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Drawing on entrepreneurship education (EE) theory, this article examines the role of learning and inspiration in developing students' entrepreneurial intentions in the First Year in Higher Education. This addresses the paucity of research on early university experiences of EE and their influence on entrepreneurial intentions. Using a longitudinal survey of business students at a British university, the authors identify four scenarios related to the participation/non-participation in EE and subsequent increase or decrease of entrepreneurial intentions. A subset of those surveyed are interviewed (n = 49) to better understand how their university experience has influenced their entrepreneurial intentions. Findings suggest that the influence of EE is variable, in some cases even leading to a decrease in entrepreneurial intentions. The results contribute to theories of EE and intentions in the early stages of higher education. The authors discuss implications for theory and practice.

PurposeThe paper's purpose is to present an introduction to the special issue is that positions and explores some of issues and challenges in the field of graduate entrepreneurship.Design/methodology/approachThe paper examines a range of issues and themes and introduces papers of six authors/author teams. The introductory paper is divided into three sections: what is graduate entrepreneurship; entrepreneurial intentions; and education and training.FindingsThe paper finds that, despite increasing attention on graduate entrepreneurship, there remains a lack of research on entrepreneurial intentions and enterprise/entrepreneurship education and training in varied and multiple contexts. This special issue includes research from a number of countries, including England, Ireland, Australia and the USA.Originality/valueThe paper provides the basis for a more nuanced understanding of entrepreneurial intentions and related education and training – of interest to both researchers and policy makers in terms of the journey from student to start‐up.

This article is based upon research funded by the

Most previous research on career success has examined the differential importance of predictors of objective career success (e.g. salary) between men and women. The aim of the present paper is to investigate hypotheses pertaining to male-female differences in subjective career success (SCS) prediction. Two measures of SCS, intrinsic job success (IJS) and perceived career success (PCS), were employed as criteria and a range of organisational policy perceptions and social support strategies as predictors. Questionnaire data was collected from 439 administrative full-time employees in the UK. Results provided modest support for the differential predictive power of the above predictors of SCS for men and women. The main results suggested that peer support was a more powerful predictor of men's SCS, whereas personal support was a more powerful predictor for women's SCS. The implications of these findings are discussed, together with avenues for further research.

PurposeThe purpose of this article is to provide a selective review of literature on the career‐related decision‐making processes in terms of the transition from student to business start‐up, and the nature and influence of support and guidance.Design/methodology/approachPrimarily, a critical review of a range of recently published literature (1995‐2005) addressing the theoretical and practical aspects of the journey from student to start‐up. The literature is divided into sections: the graduate labour market: a state of flux; Conceptual and definitional issues; Career choice and decision‐making; and Start‐up training and support.FindingsThe paper finds that despite an increasing body of theoretical and empirical literature on career choice in general and on the career choice to start‐up a business in the form of intention models, there remains a lack of in‐depth research on the stories, circumstances, contexts and complexities of graduates on their journey from student to business start‐up. A transition from entrepreneurial intentions to actual start‐up is often assumed but under‐researched in terms of career development and decision making processes. The nexus between training, support, intent and actual career choice to start‐up a business remains under‐investigated.Research limitations/implicationsGiven that careers are made in a changing and complex context, simple relationships should not be expected. Hence, rather than focusing solely on certain aspects of the start‐up process, research is needed that takes a more holistic approach.Practical implicationsThe study highlights the need for research that does justice to the complexities of the decisions made in the process from student to start‐up and by implication public policy and practice in relation to formal intervention within this aspect of the graduate labour market.Originality/valueThe paper lays the basis for a more nuanced understanding of the journey from student to start‐up of value to both researchers and policy makers.

A sample of 1996 undergraduate students from the University of Central Lancashire were surveyed soon after graduation. Responses were obtained from 143 graduates of the University from an initial census of 315 (45 per cent) drawn from six departments. Although the initial purpose of the survey was to assess the usefulness of survey methodology as a means of assessing graduates’ skills development, the research also addressed a number of key questions relating to the importance and quality of graduates’ generic transferable skills and competencies. Basic findings in terms of skills development are threefold: (a) graduates tend to rate the importance of particular skills more highly than their own ability in those skills, (b) graduates tend to rate their level of ability lowest in IT skills and highest in their ability to work without supervision, and (c) that there are possible differences between the views of males and females. The research has implications for undergraduates, employers and careers advisers. Furthermore, academic departments facing teaching quality assessment might find that this approach offers useful evidence for their self assessment.

Purpose -The paper addresses the need for a re-focused research agenda in relation to graduate entrepreneurship. An important theme for some years has been the effort to monitor attitudes and intentions of students towards starting-up their own businesses. It is timely, however, to raise some questions about both the impact of this research and likewise the general approach it has taken in understanding the phenomenon of graduate entrepreneurship.Design/methodology/approach -The paper draws upon a large data set (over 8000 students) from one UK region. Specifically, it presents data from the 2007/2008 Entrepreneurial Intentions (EI) survey within the Yorkshire and Humberside region and reflects back over previous iterations of this research.Results -The paper identifies three key outcomes. Firstly, it establishes that across all years of the survey, a substantial minority of students consistently hold relatively strong start-up intentions. Secondly, the paper highlights that despite considerable effort to increase the numbers moving to start-up, little impact is discernible. Thirdly, the paper suggests that although the EI survey is useful as a stock taking exercise, it fails to address critical questions around the impact of higher education on entrepreneurship and the transition from entrepreneurial intent to the act of venture creation.Originality/ value -The paper provides an important positioning perspective on the relationship between higher education and graduate entrepreneurship. While highlighting the importance of the EI research, the paper establishes the need for a refocused research agenda; one that is conceptually robust and with a focus upon the student journey from higher education to graduate entrepreneur.