PurposeIn response to the emergence of an enterprise economy, government claims that building an enterprise culture is vital. Correspondingly, provision of entrepreneurship education in higher education has expanded. The paper aims to assess the potential of entrepreneurship education to develop skills, and of whether students perceive them as having value within the modern economy.Design/methodology/approachThe paper draws from a longitudinal, collaborative study of students of entrepreneurship in four universities. Using a questionnaire‐based methodology, the paper is based on responses from a sample of 519 students.FindingsResults include that any increase in graduate entrepreneurship is most likely to be a long‐term. Results also suggest that many students expect to work in new and small firms, and that skills developed by entrepreneurship education are applicable to both waged employment and entrepreneurship. Accordingly, entrepreneurship education seems to have much potential to develop skills appropriate for the enterprise economy.Research limitations/implicationsThe research is limited by its quantitative nature. As the primary purpose is to evaluate attitudes to entrepreneurship and perceptions of the economic environment, further research should involve qualitative follow‐up, in the form of focus groups and/or longitudinal case studies.Originality/valueThe value of the paper lies in the suggestion that investment in entrepreneurship education is likely to have a positive impact within the economy. The long‐term impact of an increase in awareness of entrepreneurship; of the ability to start firms; and an increase in skills transferable to waged employment within an enterprise‐based economy, can not be underestimated.
This paper is a critical review of recent national policy developments in the United Kingdom to support women's enterprise. The progress and increased pace of national policy development in this arena reflect a renewed focus on women's enterprise in the United Kingdom, and in this paper we aim to place these developments in relation to historical and current paradigmatic approaches taken to supporting women in enterprise, existing and new research evidence, existing support and delivery structures, and the underpinning rationale behind these new policy approaches. New UK policy developments in Scotland and England are set out and we first discuss the economic rationale for these, presenting the variety of evidence and data on the rate of women's business ownership in the United Kingdom and commenting on the policy and programme implications of the available data. Next, new policy developments in the United Kingdom are reviewed and tested against a variety of paradigmatic approaches in support of women's entrepreneurship. Policy design in gender mainstreaming is outlined and the extant literature and research evidence are then discussed in relation to the design of new UK policy and programme objectives. The paper concludes with a summary of findings under these four areas and our comments on the practical implementation of recent policy initiatives and potential pitfalls in the realisation of stated policy objectives. Recommendations on a future research approach are also included.Abstract. Against a background of perceptions of women's low participation in entrepreneurship in the United Kingdom, this paper critically reviews recent policy developments in the provision of public sector support for women in enterprise. The available statistical evidence for women's participation in business ownership in the United Kingdom is reviewed against comparative data from the USA that is promoted by the UK government as a potential benchmark. We argue that programming and resource-issue problems are evidenced in new policies that are a direct consequence of lack of data. Next, policy is tested against various paradigmatic stances in women's enterprise support, and problematic areas in poverty alleviation, social inclusion, advocacy, access to finance, and gender mainstreaming are discussed. Selected literature that addresses barriers identified to women's enterprise is reviewed, and issues of confidence, risk, motivation to business start-up, and childcare are discussed in terms of programming. We conclude that, although the Department of Trade and Industry/Small Business Service Strategic Framework for Women's Enterprise in England is flawed, the framework has assembled a broad church of opinions and approaches to women's enterprise support in a democratic, participative, and cross-cutting fashion.
What role can and should the university play in enhancing the civic engagement of the fifty-plus population? The interest on the part of this population in lifelong learning has already been demonstrated to be a priority. There is also a growing movement for increasing the engagement of universities with their local communities, including expanded service-learning opportunities for college students and faculty. Can universities build upon these two areas of growth to create a format that will assist in the recruitment and retention of older volunteers? The University of Maryland has been testing variations of a model that combines lifelong learning, leadership development, and civic engagement in both the United States and Europe. A version of this civic engagement model is presented as a replicable model that can pioneer new methods of civic engagement both for older adults and for universities.
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