Employability Through Enterprise: Seeking Academic Alignment Towards Impactful Graduates
Engaging in enterprising activity at university has several benefits for students, including building on employable skills and gaining valuable experience. Robert Crammond discusses how aligning employability and enterprise efforts lead to impactful graduates.
Education, Enterprise & Employability
Increasingly prioritised in university is the continued embedding of enterprise. Towards practical education, skills development, and employability – it has huge benefits. As a result, the championing of entrepreneurialism now forms a major part of university strategy, multi-stakeholder operations including consultancy and business relationships, and of course in student-facing session delivery. In short, university education now acknowledges that engaging in enterprising activity positively contributes to a graduate’s employability.
Within courses and wider programmes, developing enterprising skills for future careers is facilitated. This is achieved through timely teaching approaches, meaningful assessment, links with business, and increasing engagement with business creation and next stage commercialisation. Key attributes, such as creative and critical thinking, inclusive leadership, risk awareness, people management, and being able to navigate challenges through strategic decisions and innovation, are just a few examples of traits that are both commensurate with entrepreneurship and desired by employers.
Endorsed frameworks, such as Advance HE’s recent series of examples, emphasise employability within the context of skills development and enterprise as a matter for everyone within university to address at every level of learning across disciplines. Annually, with over 175,000 business graduates completing their studies, and with many of these being inspired by their exposure to enterprise (skills and creativity) and entrepreneurship (start-ups and new business development) education, the blending of enterprise and employability support offers rich opportunity for all.
The Role of the University
It rightfully remains that the primary responsibility of universities is to educate students and prepare them for the next stage of their lives and careers. The rate of positive graduate destinations, within 15 months of course completion, sits between 87% and 92% within UK nations (from 2021 and 2022 figures). Enterprising skills play a part here.
Generally speaking, universities contribute hugely to the UK economy, and this includes societally beneficial start-up assistance and creation. Towards the end of this decade, universities in the UK are forecast to provide in excess of £11 billion in research and support for businesses big and small. This also leads to a combination of graduates working within large organisations, in SMEs which serve their local communities and regions, or who lead their own business.
With 8.7% of UK graduates being entrepreneurs (from October 2022), there are a common set of methods and approaches that I discuss in my first book which introduce enterprise education and intend to increase entrepreneurial intentions of students:
Case Study & Scenario Analysis
Debates and Roundtable Forums
Experiential Learning & Formal Placements
External Engagement and Guest Speakers
Group Discussions and Projects
Incubation and Accelerator Programmes
Learning from critical incidents
Practice-based, including idea generation and new venture creation
Reflective practice & Storytelling
Role-playing
Thematic Seminars
Traditional Lectures
Aligning Employability and Enterprise: ‘ABC’ Themes
At this year’s successful ‘Integrating Employability 2024’ conference, hosted by HE Professional, I was able to present my latest research on this topic. This concerned entrepreneurial developments within a Scottish university, involving 500 undergraduate and postgraduate students, 10 academics, 5 courses, 3 university departments, and a series of academic and industry-focussed activity facilitated over the 2022-2023 academic session and hosted within cross-campus incubation spaces.
I outline ‘ABC’ themes for Assisted Academic Practice (AAP) both through and for enterprise. These ABC themes: attributes, behaviours, and contexts highlight the contributing factors and programmatic considerations upon which enterprising students become employable graduates.
Firstly, AAP staff should maintain pragmatic learning and mentoring which develops skills and attributes that employers want and need.
Secondly, AAP must embed a socially responsive message in inspiring graduate entrepreneurs to be well-rounded individuals.
Thirdly, in terms of encouraging enterprising and employable behaviours, AAP should continue to encourage inclusive and reflective scenario appreciation with organisations.
Finally, concerning context, AAP should alert students to societal themes, digital and transformative environments, and student-led activities.
Significantly, towards increased employability, the links between university teaching of enterprise and available incubator spaces on university campuses up and down the country are now getting increasingly closer. These spaces, occupied by experienced business professionals, promote enterprise ecosystems and maintain networks.
As a notable fixture within university life, incubators influence students and visiting graduates in being enterprising, and to consider many graduate destinations including new venture creation, consultancy, and business support. Where incubation spaces become successful, universities build valuable legacies and invest in further local and regional engagements. Incubators also have an impact on university objectives, directions, and the allocation of resources and infrastructure in response to market trends and sector demands.
In practice, incubators assist at this intersection of employability and enterprise in university, through the following:
Professional Business Advice
One-to-One Mentoring
Idea Brainstorming and Pitching for Business Preparation
Developmental Individual or Group-based Exercises
Business Consultancy Sessions
Continuous Professional Development (CPD) Sessions
Annual Enterprise Competitions
Participation in Incubator or Accelerator Programmes, in collaboration with organisations such as Converge or Elevator
The establishing of the aforementioned ABC themes follows on from a previous investigation of the outcomes of team-based enterprise education, during the 2021-2022 academic session. Responding to a survey involving 136 students, 55% greatly appreciated the industry outlook from enterprising interventions in the classroom. Additionally, 65% responded favourably to the mentoring aspect aiding enterprising skills development and idea generation. However, 30% of participants were unsure about the wider networks and opportunities after graduation.
Considering the Way Forward
So, in aligning employability and enterprise, the sector must consider national education frameworks, adaptable themes (such as the ABC themes), and distinct features of university-based entrepreneurialism including incubators.
Firstly, encouraging idea generation and scenario analysis from an organisational perspective highlights the need for graduates to be, not only critical thinkers in industry, but also lateral thinkers.
Secondly, in supporting future graduates in transferring their enterprising skills, there should be interdisciplinary opportunities within universities which merge cross-school sessions and summative assessment. This should include the use of both digital and physical platforms, to ensure students have a broader outlook of industry, society, wider learning, and continually modern means of communication.
Thirdly, in reacting to industry needs, and the expected attributes which makes graduates employable, collaboration is key. Pooling and sharing ideas, resources, and visions are all fundamental for businesses today. Notions of a responsible, alert, and inclusive organisation should be highlighted in classroom learning.
Finally, in supporting the enterprising graduate towards increased employability, the role of the mentor is priceless. As graduates entering the workplace become increasingly aware, organisations consist of people, processes, and practices. Therefore, the role of course leaders, student services, student unions, and careers professionals must motivate students and prepare them for the world of work. Enterprise is an aspirational route towards this goal!
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