The employment market means students need to be equipped with wide-ranging enterprising skills and experience. With small and medium sized enterprises crucial to the health of the UK economy providing graduates with the skills to start-up their own business is also of increasing pertinence. This study analyses universities' provision and delivery of student support in developing their enterprise knowledge, skills and experience outside of the curriculum. Design/methodology/approach: An e-survey of universities alongside three follow up semistructured interviews with participants and an in-depth case study was gathered. The e-survey quantified what enterprise support activities the sample institutions currently offered and the interviews and case study examined the delivery of those activities through the perceptions of University staff/students. Findings: The respondents offered a range of enterprise support activity outside of the curriculum but delivery was hindered by a limited means to track proceedings. Support activities were predominantly concentrated both in delivery and receipt within business schools rather than across departments. Support typically consisted of networking events, business advice sessions and workshops as opposed to intensive provisions such as incubation space or start-up loans. The presence and influence of student-led enterprise groups was apparent. Practical implications: The results will inform those staff involved in the planning and delivery of enterprise support activity at UK universities. Originality/value: This research extends a limited literature mapping extra-curricular enterprise support provision at universities with qualitative data on the delivery of these activities as perceived by staff/students.

PurposeThis study contributes towards increased understanding of the perceived value of extracurricular enterprise activities from an entrepreneurial learning perspective. Past decades have witnessed a global increase in the provision of enterprise and entrepreneurship education alongside a growing suite of extracurricular enterprise activities. However, there is a paucity of research examining how entrepreneurial learning might be understood in the context of these activities.Design/methodology/approachThe study draws on an empirical study of student and educator participants across 24 United Kingdom (UK) universities using semi-structured surveys and in-depth interviews. Three main learning theories drawn from the entrepreneurial learning literature: experiential, social and self-directed learning provided a conceptual framework to frame the research phenomenon.FindingsFindings posit that extracurricular enterprise activities provide perceived value in the experiential and social learning opportunities afforded for students. However, these activities are restricted in enabling the experiential learning cycle to be completed due to limited reflection opportunities. Positioning these extracurricular activities outside the main curriculum also empowers participants to self-direct aspects of their learning and develop their autonomous learning capabilities.Originality/valueThe existing literature focusses upon the entrepreneurial learning processes of established entrepreneurs rather than latent and nascent entrepreneurs within a higher education (HE) setting. The limited literature examining HE entrepreneurial learning does so by concentrating upon entrepreneurial learning resulting from in-curricular activities. This study offers novel insights into students’ entrepreneurial learning processes, highlighting the importance of experiential, social and self-directed learning opportunities to the entrepreneurial learning process and the perceived value of extracurricular activities as a platform for these types of learning.

This study considers the phenomenon of student-led enterprise groups in UK higher education institutions with regard to their role and activities and their potential to enhance entrepreneurial learning. The researchers adopted a case study methodology, acknowledging that a multiplicity of variables influences pedagogical development and therefore the findings are intended to further understanding rather than to produce generalizable data. The study’s findings both support and update those of prior studies which posit a link between the groups and opportunities for experiential and social learning. The article also provides a novel focus on learning outcomes for group leaders.