Expert training for the entrepreneurs in our classrooms
Entrepreneurship is now one of the most aspirational career paths in the UK, with the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, calling for a “new age for entrepreneurship”. But are we doing enough to create a culture of enterprise in our classrooms?
According to the latest NatWest, Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, Impact 2020 survey, one in seven adults now plans to become an entrepreneur, an increase of 50 per cent on last year. While the statistic takes into account the entrepreneurial goals of adults aged 18 to 80, the figure is disproportionately driven by under-24year-olds.
The report outlined that the key area in need of improvement, to give future entrepreneurs the best chance of success in the UK, was entrepreneurial education at school. The lack of goodquality entrepreneurship education was further highlighted in the Future Founders: Understanding the Next Generation of Entrepreneurs report by Octopus and The Entrepreneurs Network. This noted that only 38 per cent of 14-25-yearolds surveyed said their education had given them the skills or experiences they needed to succeed in business.
The rise in side hustles, particularly among school-age children, speaks to the inherent entrepreneurial mindset of young people.
There is no doubt that amazing things can happen when these selfstarters and creative thinkers are given the opportunities, funding and network needed to supercharge their ambition. Whether young people are looking to make their way as founders or go into higher education, these are exactly the kind of skills employers and investors are looking for.
ENTREPRENEURIAL TALENT
The Peter Jones Foundation, started by Peter Jones CBE in 2005, has spent 15 years campaigning for entrepreneurship to sit at the centre of the curriculum. In 2009 it launched the Peter Jones Enterprise Academy (PJEA).
Alongside a Pearson level 3 BTEC qualification in enterprise and entrepreneurship, students at the PJEA are encouraged to adopt a ‘learning by doing’ approach to business, with access to start-up funding, business masterclasses, enterprise challenges and a community of entrepreneurs and mentors.
The experience not only helps young people to establish and run their first business while at school, but also focuses on the development of an entrepreneurial mindset and the core enterprise skills that the current curriculum is perceived to lack: financial skills, digital skills, creativity and innovation, problem solving, pitching, presenting and selfmanagement.
ENTREPRENEURIAL EDUCATION
More than 5,000 young people have graduated from the PJEA, many of whom have gone on to raise significant start-up capital.
Louis Bollard is a serial entrepreneur and the founder of Play Away Stay Away, a platform for connecting football and rugby fans who are happy to host away supporters in exchange for being hosted themselves on their own away trips. He studied at the Peter Jones Enterprise Academy in Oldham, where he was described by Peter Jones CBE as a “Dragon in the making”.
He says: “I’m not sure I knew I always wanted to be an entrepreneur but I certainly had entrepreneurial instincts from a young age and natural tendency towards it. My time at the PJEA made me change my degree from history to business! For me, the PJEA was a great place to explore entrepreneurship and discover the entrepreneur within. Being surrounded by like-minded people really helps to inspire, encourage and develop yourself and your business dreams.”
Louis received a fully-funded MBA at the University of Bath to grow his venture.
Are you ready to kick-start your entrepreneurial journey?
Immanuel College is the first and only Jewish school to launch the Peter Jones Enterprise Academy in the UK. It is now taking applications for entrepreneurial students for the 2022/23 academic year, who will benefit from the diverse and hands-on course, which gives young people the experience, skills and knowledge needed to build long, successful careers, with all the benefits of being part of a Jewish sixth-form community.
These are the exact skills employers and investors are looking for’