Entrepreneurship Education in UK HEIs

Abstract

The paper reviews the origins of entrepreneurship education in the UK from the time when it was considered almost a deviant form of academic behaviour through to the present day. At different times the main drivers for this work have been outreach to entrepreneurs and ‘real’ small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), research, and the growth of courses aimed at traditional degree students. Now, at least 45% of UK higher education institutions have one or more courses within the curriculum which address business start-up issues. Such activity looks set to increase, even without the investment of some £25 million of pump-priming funds from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). That money will shortly become available to universities with leading-edge science and technology to establish ‘Centres of Excellence’ in support of the creation of high-tech firms by their students and staff. Much of the paper draws upon the results of work supported by the Department for Education and Employment (DfEE) to assess and disseminate best practice in this field and to create new resources for entrepreneurship education. Signposts to these resources and others are given.