In the spotlight:

Name: Dawn R. DeTienne

Location:  Fort Collins, CO, USA

Occupation: Professor of Entrepreneurship, Colorado State University

You are an influential individual within the entrepreneurship/enterprise education space. What does ‘entrepreneurship education’ mean to you, and why do you think it’s important?

Entrepreneurs have been around since people have, but entrepreneurship education got its start in the 1940s.  Everyone can share stories of entrepreneurs who did not have access to education and through Herculean efforts created amazing companies.  However, I believe that engaging in education (or practice) allows individuals to learn skills much in the same way they learn accounting, painting, or engineering.  Education allows entrepreneurs to learn, practice, make mistakes, network, and develop tools all in a relatively low-cost environment.

How did you first become involved with entrepreneurship education?

I was an entrepreneur for 16 years before returning to the university and getting a PhD.  I taught my first entrepreneurship course in 2002 and have been teaching and owning my ventures ever since.

Can entrepreneurship be included at all stages of education, and within every subject? If yes, how? If no, why not?

Yes of course.  While some areas of study appear to be more conducive to entrepreneurship, all students can benefit from understanding the entrepreneurial mindset and the tools associated with it.  The workplace (or the way in which we work today) is changing.  Not only do students need to be able to act entrepreneurially in large established organisations, many students will work for small and start-up businesses.  In addition, there is a movement toward independent work, which allows the work environment to be more flexible, but requires an understanding of entrepreneurship in order to be successful.

For students who don’t want to be entrepreneurs, what other benefits does enterprise education provide?

Large organisations are looking for employees who are able to act entrepreneurially and think creatively to solve big problems.

Your work has explored the role of gender in enterprise and entrepreneurship. How much progress has been made – and what still needs to be done to support female entrepreneurs?

There is so much!  In a recent article Rachida Justo, Philipp Sieger, and I examined the “female underperformance hypotheses”—which proposes that females underperform in entrepreneurial activity.  Research has shown that women fail more often than men, but we argue that this has to do with how we measure failure.  Previous research has considered any exit from entrepreneurship a failure, but certainly people exit for very positive reasons including acquisition, family, other desires, etc.  Our work demonstrates that women are not more likely to fail.  They are simply more likely to exit, thus likely significantly overstating female failure rates.  So many other great streams of research examine gender topics and this research is critical not only for entrepreneurs, but also for investors and policy makers.

You’ve had a great deal of success throughout your distinguished career, and have won many awards (such as the Colorado State University College of Business Researcher of the Year in 2009, and – in 2011 – the Colorado State University Excellence in Teaching Award). Can you share a few of your most significant moments or personal achievements with us?

My teaching honours have included: in 2008, Accenture Outstanding Achievement in Teaching Award, Colorado State University; in 2010, Most Influential Faculty Member, Ram Scholar-Athlete Brunch; in 2011, College of Business Excellence in Teaching Award, Colorado State University; and from 2011-2014, I served as the Associate Editor for The Academy of Management Learning & Education Journal, which is the leading journal on Entrepreneurship Education.

One of the awards I received in 2016 – from the Academy of Management Entrepreneurship Division – was the Entrepreneurship Practice Award.  The award honours a publication that has been especially effective at advancing the practice of entrepreneurship (2012. Impact of founder experience on exit intentions. Small Business Economics, 38(4): 351-374). This was pretty exciting because it means that my work matters to the practice of entrepreneurship.  However, the most significant moments are when my students or students I mentor send me a message after they’ve left and tell me how well they are doing or how well their venture is going.  Pretty cool!

You co-founded several ventures that you successfully guided through an acquisition exit. How have your experiences of working in the business sector influenced your teaching?

Certainly.  While I remind students that my experiences are only an N of 1 (or 2 or 3), I am able to empathise with them as they dive into this unpredictable world of entrepreneurship.  Unlike many subjects, there is no one single answer in entrepreneurship, so the goal is to train our minds to look for opportunities, use existing tools and resources to help us make decisions, and practice, practice, practice.

What does a typical day look like in the world of Dawn DeTienne?

In an average week I might teach for five hours a week, prepare for class, meet with students and grade students’ work for 10-12 hours a week, work on my research for 10 hours, answer emails/requests/attend meetings for 15 hours per week, and provide service to my college and international organisations for five hours per week.

And finally, Dawn, tell us: if you were an animal, what would you be and why?

Hmm… a cow, I guess.  I think I would like to take a breath and just “be” for a while rather than always “doing”.  Plus, I love to eat.

In the spotlight:

Name: Catherine Brentnall

Location: Derbyshire.

Occupation: MD, Ready Unlimited; PhD Candidate at Sheffield Hallam University

What does ‘enterprise education’ mean to you, and why do you think it’s important?

A lot of my work over the last twelve years has involved working with teachers and trainees in primary and secondary education (in schools, colleges and universities) to develop enterprise through the curriculum. People have different ideas about what enterprise education is, so we explore definitions such as the one from the Davies Review which has three strands – enterprise capability, financial capability and economic and business understanding. It’s always interesting to see which learning outcomes from each strand educators recognise in their practice, and which could be developed. What enterprise education has meant to me personally over the years has deepened as I’ve taken to thinking and writing about it from a more theoretical perspective. Enterprise education is important not least because there are many government policies telling educators to become involved in it. I’m personally interested in equipping teachers with the knowledge to engage with and critique policy, and develop their own responses to enterprise education which align with their values and the needs of their students and communities.

How did you first become involved with enterprise education?

In 2006, I started working on a school improvement programme called Rotherham Ready, which aimed to harness enterprise as a vehicle to enhance learning and teaching. One of my responsibilities was working with teachers to design and deliver professional learning. Over time we scaled our approaches outside the borough and, in 2013, I secured investment from NESTA. This supported the spin out of a social business, Ready Unlimited, which is focused on developing teachers to enhance the curriculum with careers and enterprise learning. I was so lucky in Rotherham Ready to have a wonderful manager, Jackie Frost, who supported me to do a Masters Degree and never put a limit on what we could achieve. A high point was winning ‘The Most Enterprising Place in Britain’ in 2011 for our work developing enterprise in education and supporting youth start-ups.

Can enterprise be included at all stages of education, and within every subject? If yes, how? If no, why not?

I work with educators at every stage of education – early years, primary, secondary and HE. It’s never a blank slate though; people are always doing plenty of things that would be considered ‘enterprising’, so it’s more a case of understanding how learning could be deepened and how enterprise approaches could inspire students to produce better quality. Last year I worked on an EEUK funded project to look at practices which teachers could explore and use to develop careers and enterprise through the curriculum. Though the project focused on the secondary school context, the practices are transferable to any stage.  There’s a draft guide and benchmarking tool which I’d encourage people to take a look at and give me feedback on, if they’ve got the time and interest to do so.

Ready Unlimited – which you founded – supports educators in developing an enterprising and entrepreneurial culture, curricula and pedagogy. Tell us more about the services on offer and how they contribute to a student’s development?

I work with a range of clients including individual schools, partnerships of schools, teacher educators, organisations including colleges and universities, regional and national governments at home and abroad, and organisations including the EU and the OECD. I provide anything from 1-2-1 or small group coaching with teachers, to professional development programmes for a specific organisation or territory, as well as consultancy and research. Focusing on educators and on curriculum design means that more young people are potentially impacted. But there’s responsibility that comes with that – students aren’t volunteering in, they don’t have a choice about the curriculum, so there’s a need to be cautious and ensure approaches are sound and don’t do more harm than good.

In October, I started a PhD at Sheffield Business School (SBS), part of Sheffield Hallam University, and am researching competitive enterprise education. I’m fascinated how competitive approaches are handed down to enterprise educators as a go-to activity (they were handed down to me, and initially, I handed them on uncritically). As a side project I’ve been exploring the potential theoretical flaws of such approaches, and now SBS have supported me with a scholarship to do some original research, which I hope will throw a bit more light on the effects of competitive learning, and that practitioners and students will benefit from a contribution to knowledge in this area.

In a sector where results and rankings seem to dominate, how do educators evaluate and measure the success of enterprise education?

In the last couple of years I have become really interested in Realist Evaluation and how it helps me think about the evaluation of enterprise education interventions. Realist Evaluation has been developed by researchers in the field of Evidence Based Medicine (EBM), who have become frustrated with the partial knowledge and unanswered questions which persist when only Randomised Control Trials (RCT) and systematic analysis are utilised to evaluate the effects of complex programmes. Instead of trying to judge ‘what works’, the approach tries to better understand ‘what works, for whom, in what circumstances and why?’ (Pawson & Tilley are two key authors who have developed the approach). During my time in enterprise education I’ve been evaluated, commissioned evaluations, written evaluations and researched evaluation. Realist Evaluation makes me look back on these experiences in a new light and think about what else I would have learned if I’d taken a Realist approach. I hope that the field of education – which can appear sucked into the philosophy that RCTs are the ‘rigorous’ approach in evaluation – utilises the potential for the rigour and meaning which is offered through Realist Evaluation.

What would you say to any institutions or individuals who have still not included enterprise education within their curriculum, or who are sceptical about the benefits of an entrepreneurial approach?

First, I’ve no problem with people being sceptical. Indeed, one of the practices in the benchmarking tool I mentioned in question three is taking the time to consider and critique what you’re being asked to do. It’s a crucial step in professional development and learning, and can be encouraged by asking questions, surfacing concerns and identifying any dissonance between your ambitions for learners and what you’re being told to do. Second, from a Realist Evaluation perspective, one cannot assume that enterprise education will always have benefits for every participant, so it’s really healthy to think through potential unintended consequences and carefully design learning and activities that are most likely to achieve the aims that are hoped for.

Where do you hope to see enterprise education in five years’ time?

I think enterprise education is a vibrant field full of committed people, and I hope there is continued debate, research and challenge which moves it forward.

What does a typical day look like in the world of Catherine Brentnall?

No such thing as a typical day! The last year or so has involved such a variety of work. It’s included working with Social Enterprise International on a Horizon 2020 project called Nemesis which is about developing social innovation in education; working with The Enterprise Team at Huddersfield University; innovating and evaluating an Enterprise Placement Year programme; as well as  working with teachers from across my home region on a Derbyshire Ready programme I run in partnership with the county council. Since starting a PhD at Sheffield Business School, I’ve had the privilege of being a student again and reading, writing and thinking about something which I find fascinating – enterprise education.

And finally, Catherine, tell us: if you were an animal, what would you be and why?

At the moment, I feel like I’d be Road Runner, chasing about narrowly avoiding an accident (I’m a one-woman band, so everything is always really busy). Given a choice, I’d like the odd day as Bagpuss, chilling out and letting a team of mice fix things for me (wishful thinking).

In the spotlight:

Name: Joanna Mills

Location: Wellcome Genome Campus, Cambridge

Occupation: Entrepreneurship and Innovation Centre Manager, Wellcome Genome Campus

You are an influential individual within the enterprise education space. What does ‘enterprise education’ mean to you, and why do you think it’s important?

Having been involved in the development of the QAA’s guidance on enterprise and entrepreneurship education which was published back in 2012, I still feel that their definition encapsulates the definition of enterprise education really well:

‘Enterprise education aims to produce graduates with the mindset and skills to come up with original ideas in response to identified needs and shortfalls, and the ability to act on them. In short, having an idea and making it happen. Enterprise skills include taking the initiative, intuitive decision making, making things happen, networking, identifying opportunities, creative problem solving, innovating, strategic thinking, and personal effectiveness. Enterprise education extends beyond knowledge acquisition to a wide range of emotional, intellectual, social, and practical skills.’

For me, I have had the opportunity and privilege to work with many outstanding students – some with brilliant ideas, and others with what seem like fairly ordinary ideas but which are more complex to execute. Enterprise education in many ways is about developing a set of core skills (listed in the definition above), many of them ‘soft skills’ which can be hard to learn but which are critical to successful execution of any ideas.

As enterprise educators, our role is often about providing the stimulus (a project or task as enterprise skills need to be learned by doing) and a safe environment for students to experiment, learn and practice those skills, so that they build the confidence they need to have an idea and then make it happen. Seeing students succeed in developing their confidence in these skills and supporting students in their journey as they ‘have a go’ at their ideas is one of the true joys of facilitating enterprise education.

How did you first become involved with enterprise education?

I’m a scientist by training, having studied biochemistry at undergraduate level and completing an MSc and PhD in biochemical engineering. After finishing my PhD at University College London, I was offered an opportunity to be involved in a new initiative to develop a post-experience master’s programme at the interface between the department and the biotech industry. This naturally brought me into contact with many entrepreneurial companies and ultimately saw me start to develop more intrapreneurial pathways for myself. I then relocated to Cambridge in 2001 as part of the early team in the University of Cambridge’s Entrepreneurship Centre where, as part of their teaching and training team, my focus was to launch a range of initiatives – both extracurricular and within the curriculum of various degree programmes.

How has enterprise education changed over the years, and how does it benefit students today?

Back in 2001, enterprise education was relatively new, having been encouraged through government funding initiatives such as the Science Enterprise Challenge and the Higher Education Innovation Fund. It seemed to focus more specifically on entrepreneurship and either taught students how to write great business plans or put them in the shoes of the protagonist entrepreneurs of Harvard-style case studies. In my experiences at Cambridge, the former tended to be found in extra-curricular activities and student-driven business plan competitions, and the latter in MBA classes only. A key discussion point amongst entrepreneurship educators at the time was around how to move on from teaching and learning about entrepreneurship to stimulating learning for enterprise and entrepreneurship.

We’ve moved a very long way over the years, and with the input of various structures (such as the QAA guidance) and organisations (such as EEUK) we’re much better placed to nurture the personal and ‘soft skills’ for entrepreneurship – the skills that actually matter to execute on a great business opportunity.

From the perspective of implementing and delivering enterprise education, educators have also worked and succeeded in developing the ecosystems and environments within which nascent entrepreneurs can learn. I’m a firm believer in having role model entrepreneurs and practitioners as teachers of enterprise education, both formally and informally – through getting them into the classroom to deliver lectures, mentoring students, setting projects, giving feedback to student presentations or simply networking informally. I believe this is becoming more acceptable within our institutions and we’re starting to be more creative in how we involve entrepreneurial ecosystems in enterprise education. Which is great – as many entrepreneurs do want to ‘give back’ and support the next generation of entrepreneurs.

During over 15 years at the Judge Business School (University of Cambridge), you were responsible for developing and directing the postgraduate diploma in entrepreneurship. What would you say to any institutions or academics who have still not included enterprise education within their curriculum?

I’d definitely encourage them. Often development of some core enterprise skills is already incorporated through project work, team based tasks, presentations and so on – but it is not necessarily recognised as contributing to the development of enterprise skills, nor is the value of these skills really highlighted to students. Of course, such interventions do not cover enterprise education fully, but there’s plenty of help out there for institutions – so no excuses. There are many tools and frameworks, support networks and examples of really creative ways in which enterprise education can be delivered into the curriculum within individual modules or integrated at programme level.

As Entrepreneurship and Innovation Centre Manager at the Wellcome Genome Campus, you specifically think about enterprise within the context of genomics and biodata. Why is it important that scientists and clinicians think about, and have a have a grounding in, enterprise? 

I feel extremely privileged to be located at the Wellcome Genome Campus – it’s home to two world leading research institutes (the Wellcome Sanger Institute and EMBL’s European Bioinformatics Institute) that together sequenced about one third of the first human genome back in the late 1990’s/early 2000’s – a task that took more than 10 years and $3bn to achieve. The science on Campus continues to be outstanding and technology has developed rapidly such that genomes can be sequenced in just a few hours and for less than $1000 – so significantly faster and cheaper. This technology, combined with the huge volumes of data that genomics generates, means that we have the knowledge and potential to impact human health through personalised treatments, diagnosing and treating rare conditions more effectively, managing the spread of malaria and other pathogenic diseases and so on.

However, to make this kind of impact, we need outstanding genomic scientists and bioinformaticians to actively combine both their deep domain knowledge and enterprising skills to take ground-breaking developments forward. It’s often said (by entrepreneurs here on Campus anyway) that scientists are used to failure and that launching a start-up is no more of a risk than doing a PhD or postdoc – so I have no doubt that many great scientists have the capability to think and act in more enterprising ways. I believe the key is inspiring them to think about their aspirations for themselves and their science beyond the lab, and creating the right environment to give them the confidence to be more enterprising in their approaches. Of course, we also need to give them the grounding to understand issues around intellectual property, develop their understanding of the industrial and clinical context so that they can define their market, explore business models and so on, but once they have established that they have a great opportunity – and then the focus needs to be shifted to nurturing them within the ecosystem.

Joanna Mills delivering a talk at the Wellcome Genome Campus.

For students who don’t want to be entrepreneurs, what other benefits does enterprise education provide?

Undoubtedly enterprise education develops valuable general employability skills. From an employer’s perspective, who wouldn’t want to have on board a bright graduate who has the confidence to use enterprising skills to test and develop new ideas, implement them and make an impact?

Where do you hope to see enterprise education in five years’ time?

It would be great to see it embedded creatively in all university curricula, and learning from new approaches continuing to be shared amongst educators.

I think there are some interesting developments in university education which provide excellent opportunities for us to be even more creative in the way that we embed enterprise education in the curriculum. For example, I’m involved in a project here at the Wellcome Genome Campus where we are part of a collaborative effort to deliver a degree-level apprenticeship programme in bioinformatics – this involves working with a range of genome and biodata employers and a university partner, who together seek to take a step towards fulfilling a significant workforce need in this field. The role and form of enterprise education within the overall curriculum has had very healthy coverage within our discussions to date, and is well supported by the potential employers – some of which will be entrepreneurial organisations and others where innovation is central to what they do. Within these new types of degree programme, and working with employers, we have the possibility to instil industry knowledge and enterprise skills in more powerful ways through real projects in the workplace. I’m excited to see what we can achieve and how our apprentices develop and apply their newfound enterprising skills and knowledge.

What does a typical day look like in the world of Joanna Mills?

Do typical days exist?! My days can be really varied – I have two distinct but related aspects to my role here at the Wellcome Genome Campus. Firstly, I manage the BioData Innovation Centre which is a base for eight partner companies that are all innovators in the genomes and biodata space – some are young ventures, including spin-outs from the two research institutes on Campus, and others are teams from more mature and sometimes international organisations. The other aspect of my role is to stimulate a more entrepreneurial culture on Campus, which is mostly through entrepreneurial learning activities and opportunities, but also through involvement in other Campus level initiatives. Therefore, my days could – and often do – include anything from thinking through how we accommodate a partner company during a phase of rapid growth, to hosting an entrepreneurship seminar or supporting some of our graduate students as they work on their early-stage business ideas.

Underpinning both aspects of my role, however, is the need to build an enterprise ecosystem for the Campus – one which connects the companies and the research institutes already here with the people within them on Campus and beyond – so that we have greater capacity to create and capture value from innovations around our science. So, I guess, if there are any typical aspects to my day, it would be that they always include some element of networking and connecting.

And finally, Joanna, tell us: if you were an animal, what would you be and why?

I actually put this question to my kids – one of whom likened me to a giraffe on the basis that they really don’t look like they can run but actually can move quite fast. For those who know me, I’m neither tall nor particularly athletic, and whilst I’m aspiring to do something about my fitness at the moment, being a giraffe would certainly help with being taller.

One interesting fact about giraffes, though, is the way that they manage their blood pressure when they move their heads – given that their heads are so far away from their hearts. Some recent research has found that, contrary to earlier thinking, giraffe’s hearts are relatively small but their heart walls are thick and, unusually, they have muscles in the veins of their neck. Entrepreneurship can certainly raise the blood pressure, for sure, but entrepreneurship – and enterprise education to a certain extent – is also about encouraging entrepreneurs to construct their own ‘thick walls and muscles in the veins’: that is, the support networks of mentors and others that can be so valuable during the tough and challenging times, and who can celebrate successes with you!

In the spotlight:

Name: Professor Candida Brush

Location: Babson College, MA

Occupation:  F.W. Olin Distinguished Professor of Entrepreneurship; Vice Provost of Global Entrepreneurial Leadership; Research Director, Arthur M. Blank Center (at Babson College).  Senior Editor, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice. Visiting Adjunct, Bodo Graduate School, Nord University.

You are an influential individual within the enterprise education space. What does ‘enterprise education’ mean to you, and why do you think it’s important?

I don’t actually think about “enterprise” education; rather, I think about “entrepreneurial” education. Enterprise to me implies that this is about an entity, or a business—whereas I think of “entrepreneurial” as the mindset that entrepreneurs apply to different ventures, businesses or situations. Therefore, “entrepreneurial” education is about providing students, practitioners, and policy-makers with entrepreneurial skills and competencies.

How did you first become involved with enterprise education?

I became involved as a result of studying entrepreneurs—in particular, I did one of the first and largest studies of women entrepreneurs in the US in the early 1980s[i], and then in the 1990s I was involved in a major collaborative research project about nascent entrepreneurs.  This project was a random household study of entrepreneurs in the process of starting businesses. We examined the start-up activities to determine the actions they took that led to successful venture launch and sustainability.  Contrary to early theory – which argued that entrepreneurs were “born” – this major research project showed that it was actions that made a difference.

Can entrepreneurship be included at all stages of education, and within every subject? If yes, how? If no, why not?

Absolutely!  Entrepreneurial thinking is a mindset, and it includes identifying or creating opportunities, acquiring the resources, and providing the leadership to create something of economic and/or social value.  Entrepreneurial thinking employs both creative logic, rooted in who you are, what you know, and who you know, and the resources you can afford to lose – as well as predictive logic, which is a more systematic strategic approach (identify the problem, analyse the situation, acquire the resources and execute).[ii]  Because this is a mindset, it can be applied to any type of business – family, franchise, small business, new business, corporate innovation, etc.

You are a founding member of the Diana Project, a long-term study of women business owners. How much progress has been made in terms of supporting female entrepreneurs – and what still needs to be done?

Yes, this has been a wonderful adventure.  There were 5 of us who founded the Diana Project and over the years we have expanded the research globally.  We now have more than 500 scholars from 47 countries involved in researching women’s entrepreneurship.  Over the time of our research, we have seen great progress in the research both generally and practically, in terms of support, programmes and growth in start-ups by women entrepreneurs.[iii] In the US in particular, women entrepreneurs are a significant force (36% of all US businesses are 51% women-owned).  Yet, there are still challenges. Women still have difficulty in accessing venture capital in particular.[iv]

For students who don’t want to be entrepreneurs, what other benefits does enterprise education provide?

As I mentioned, having an entrepreneurial mindset is a way to think through problems and lead a business, whether or not it is a business you create.  Creative problem solving is useful in any type of enterprise.  Further, part of our entrepreneurial education involves learning how to fail and be resilient – this is useful in any situation!

You have been a strong proponent for diversity in entrepreneurship, commenting that the world needs to ‘recognise that all populations of entrepreneurs can and should contribute to the economies of the world—not just a select few’. Tell us a little about your role as Vice Provost of Global Entrepreneurial Leadership, and what you hope can be achieved through your work in this sphere.

Thank you for asking this question. Historically, there has been an assumption that all entrepreneurs are the same, and therefore, policy can be a “one size fits all”. But over time we have learned that there are many different factors influencing entrepreneurship. Socio-cultural, religious, political, demographic and economic circumstances may facilitate or inhibit entrepreneurs. Women entrepreneurs of colour may face different obstacles than white male entrepreneurs. Single parents of low income may similarly face different challenges.  Therefore, when we create programmes, policies and initiatives, we need to consider that economies can benefit when everyone has equal access to learning entrepreneurial skills and competencies.

You’ve had an amazing career, pioneering entrepreneurship through your teaching, academic research and writing (with too many awards and degrees to name here!). Can you share a few of your most significant moments or personal achievements with us?

This is a hard question, but I think the high points have been the wonderful collaborations with co-authors – in particular, my Diana Project co-founders.[v]  Our 20+ years of work, collaboration, friendship and other activities have been truly special.  I have other research collaborations, notably my work with Linda Edelman and Tatiana Manolova, and the energy, inspiration and excitement we have shared when writing papers also represents some of my favourite memories.

Professor Brush has been awarded many accolades during her distinguished career.
Pictured here with the Babson College Alumni Association Leadership Award in 2012.

What does a typical day look like in the world of Candida Brush?

Well, this completely depends! If I am on campus, I am mostly in meetings – back to back, working with my amazing Entrepreneurial Center Directors, and the staff, faculty and students at Babson on entrepreneurial projects and initiatives. If it is summer, I would write and work on my research in the morning, do calls early afternoon, and maybe get in a round of golf (my favourite pastime!)

And finally, Candida, tell us: if you were an animal, what would you be and why?

How fun!  I would probably be a dolphin – playful, defender of the seas, and intelligent (!). I am a pescatarian so this works for me, too.

[i] Brush, C. 1992. Research on Women Business Owners: Past Trends, Future Directions, and a New Perspective”, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 16:4, 5-30

[ii] Brush, C.,  Greene, P.  Balachandra, L., & Davis A., 2014 The Diana Report- Bridging the Gap for Women Entrepreneurs, sponsored by CWEL and Ernst & Young

[iii] Jennings, J. & Brush, C. 2013. Research on women entrepreneurs: challenges to (and from) the borader entrepreneurship literature?  Academy of Management Annals.    7:1, 663-715

[iv] Neck, H., Greene, P.,  & Brush, C. 2014. Teaching Entrepreneurship:  A Practice Based Approach, Cheltenham, UK:  Edward F. Elgar Publishing

[v] Gatewood, E., Brush, C., Carter, N., Greene, P., & Hart, M. 2009.  Diana: A Symbol of women entrepreneurs hunt for knowledge, money and the rewards of entrepreneurship.  Small Business Economics.  32:2, 129-144

In the spotlight:

Name: Jon Powell

Location: Lancaster

Occupation:

• Head of Enterprise and Innovation Services, Lancaster University
• Vice Chair and Director of Enterprise Educators UK
• Director of Lancaster District Chamber of Commerce
• Director of Employer Solutions Ltd
• Member of the Board for the Small Business Charter

You are an influential individual within the enterprise education space. What does ‘enterprise education’ mean to you, and why do you think it’s important?

Working in the Higher Education (HE) sector, we are predetermined to define everything. And this has been no different in the enterprise/entrepreneurship education sphere. Thankfully, in September 2012, the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) published a guide for HE on “enterprise and entrepreneurship education” including definitions for the terms. This was written by experts in the field from Enterprise Educators UK (EEUK), the Higher Education Academy (HEA), the Institute of Graduate and Careers and Advisory Service (AGCAS) and many others. And it just so happens that the QAA and an army of volunteers are re-visiting this guidance and will be publishing an updated version in early 2018!

To me, and most of my peers, enterprise education is well defined as “having an idea and making it happen”, whereas entrepreneurship education is more focused on the specific context of “setting up a new venture, developing and growing an existing business, or designing an entrepreneurial organisation”.

It’s important because people want to develop an innovative and enterprising mindset; employers want to employ those people; and society needs more people who can make things happen.

How did you first become involved with enterprise education?

In the summer before the final year of my undergraduate degree I needed a job, so I applied for a paid placement through the STEP scheme to work with a self-employed individual. We got on well and I could see the value in what he was doing, but thought it could be applied differently so I suggested we start a company to commercialise it. I don’t know why.  I had never been exposed to small businesses, never mind start-ups, before; I had not studied entrepreneurship at that point; and I didn’t know the first things about starting a business. But we did it and started a company.

I asked around the university and there wasn’t any practical start-up help available, but I figured there must be other students starting businesses so I decided to start a Student Entrepreneurs Society. I never thought to ask if there was a problem I was trying to solve outside my own…

I convinced someone in the Business Enterprise Centre to give me some money to help me start the society; I convinced the university data protection office to give me a database with the home address of every student studying at the university; I learnt about mail merge in Word; and I sent around 5000 letters targeting undergraduates not in their final year. It cost hundreds of pounds in stamps and took me weeks. But there was enough interest, so I hosted an introductory meeting, established a society leadership team and the society was born.  I was offered an admin job in the Business Enterprise Centre as they must have seen something they liked in me and the rest is history. I believe the Entrepreneurship Society was one of the first in the UK. I was offered a full time job by the university when I graduated after a master’s degree and, a few years later, we secured some funding to start a project to coordinate our enterprise and entrepreneurship education offer and the Enterprise Team was formed in 2009. I’m still working at Lancaster University today.

How has enterprise education changed over the years, and how does it benefit students today?

I’m not an enterprise education historian but I’d say that, in most institutions, it started as a curricular-based study of entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship rather than a study or support towards entrepreneurial endeavour.  The landscape today is completely different, with universities offering degree programmes with the expected aim of creating a new venture, and most universities providing practical support and entrepreneurship education within and outside the curriculum. Embedding enterprise education is now common practice from degrees in Archaeology to Zoology and everything in between. We still have a long way to go for this to be universal, but the roadmaps are there and the case studies of good practice and teaching pedagogies are more visible than ever.

Students today can benefit through the development of their skills, their mindset and their entrepreneurial effectiveness. They don’t need to plan on becoming an entrepreneur to benefit from engagement in an entrepreneurial learning journey. Social entrepreneurship, intrapreneurship, and innovative and design thinking are now common language amongst career professionals and students. And, of course, all of these factors support graduate employability.

Jon Powell speaking at the British Council in Japan

When students arrive at Lancaster University, do they have a good grounding in enterprise, or do you think our education system needs to start introducing these ideas at an earlier age?

Some have an interest, but few seem to have had much exposure.

I can count on one hand the number of students I know who chose to come to Lancaster University because of our entrepreneurship support offer. Whilst enterprise and entrepreneurship education has become part of the landscape in Higher Education, it is still given relative lip service in 11-18 education. Even old-fashioned career support and work experience has fallen foul of the ever-increasing pressure on schools to focus on league tables, English and Maths GCSE pass rates, the English Baccalaureate and a culture of “teaching by numbers”. Most of our students still arrive with the mindset that success is measured in getting a good degree and a graduate training scheme position. They don’t seem to understand that 99.3% of potential private sector employers are small businesses, or that working for yourself is a viable career option. Unfortunately, the main role models that 11-18 students see outside of their family group is their teacher (working for the local authority), who is then (if they are lucky) asked to teach them about entrepreneurship and/or starting a business (teaching them to swim having never been in the water). I’m not bashing teachers, I’m married to one, but the system teaches the creativity and innovation out of students; it certainly doesn’t help them prepare for working life.

Of course, the picture above applies mainly to students that have come through the English education system. We tend to find our international students are twice as likely to engage with our central enterprise support offer.

You are Head of Enterprise and Innovation Services at Lancaster University, supporting students, staff and alumni of the university to make things happen. Indeed, when it comes to enterprise and innovation, you say that the “important thing is to act”. How do you facilitate this for your members?

Our role as enterprise educators is to create an environment for people with ideas to flourish. We are custodians of the entrepreneurial ecosystem at our universities. What does that look like? Well, it’s hard to say as it differs from university to university. At Lancaster, we try and support activity in many ways, for example:

– Regular learner driven labs where students can bring problems, challenges and their own learning objectives. These are the touch points for our different models of intervention and support.

– Awards and events to have a go. These can be for a project, a social enterprise, a start-up, a course, some kit etc. Small pots of funding to try things, to test and learn.

– Communicate and celebrate. Keep students, staff and alumni informed of what is going on, the opportunities on campus and further afield, and shine a light on activity, effort and success.

Obviously we will support individuals or teams with mentoring, coaching and access to more in-depth financial support where it’s needed, but that is the small end of the pipeline. We aren’t just here to support start-ups.

There’s an age-old debate about whether entrepreneurs are born or made. Can you weigh into this?

I remember studying this in early noughties. At that time, I would have sat on the fence and said it’s a bit of both. But that was based on my assumption that ‘entrepreneur’ solely meant a financially successful individual who started a business. Now, I’d say an entrepreneur is a doer who sees an opportunity for change and makes things happen. I’ve seen entrepreneurs from all walks of life, all backgrounds. For me, it’s a mindset. I don’t believe we are born with a particular mindset; I believe that it is nurtured. And it can be in a state of flux. Everyone has the potential to be an entrepreneur at some point in their life. For some, it comes easily with little external help; for others it’s buried deep and may never surface in action if the situation and circumstances don’t align. Can entrepreneurship be taught? Wrong question. It can be nurtured.

For students who don’t want to be entrepreneurs, what other benefits does enterprise education provide?

Most students don’t want to be entrepreneurs. But they can still benefit from developing an entrepreneurial mindset. If we took the words “enterprise” and “entrepreneurship” out of our dictionary we would still be doing the same things: developing innovative or design thinkers who want to make a change and make a difference to society. Too many people spend too long being caught up in the language. Just do something, people. No one asks you about all the stuff you didn’t do in an interview…

Where do you hope to see enterprise education in five years’ time?

We are certainly moving in the right direction. We have seen policy actually helping enterprise educators in the last few years. The recent announcement of the Knowledge Exchange Excellence Framework (KEF or KEEF or KEITH depending on who you speak to) to join with the Research Excellent Framework (REF) and Teaching Excellent Framework (TEF) may put enterprise education and wider knowledge exchange activities on a par with research and teaching. Enterprise education truly delivers against all of these strategic priorities, and we all know what gets measured gets funded. So, in five years, I hope to see enterprise education being a core funded activity that is a norm in universities, not an add on funded by external money or projects.

There are some key organisations including Enterprise Educators UK that have to work hard on behalf of the sector towards this aim. I’m an optimist, so I expect to see a larger network of educators, more collaboration, and an increased international focus. I expect to see other countries invest in enterprise education and create the infrastructure and ecosystem we have developed over the last 15 years in the UK.

Jon Powell… or James Bond?

What does a typical day look like in the world of Jon Powell?

Of course there is no such thing as a typical day. I’m a portfolio worker, with a full time job. But a day this week would probably have been:

– 2-year-old wakes me up at 6.30am. My wife has already gone to work.

– Get showered whilst singing along to “wheels on the bus” whilst said 2-year-old shouts instructions.

– Get dressed, head downstairs, make breakfast and watch the latest episode of Paw Patrol on Milkshake (if you know the names of these programmes then buy me a beer next time you see me – you know I’ve earned it!).

– Dress the 2-year-old, brush hair, feed the fish, the tortoise and the rabbit.

– Drive to work and catch up on the news via Radio 5 live. Drop the 2-year-old at preschool.

– Get to the office for around 9am, have a brew, look at the 1000 unread emails and gulp.

– The day will mostly be spent in meetings – ideally walking meetings if it is just one-to-ones with colleagues, huddles (where everyone only gets one minute to update the others), and a few more formal meetings interspaced with an hour or two dealing with any urgent emails.

– If it is a Thursday, it’s a good day, as I will buy some Thai food from Two Thai, one of our graduate start-ups that received an endorsement for a Tier 1 graduate entrepreneurship visa.

– Once a week I will have an evening meeting, usually a board meeting for one of the organisations I’m involved in. If that is the case, hopefully I made arrangements for someone else to collect the 2-year-old. If not, then I’ll be collecting from preschool at 5.30ish.

– Get home, play cars with daughter, run around and have fun before helping get her to bed then start cooking tea (usually a Hello Fresh meal).

– Eat tea around 9pm then head into the outdoor hot tub for 30 minutes to relax and sometimes read before heading to bed around 9.45/10pm.

The only things I’d like change are to receive less emails, and to have fewer meetings. I’m working on both through changing strategies and formats for communications. Any ideas, please let me know!

And finally, Jon, tell us: if you were an animal, what would you be and why?

I’m fairly well know at Lancaster for asking bizarre interview questions, but this one was new to me and I was a little stumped. So I asked my 2-year-old what she wanted to be when she grew up. She said a big fat wood pigeon. We didn’t really get to the bottom of why.

Cover Image: Nick Dagger Photography©

IN THE SPOTLIGHT:

Name: Thomas Dean (Tom)

Location: Fort Collins and Boulder, CO

Occupation: Professor of Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Enterprise, Kemble Family Research Fellow (Department of Management, Colorado State University)

You are an influential individual within the enterprise education space. What does ‘enterprise education’ mean to you, and why do you think it’s important?

To me, enterprise education means teaching students the entrepreneurial mindset and a set of skills associated with enterprise development, which they can use to recognise opportunities for their own career aspirations, and develop innovative ventures that provide value to society while creating personal wealth. While most of our students will not develop new enterprises in school or immediately afterwards, our hope is that they will learn skills that will enable them to think creatively, and develop innovative solutions for their employers or for the ventures they eventually pursue. In our hyper-competitive global environment, innovation is the key to continued success, and imbuing young (and old) minds with the ability to create new solutions is at the core of enterprise education.

How did you first become involved with enterprise education?

I became passionate about entrepreneurship after observing the transformative actions of leading entrepreneurs in the history of economic development. Entrepreneurs such as Steve Jobs and Steve Wosniak created transformative products that provided tremendous value to society, and I thought that was pretty exciting. From the printing press, to agricultural harvesters, to the internet technologies of today, entrepreneurs often create incredible advances that benefit society. I pursued my Ph.D. because I wanted to understand how this happens and to encourage it in business education. At the time, there were few entrepreneurship professors, courses, or programmes. But so much has changed, and entrepreneurship education has blossomed into a transformative force, helping students build ventures that benefit society.

You are a pioneer in the field of entrepreneurship and sustainability. How much progress has been made – and what still needs to be done to support environmental entrepreneurship?

So much has happened in the last decade – it’s almost stunning. This is easiest to see if you examine businesses or sectors that are arguably sustainable alternatives to traditional business models. The advent of renewable energy is a case in point, where solar, wind, and other types of renewable energy have grown by leaps and bounds. Since 2006, the share of electric power generated by non-hydro renewables worldwide has risen from about 2% to around 8%. And many of those technologies are approaching (or have reached in some areas) what is known as grid parity, wherein their costs are quite similar to those of fossil fuels. Other sectors have grown in a similar manner, including organic foods, energy efficiency, and green building. Efficient, low-pollution transportation appears to be about to take off, too, thanks – in part – to the rapid declines in battery prices and advanced hybrid technologies.

But for all these positive developments, the climb to a more economically and environmentally sustainable system is only just beginning, and we no doubt need to double or triple our efforts to avoid the worst outcomes of climate change, species extinction, and habitat destruction. While I see these trends as incredible opportunities for alert entrepreneurs and corporations, their execution is highly dependent on economic systems that reward environmentally sustainable decision-making. What is needed is what I call ‘eco-institutional convergence’, wherein the incentives existing in our global economic system are directed to those entrepreneurs that create a future which transcends old productive models, and creates new means of achieving ecologically sustainable value for the earth’s inhabitants. The urgency of this cannot be understated, as the need to embrace capitalism and entrepreneurial action that solves our global challenges is at the heart of a vibrant global future.

For students who don’t want to be entrepreneurs, what other benefits does enterprise education provide?

Let’s face it: legitimacy matters in terms of how people perceive one another. One of the benefits of education is that a degree signals knowledge, competence, and capability. While some folks make it without such credentials, I’m personally an advocate of the importance of education (at least for us mere mortals). My hope is that entrepreneurship education gives students the tools of business, the awareness and confidence to pursue opportunities, and the knowledge to recognise when opportunities are worth pursuing from a personal and economic perspective.

How have your experiences of working in the corporate sector (as a consultant and director) influenced your teaching?

As an academic it is always good to see how things really are and how they are done, as well as how much what we teach is relevant in terms of industry and entrepreneurship.

Where do you hope to see entrepreneurship education in five years’ time?

Growing more. And there is certainly a need to instil more of an action orientation in our students. While I think entrepreneurship education pedagogy is already one of the most experiential approaches in education, I think we’ll continue to see even more experiential learning. I recently spent some time with one of our local organic agriculture entrepreneurs, who is just a fantastic model of energy and enthusiasm, and has done extremely well in her efforts. Her advice to my students was ‘start small and build from there’. Another entrepreneur I know calls it parlay, which means to build on your success. He is now one of the most prominent entrepreneurs in Colorado. I summarise it as ‘start small, but think big’, and I hope our entrepreneurship education will embrace this philosophy in the future.

What does a typical day look like in the world of Thomas Dean?

E-mail. Ugh… one of the most productive – yet onerous – things ever set on humankind! But then again, I’m slow at typing. Seriously, on my best days, I meet with teams of students in our third-ranked social entrepreneurship program, working on enterprises to try to solve global challenges. I’ll often meet with a local entrepreneur or former student working on a new venture and looking for some advice or connections. And of course, there are the typical academic meetings regarding our department and/or entrepreneurship programs. Then there’s e-mail. Did I mention e-mail? At some point, I head to class with bright minds that I try to do my best to educate and inspire. And of course, somewhere in there I need to write on my various research projects or on my textbook on sustainable venturing. But mostly I do my research and writing from my home office.

And finally, Tom, tell us: if you were an animal, what would you be and why?

Somewhere between a golden retriever and a mountain lion. I love golden retrievers for their spirit of happiness and cooperation, and I love mountain lions for their intelligence, agility, ambition and determination.

In the spotlight:

Name: Dimo Dimov

Location: Bath

Occupation: Professor of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at University of Bath

You are an influential individual within the enterprise education space. What does ‘enterprise education’ mean to you, and why do you think it’s important?

Enterprise education is about developing entrepreneurial mindsets and capabilities in students. These enable students to tackle pressing problems, look for opportunities in any setting, and take the initiative to orchestrate solutions. It is about questioning the status quo and being open to new possibilities. These skills are becoming essential in both corporate and public-sector organisations as the disruptive effects of the Fourth Industrial Revolution become widespread, and we focus on the challenges of inclusive growth.

How did you first become involved with enterprise education?

I left the corporate world in 2000 to pursue a PhD in entrepreneurship at London Business School. This was a new program, one of the first dedicated to entrepreneurship. It was a gateway to an academic career. I have been teaching entrepreneurship since 2004, when I took my first academic job at the IE Business School in Madrid, Spain.

You are interested in entrepreneurial process and the journey from idea to venture. Please tell us a little about your research – is it important for budding entrepreneurs to take note of the path that others have trodden?

In my research, I tackle the fundamental problem of understanding entrepreneurial opportunities – the fact that they are clear and obvious in retrospect, but uncertain and dejecting in prospect. The journey from ‘this is crazy’ to ‘this is genius’ is full of inherent tensions, for which there are no ready solutions (despite claims to the contrary). We can never eliminate the space for individual judgment and experience as a source of wisdom. But it is important that we approach these with an appropriate mindset and reflective stance. I have synthesised a set of guiding principles in my latest book, The Reflective Entrepreneur. They highlight the importance of approaching the entrepreneurial journey as a series of milestones, and of maintaining the flexibility to change direction after each milestone. What makes this difficult are a number of internal and external pressures that we have to manage in order to maintain intrinsic purpose, openness, a playful stance, and control.

For students who don’t want to be entrepreneurs, what other benefits does enterprise education provide?

One of the misconceptions about being an entrepreneur is that this is limited to starting up your own business (i.e. start-ups). In fact, entrepreneurship is a process of introducing new products, services or organisational methods in a variety of contexts. One can be a corporate entrepreneur, working on new initiatives that enhance long-term competitiveness. One can also be a social entrepreneur, motivated by a mission to solve social or environmental problems. Or one can be a public sector entrepreneur, looking to implement innovative solutions to pressing problems. Therefore, regardless of where you are, entrepreneurial skills are in strong demand.

How have your experiences of working in the corporate sector (in the hospitality industry and as a financial director) influenced your teaching?

My corporate experience has honed a pragmatic sense for practical value; for focusing on solving a problem at hand, rather than engaging in some theoretical discussion for its own sake. When teaching, I always look to make even the most abstract theories practical in some way – and when something doesn’t work, I immediately look to improve it and seek to learn from best practice.

Where do you hope to see entrepreneurship education in five years’ time?

In five years’ time, I would like to see entrepreneurship education as an essential pillar of the educational experience across schools and universities. An analogy between entrepreneurship and sport is useful, here. We already promote wide participation in sport because it develops team spirit, a healthy sense of competition, characteristics of fair play, and ultimately leads to admirable achievements (and makes it easier to spot talent). Entrepreneurship should be seen in the same way – as something to be promoted widely, and as a mechanism to tackle all emerging problems.

What does a typical day look like in the world of Dimo Dimov?

On a typical day, I wear at least three different ‘hats’, associated with the fundamental activities of an academic role: research, teaching, and service to the professional field. Changing hats can be difficult as it takes you to different worlds, each with its own problems and language. As a researcher, the daily activities associated with the pursuit of theoretical knowledge involve attending research seminars, discussing ideas, dealing with the rejection and scepticism associated with the publication process, and keeping up with developments in the field. As a teacher, I prepare classes, deliver workshops or lectures, and mentor students on their entrepreneurial projects. In my professional service, as an editor, mentor, and advisor, I review academic papers, reconcile peer reviews, write editorial decision letters, provide advice to junior colleagues on their research ideas or paper drafts, and meet with entrepreneurs or companies to discuss their challenges. Alongside all this, I am also a husband and a father.

And finally, Dimo, tell us: if you were an animal, what would you be and why?

I suppose there is no one single animal that represents me best. I would probably go with a fox as, in the fable of the fox vs. hedgehog, the fox knows many things rather than one big thing . But I would also go with an eagle, for its freedom to soar and take a bird’s-eye view of things.

In the spotlight:

Name: Sara Pates

Location: Sheffield

Occupation: Head of Enterprise at the University of Sheffield, and Director of Enterprise Educators UK

You are an influential individual within the enterprise education space. What does ‘enterprise education’ mean to you, and why do you think it’s important?

For me, enterprise education is about creating a cultural shift in the way our students view the world, their role in it, and their capacity to change things around them. If we want society to grow and mature we need people who are able to see things differently, who aren’t afraid to challenge the norms, and who have the confidence to seek change, not fear it. Enterprising employees are the leaders of change within their organisations and, more than ever, employers are seeking graduates who don’t just have the subject knowledge to do the job, but also have the personal skills and attributes to drive their business forward.

And of course, we shouldn’t forget the direct impact that enterprise education has on inspiring students and graduates to consider startups as a valid graduate destination. So much of the national focus is on universities’ economic impact through research and commercialisation, but the contribution of student and graduate startups to economic vibrancy and job creation far outstrips that in many universities.

How did you first become involved with enterprise education?

By complete accident. I applied for a job in HE enterprise in 2004, not really understanding what it was. But within a few short weeks I was completely hooked. Who wouldn’t want to work with such passionate, creative and committed students and academics?

Founded in 2006, USE (University of Sheffield Enterprise) supports students and graduates in making their entrepreneurial ideas happen. Tell us more about the services on offer.

We’ve changed a lot over the last 11 years, and our offer has changed too.

Our LEARN team work with academics around the university to embed enterprise in the curriculum, so that every student has the opportunity for an enterprise education that is contextualised within their degree programme.

Our CREATE team run events such as Startup Weekend, Social Innovation Labs and Hackathons to get student thinking creatively about how they can solve problems that come from industry, society, research and their own passions.

Our EVOLVE team supports those students and graduates who want to turn their idea into a business with resources and 1:1 coaching.

I think the biggest change in the last 11 years is how we view our support for entrepreneurs. It’s not about us telling them what we can do for them, it’s about understanding what they need from us and our networks to find that scalable, repeatable business model and adapting what we do to support them. But it’s also about us being more selective. With limited resources we have to give our support to those with a genuine commitment to the entrepreneurial journey rather than a whim to explore a business concept. The more committed they are, the more they get from us.

You recently remarked that “supporting student enterprise has become a fundamental part of the student experience”. As a Sheffield graduate yourself, how have you seen enterprise education change over the years, and what should today’s students do to make the most of it?

I graduated in 1995 so I predate enterprise education. It wasn’t even on the radar when I was a student! I think we have moved from a bolt-on model back in the noughties – where the only purpose of enterprise education was to equip students with business startup knowledge – to a much deeper, embedded model which is about the attributes, capabilities and skills of individuals and may not ever explicitly mention business startup. Universities are such a safe place for students to experiment, to learn about themselves, and to meet students from diverse backgrounds. Universities are where students expand their values and perspectives, moving on from those inherited from their parents to develop their own sense of self; but they can only do this by putting themselves out there and getting involved with university life beyond the curriculum. Enterprise education lurks in the most surprising places – who knew the Dance Society would win one of our enterprise awards!

There’s an age-old debate about whether entrepreneurs are born or made. Can you weigh into this?

Some people are born creative and confident enough to put their ideas into action, but entrepreneurs can definitely be made too. Through enterprise education, we can equip students with capabilities that build their confidence and self-efficacy. Entrepreneurship isn’t for everyone; it’s hard work, long hours, and, in the early stages, brings little financial reward. But for those who are passionate about the idea of being an entrepreneur, the lean approach to startup helps to quickly build their self efficacy.

For students who don’t want to be entrepreneurs, what other benefits does enterprise education provide?

At Sheffield University, we define enterprise education as five capabilities: authentic problem solving, innovation and creativity, evaluating and taking risks, taking action, and true collaboration. These are all capabilities required by entrepreneurs, but they are also required more and more in employment; and students who can evidence that they have taken the opportunity to develop these capabilities, and show where they have applied them, are going to be a much more attractive prospect to future employers.

Where do you hope to see enterprise education in five years’ time?

We need to make sure that enterprise education is seen as a ‘must have’, not a ‘would be nice to have’. I would like to think we will eventually come to a point where we don’t actually talk about enterprise education as a ‘thing’, and that instead it is just an accepted part of the educational experience. Support for student and graduate entrepreneurs needs to gain more credibility in the UK generally. Our entrepreneurs aren’t just ‘playing at it'; it’s not something they are experimenting with without commitment, and they aren’t too young or naïve. These entrepreneurs are disrupting our view of traditional business startup.

What does a typical day look like in the world of Sara Pates?

There is no typical day. And that’s what I like about working in enterprise. There are definitely meetings, though. Lots and lots of meetings…

And finally, Sara, tell us: if you were an animal, what would you be and why?

In the mornings I’m a kinkajou – best known for not liking light, noise or sudden movement. Seriously though, I’ve done some research into this and a wild dog seems to describe me best: energetic, demonstrative and loyal, with a strong sense of social justice. I like to be part of a social team, but prefer not to be in a structured environment. That explains why I love enterprise education so much, then!

In the spotlight:

Name: Deniz Ucbasaran

Location: Coventry

Occupation: Professor of Entrepreneurship, Warwick Business School, University of Warwick

You are an influential individual within the enterprise education space. What does ‘enterprise education’ mean to you, and why do you think it’s important?

I view entrepreneurial thinking as an important life skill that can be applied in many settings. Therefore, for me, enterprise education is about developing an entrepreneurial mindset and honing the skills needed to enact such an attitude. An entrepreneurial mindset allows individuals to identify opportunities to create new value (economic, social and/or cultural) and ways in which they can exploit those opportunities even in the face of significant uncertainty. Such opportunities might relate to start-ups, but they can also relate to existing organisations; large or small, new or old, in the public or private sector…

How did you first become involved with enterprise education?

It was a natural extension of my research, really. As an academic, one tries to be in the privileged position of ensuring alignment between what they research (and therefore become knowledgeable about) and what they are asked to teach. Interestingly, I only really started to teach entrepreneurship when I came to Warwick seven years ago, and was asked to become involved in delivering a programme to executive MBA students.

Your research explores many areas of entrepreneurial activity – including failure. In a recent article, you commented that ‘anything that helps people talk about failure and helps normalise failure is helpful’. How can enterprise education help prepare entrepreneurs to cope with business failure – and should enterprise educators be doing more to promote discussion of this (arguably taboo) topic?

I believe entrepreneurship and failure go hand in hand due to the uncertainties inherent in many entrepreneurial opportunities. You can plan to the limits of your knowledge, but you can’t predict what is going to happen – especially in fast-moving industries or when creating new markets. Entrepreneurial activity might therefore be usefully viewed as a series of experiments, some of which may not yield the results you might hope for. Setbacks, surprises and failures are a natural part of entrepreneurship. I feel that it would be irresponsible of us as educators not to explain this. I also think we have a responsibility to paint a realistic picture of life as an entrepreneur – including its many rewards and challenges. I try to achieve this by bringing entrepreneur guests who can present such a picture into my classroom. There are also case studies of entrepreneurs who are going through the process of terminating a venture. Getting students to put themselves into the shoes of such individuals can help them think through the issues and prepare them.

I think as enterprise educators we should make it clear that failure is possible (even likely), but that there are ways of minimising the costs of failure (“fail fast, fail cheap” wherever possible) – and there are steps that individuals can take to help the recovery process.

Can enterprise be included at all stages of education, and within every subject? If yes, how? If no, why not?

I think that it can be included from a very early age – indeed, there is evidence that it can. I’ve seen primary schools that encourage creativity and problem-solving as well as financing and resourcing – all key elements of enterprise. A stand at a school fair is a classic example.

Involving students of all ages in business can also be very useful. A positive example is the Stepping Stones Cookie Bar – a social enterprise that was designed to help children with disabilities gain business and practical skills (as well as confidence) by making and selling cookies and drinks. Positive examples of how entrepreneurial skills can be used to help solve societal challenges should be nurtured from a young age, so that this kind of thinking becomes normal and natural. We don’t want our kids to suffer from apathy; instead, they should be proactive, using the skills they acquire during their education (at all stages) for social good.

How have your experiences of working with private business and public policy circles influenced your teaching?

The work I have done with entrepreneurial businesses – and those supporting them – has been very influential to my teaching. I have a much deeper understanding of the challenges that entrepreneurs face, as well as how to deal with these. I have built this knowledge into my curriculum. I believe that my links have allowed me to develop a complementary blend of the academic and practical in my teaching. I’ve also found that business circles are very open to contributing to the education we are seeking to provide. I’ve been overwhelmed by the generosity and openness of many entrepreneurs who have been willing to speak to my students and support them in their entrepreneurial endeavours.

Professor Deniz Ucbasaran and Professor Andy Lockett, Warwick Business School

For students who don’t want to be entrepreneurs, what other benefits does enterprise education provide?

As mentioned previously, I think an entrepreneurial mindset and associated behaviours can be applied in many settings. I think media portrayals of successful entrepreneurs don’t always help students. Yes, they can be inspiring – but they tend to be all about start-ups, and this can be daunting, too. I like to make it clear to my students that I am not an evangelist. For me it is important for students to feel that they are able to make an informed decision about whether or not they want to become entrepreneurs. At the same time, I focus on individuals being engaged in entrepreneurial activities – rather than labelling people as ‘an entrepreneur’ or ‘not an entrepreneur’.

Individuals can be very entrepreneurial in large established organisations, too, so it is important for students to have a broad view of entrepreneurship. Furthermore, many high profile entrepreneurs were – and are – supported by others; so being part of a team or supporting an entrepreneur is also an option. Who knows where that might lead to in the future? People can be more or less entrepreneurial throughout their lifetime, depending on opportunities and personal circumstances. This means that even though entrepreneurship may not suit them now, things could change – particularly if they identify an opportunity they are passionate about. If a student decides categorically that they don’t want to engage in entrepreneurship, that is fine. Many of the skills needed for entrepreneurship are valuable in other settings; such as how to make decisions under uncertainty, developing empathy with users and customers, story-telling and persuasion, taking action with limited resources – to name just a few!

Where do you hope to see enterprise education in five years’ time?

I think it will be much more mainstream in business education, as well as in other disciplines. Enterprise education is already being offered to engineers, medics and scientists. I think this trend will only gain momentum. I also think that there will be more partnerships. It is one thing whetting the appetite at university (or elsewhere), but after this point students need support to really develop their ideas. Unfortunately, university departments, incubators and financiers can find it difficult to work collaboratively in a way that serves all interests. Greater thought and energy needs to go into this, I think.

What does a typical day look like in the world of Deniz Ucbasaran?

This is really hard for me to answer. Some days I’ll be teaching all day – as my teaching tends to be in intensive blocks – but other days I might be working on various teaching and learning projects as part of my Associate Dean for pedagogy role; and on other days I’ll be focusing on my research.

And finally, Deniz, tell us: if you were an animal, what would you be and why?

I normally loathe questions like this as they call for something witty! Funnily enough, though, I recently did a quiz with my eight year-old on this topic and I came out as a meerkat. This outcome resulted from my propensity to socialise and work in a group, my willingness to help others, and my sense of responsibility and loyalty. I’ll settle for that for now…!

In the spotlight:

Name: Gareth Trainer

Location: Newcastle upon Tyne

Occupation: Assistant Director (Enterprise and Entrepreneurship) at Newcastle University Careers Service, and Director and Treasurer of Enterprise Educators UK

You are an influential individual within the enterprise education space. What does ‘enterprise education’ mean to you, and why do you think it’s important?

Having helped to author them, I should probably reference the QAA’s guidance on enterprise and entrepreneurship education from 2012 which I think, even after five years, is still a great way of describing enterprise education:

“Enterprise education aims to produce graduates with the mindset and skills to come up with original ideas in response to identified needs and shortfalls, and the ability to act on them. In short, having an idea and making it happen. Enterprise skills include taking the initiative, intuitive decision making, making things happen, networking, identifying opportunities, creative problem solving, innovating, strategic thinking, and personal effectiveness. Enterprise education extends beyond knowledge acquisition to a wide range of emotional, intellectual, social, and practical skills.”

To me, enterprise refers to aspects of a person that makes them creative, innovative, adaptable, resourceful and willing and able to make things happen. Enterprise education occurs when we create or encounter a learning experience that draws out one or more of these elements, allowing a student to experience enterprise and reflect on what it means to them and their personal and professional aspirations. Increasing numbers of students choose to apply their enterprise to a new venture of their own, but enterprise is of benefit to wider employability and the success of other organisations and communities.

It is always incredibly satisfying to see enterprising spirit grow in someone as a result of their experiences, but at the core of it for me is recognising how enterprise education can change a person’s sense of self-confidence and self-efficacy. You can experience and you can learn, but having increased confidence to do and review shows what impact enterprise education can have.

How did you first become involved with enterprise education?

I was finishing my undergraduate dissertation and – naively – believed we had discovered something that could be turned into a service that would help people. In trying to find out how, and ultimately realising it wasn’t going to be possible, I discovered a different way of looking at the subject I was studying. Suddenly, the lecture notes and research projects had a new life about them; the knowledge applied in the right way with the right skills could solve problems and make meaning for people. Seems obvious now, but this is when I became interested in making sure that as many of my colleagues as possible experienced enterprise.

Following a sabbatical year in the students’ union, campaigning to help students get the maximum value out of their time at university, I got a job at the Careers Service to introduce an extracurricular programme developing enterprise skills and supporting those with self-employment aspirations. My team was heavily involved in curriculum development too, and so right from the word go I was involved in embedding enterprise and employability into the student experience, working with academics, employers and local business support agencies. At the same time national networks of enterprise educators were forming around government funded initiatives, and as soon as I started to get involved in these activities I was hooked!

How has enterprise education changed over the years, and how does it benefit students today?

Since 2001, when I first engaged with enterprise education, I have seen it become increasingly visible and supported within higher education in particular. Early interventions by bodies like the UK Science Enterprise Challenge (now Enterprise Educators UK), the National Council for Graduate Entrepreneurship (now NCEE) and the Cambridge-MIT Institute (which was funded by the government until 2006), established a platform for enterprise educators to self-identify, share good practice and develop professionally across traditional disciplines. This meant that more students were experiencing enterprise education and doing incredible things as a result; creating the stories that have for years inspired institutions to invest further in the agenda.

I was fortunate to be involved in the creation of the National Enterprise Educator Awards (NEEAs), as well as the QAA guidance, which have both helped to legitimise enterprise education as a pan-disciplinary pedagogy and scholarly profession. All of this change is made evident when you read a university’s learning and teaching, or student experience, strategies and find aspiration objectives about enterprise. I was particularly proud when Newcastle University won the TARGETjobs Award for the Best Employability Strategy in 2017, as this was developed by a huge crowd of stakeholders from across the University. Enterprise education is now acknowledged as being of strategic importance to students and their institutions.

Gareth Trainer and colleagues collect TARGETjobs Award for the Best Employability Strategy 2017

For many students – and, indeed, for a great deal of lecturers – a degree (and the subject being studied) is an end in itself. However, you argue that entrepreneurial learning should be embedded within every curriculum so that enterprise skills are a norm amongst graduates. The question is, how?

That’s a very good question and the answer will often differ depending on the subject being studied. Enterprise can take on different forms in different disciplines, and that contextualisation is actually very important in my experience. As an enterprise educator, you have to deal with the terminology issue pretty quickly, using consultancy and coaching skills to identify the best way to present enterprise. It is then often a case of looking for opportunities within the curriculum to try something different and introduce experiential elements that are work-related or based around problems and opportunities in related industries or communities. It is worth remembering that many of the lecturers and students will be nudged out of their comfort zones, so establishing a safe space in which to experiment with enterprise is crucial and can be difficult. EEUK host an excellent online knowledge base on how to embed enterprise across disciplines and I recommend taking a look to see how others have done it. The ETC Toolkit can be accessed from here.

Your work on Newcastle University’s enterprise skills and business start-up support agenda has helped launch over 300 businesses (and counting!). Why is it important that students have access to such services, and how can they use them to their best advantage?

We know from graduate employers that enterprise skills can make a crucial difference to a student’s employability and, as such, any student seeking graduate level work after graduation should develop their enterprise as well as career management skills. Our enterprise development opportunities are accessed as part of the Careers Service offerings, as well as within increasing numbers of modules and degree programmes at Newcastle. We work very hard to make sure that students have a positive experience with enterprise but, in most cases, it still requires the students to opt in, so we ensure that there are easily-accessible, no-obligation ways of engaging.

The same is true for the support we offer to those who want to be freelance, self-employed or start a business. Our new look START UP service can help whether a student has an idea for a business or not, and provides low risk ways of understanding what is involved and how it works. Many industries are changing such that the only way to get in to some of them is through a self-employed route, so it is essential that this increasingly popular option is supported and made visible. There will always be personal and professional risk, but universities generally provide the most supportive environments in which to try and, indeed, fail. Very often all it takes to get started is a conversation.

There’s an age-old debate about whether entrepreneurs are born or made. Can you weigh into this?

Everyone has an innate potential to be enterprising, but this can be repressed by the environment and the circumstances in which a person finds themselves. I believe that enterprise education can unlock this potential, and inspire and equip people with what they need to be entrepreneurial. We know that a supportive environment is important to making a success of a venture, and even feeling able to give it a go. Effective enterprise education can also provide this supportive environment. Lots of people are born into highly entrepreneurial environments – whether cultural or familial – from which they get all they need to give something a go, but I believe everyone benefits from enterprise education, even if it’s learning that entrepreneurship is not for them.

For students who don’t want to be entrepreneurs, what other benefits does enterprise education provide?

As I mentioned earlier, there are huge employability benefits from engaging with enterprise education, and the relevant skills are very often quoted by employers as key qualities that they look for. On a very practical level, enterprise education often involves learning by doing, and these experiences can provide great scenarios to discuss at job interviews, for example. I also think that enterprise facilitates different kinds of learning. As I found as an undergraduate, being able to ask yourself, “So what? Why does this matter to anyone?” challenges you to think differently about what you are studying and, in my experience, can bring it to life and open up post-study options that didn’t occur to you before.

Gareth Trainer hosts a Rise Up dinner for new and experienced entrepreneurs

Where do you hope to see enterprise education in five years’ time?

In five years’ time I hope to see enterprise embedded across the whole educational landscape, but this will bring with it significant challenges, from how compulsory education is structured through to the resources universities put in place to provide enterprising learning environments. I therefore think the spread of enterprise will cause educators to go back to some fundamental principles which, if tackled correctly, will make enterprise education the benchmark for good learning and teaching across the sector and beyond.

What does a typical day look like in the world of Gareth Trainer?

When I have one I’ll let you know! I don’t think there is a typical structure to my days, but I try to start them by catching up with members of our fabulous Enterprise Team and wider Career Service colleagues. At some point in my day I bump into a start-up or two, working in our START UP Space. In-between and around this could be anything from meetings with academic colleagues, discussions with my fellow senior managers, endorsement conversations with international graduates, occasional session delivery to groups of students, or video chats with enterprise educators from across the country. There is often a workshop or networking event thrown in too. To be honest, I think ‘typical days’ are the kind that enterprise educators secretly try to avoid!

And finally, Gareth, tell us: if you were an animal, what would you be and why?

Don’t laugh, but I’ve thought about this carefully and… I think if I were an animal I would most likely be an otter! Most otters have strong family groups in which there is very little hierarchy when it comes to getting things done. Probably more importantly, they have fun and are known to enjoy laughing. They are also resourceful and like to experiment and make things to benefit other otters, such as slides that help get them into the water more quickly. They work hard, have a laugh and enjoy the outdoors.