Thursday 24 September 2009

Need for business training to boost economy


Strathclyde University have just published a report which says that enterprise education in universities and colleges can double the rate of business start-ups.

However, only Yorkshire and Humberside did worse than Scotland in business start-ups and although many Scots think they could go into business for themselves, few actually take the risk of being an entrepreneur. One explanation put forward is that few Scots actually know anyone who has started their own business in the last 2 years (20% compared with 30% in London and 43% in similar European countries). In Europe, people are 3 times more likely to invest in a friend or family members business.

The Hunter Centre for Entrepreneurship at Strathclyde found that business training was a key factor in encouraging business start-up. Professor Sara Carter, head of the Hunter Centre, said "Entrepreneurship education gives students a more competitive edge in the graduate labour market as well as presenting new venture creation as a realistic and, in some cases, essential career option".

One positive from the current economic climate is that the recession may help the start-up rate as skilled people, facing redundancy, may have to look at new options.

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