and self-employment. Thus it is important that EE programme design includes both enterprising and entrepreneurial components to meet the future requirements of their graduates postgraduation. Originality/value This study contributes new evidence regarding the value of EE in UK HEIs. This evidence should inform course design and policy makers regarding the value of EE in creating self-employment and creating enterprising employees.

Despite rapid growth in female entrepreneurship globally, the gender gap in self-employment remains and women's full contribution to the economy via self-employment continues to be unrealised. This paper explores pathways taken by women in Wales at start up and whilst running their own businesses. Female self-employment is a useful focus given current political interest and policy focus on SMEs revitalising the Welsh economy. Using a phenomenological approach employing narrative techniques and business life histories, a grounded account is provided of entrepreneurial practice from perceptions of the female entrepreneur herself. In their sense making, female entrepreneurs convey how lack of credibility (in terms of "not being taken seriously") and consequently the pursuit of attaining an often elusive level of credibility, strongly shapes business decisions and entrepreneurial experiences and occurs regardless of levels of educational achievement, previous work experience or industry sector, adding a layer of complexity to business decisions and strategies.

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