Introducing enterprise – research into the practical aspects of introducing innovative enterprise schemes as extra curricula activities in higher education

Abstract

Purpose – Enhancing student opportunity and providing an outstanding learning experience within an increasingly competitive market requires a multifaceted approach to learning. This paper aims to show how a social enterprise initiative can help students differentiate their offering to the workplace and in doing so develop skills that promote elegant self-management. Design/methodology/approach – The research is a continuous project to gather data to evaluate on the effectiveness of enterprise activities and will incorporate both qualitative and quantitative methodologies, through what is largely an action research study. Findings – This paper presents one approach to the challenge of student engagement, by encouraging choice and being proactive in adding value to CV's, through student led practical initiatives. Lecturers assist in managing student expectation and embedding realism; the realism of the need for transferable employability skills, and the challenges and opportunities faced during times of change. By enthusing students (and feedback suggests this is happening in our current project) a virtuous circle is created, manifested in increased graduate student employment and a competitive edge. Originality/value – This is an experiential project of creating an enterprise committee which enhances the learning experience, teaches students how to take theory and apply it in real situations, and builds their confidence. By linking vocational and reflective modules’ to entrepreneurial skills, a balance is struck not just between academia and employability but also work and life, addressing the contemporary challenge of not just teaching students business theory or employability skills but of practical self-management.

The Impact of Entrepreneurship Education in Higher Education: A Systematic Review and Research Agenda

“…Compared to entrepreneurial intentions (51%), far fewer studies exist on the relationship between EE and other subjective impact indicators (Levels 1 and 2 of our framework) including psychological variables such as attitude (20%, e.g., Chang, Benamraoui, & Rieple, 2014;; perceived feasibility (26%, e.g., Rauch & Hulsink, 2015; or skills and knowledge (21%., e.g., Burrows & Wragg, 2013;Premand, Brodmann, Almeida, Grun, & Barouni, 2016). Most studies suggest a positive link between the program and these variables, but some articles report results that are not significant or negative.…”

“…outside our review, Neergaard et al 2012). In the articles in this stream, the pedagogical methods are experiential and entail working side by side with, for example, entrepreneurs (e.g., Chang & Rieple, 2013); realistic entrepreneurial exercises (e.g., ; starting and running a "real" business (e.g., Burrows & Wragg, 2013); and problem-based learning (e.g., Kirkwood, Dwyer, & Gray, 2014). Again, these studies report a positive link with lower level impact measures (skills and knowledge, and feasibility, e.g., Jones & Jones, 2011).…”

Prerequisites and the Success of Transformative Entrepreneurship Education

“…In addition, collecting data with regard to long-term effects is not easy. Longterm studies such as those delivered by Dutta et al (2011), Burrows and Wragg (2013), or Matlay (2008) make this difficulty clear.…”

College Students’ Entrepreneurial Mindset: Educational Experiences Override Gender and Major

“…They emphasized that it is important to consider the significant impact of moderators, such as the attributes of entrepreneurship education, differences between students, and cultural values, on entrepreneurial intentions. Most studies suggest a positive link between the educational program and students' entrepreneurial intentions, attitude, knowledge, and skills [84][85][86][87], but some articles report results that are not significant or negative. For example, Lanero, et al [88] reported that there is no significant link between entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial attitudes among Spanish students.…”