Our latest White Paper, “Ivory Tower or Silicon Roundabout?” explores the needs of student entrepreneurs. We argue that British universities are uniquely placed to help start-up students realise their dreams.
Over half of people born after 1998 are interested in starting their own company, but our research finds that 56% of British universities make little or no mention of entrepreneurship in their undergraduate prospectus.
The White Paper explores how:
- Generation Z is far more motivated by entrepreneurship than previous generations.
- Global start-up culture is challenging universities’ monopoly on providing a “good education”.
- The voice of government and universities puts too little emphasis on entrepreneurship and too much on traditional employment
- Many US universities are making substantial investments in entrepreneurial experiences for their start-up students.
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Extract: Ivory Tower or Silicon Roundabout?
About the Student Entrepreneurs
“More than half of people born after 1998 want to start their own company. But 56% of British universities make little mention of entrepreneurship in their undergraduate prospectus.
British universities are uniquely placed to help start- up orientated students build their dreams. After all, the UK is one of the best places in the world to start a business1. Ironic then that both government and universities communicate such emphasis on traditional employment outcomes.
There is enormous opportunity for British universities to differentiate themselves by building a student experience that meets the needs of this start-up generation. The benefits of this range from higher student satisfaction, more efficient and successful student recruitment through to opportunities for a more central role in government policy.
Many universities miss this opportunity because they don’t design and deliver the right experiences for their start-up minded students. This is a strategic issue and not simply a communication one. The fundamental question is how universities can internalise the culture of silicon roundabout.
This paper draws together the evidence for the entrepreneurial aspirations of the start-up generation. It presents new research by Student Experience Company that demonstrates the entrepreneurship gap in 2017’s undergraduate prospectuses. We go on to describe the five strategic practices that are essential for universities to successfully design and deliver great student experiences for the start-up generation. Finally, we present international case studies demonstrating how selected universities have innovated and committed to delivering great experiences for entrepreneur-students.”
