Building Enterprise Education in Swansea (Wales, UK)

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Gain Creators / Outcomes

The community of Swansea (represented in the partnership though the local government, business representatives, educators, etc.) will benefit hugely from new generations of school leavers and graduates who will be equipped with a “can do” attitude and how will actively contribute to the economic and social development of the community by launching new businesses, creating jobs or simply being proactive employees within existing companies and public institutions.

The community of Swansea (represented in the partnership though the local government, business representatives, educators, etc.) will benefit hugely from new generations of school leavers and graduates who will be equipped with a “can do” attitude and how will actively contribute to the economic and social development of the community by launching new businesses, creating jobs or simply being proactive employees within existing companies and public institutions.

Gains / Needs

All stakeholders need to see an improvement in the entrepreneurial culture among young people in Swansea. The local authority, the education institutions and businesses all need students at all levels of education to be better equipped with the skills, knowledge and attitudes that will help them in launching their businesses, or simply in becoming proactive and creative employees.

All stakeholders need to see an improvement in the entrepreneurial culture among young people in Swansea. The local authority, the education institutions and businesses all need students at all levels of education to be better equipped with the skills, knowledge and attitudes that will help them in launching their businesses, or simply in becoming proactive and creative employees.

Target Group

Local and regional authorities, higher education institutions, primary and secondary schools, entrepreneurs and employment services.

Local and regional authorities, higher education institutions, primary and secondary schools, entrepreneurs and employment services.

Implementation Method

The stakeholders leading the good practice are:

  • Gower College Swansea (leader of BEES initiative)
  • Local Authority
  • Primary schools, Secondary schools (head teachers)
  • Further and Higher Education representatives
  • Local Entrepreneurs
  • Career Wales.

The final beneficiaries of the good practice are students in primary, secondary, further and higher education in Swansea.

Gower College is the main driver of the BEES initiative. The roles of the other partners are to work together to develop young people across the City of Swansea through:

  • Regular meetings to plan and implement strategies across all levels of education in the City.
  • Events organisation, including Start up Weekend, Young Business Dragons, Mimi Dragon, bespoke enterprise interventions and city wide enterprise competitions. 

The stakeholders leading the good practice are:

  • Gower College Swansea (leader of BEES initiative)
  • Local Authority
  • Primary schools, Secondary schools (head teachers)
  • Further and Higher Education representatives
  • Local Entrepreneurs
  • Career Wales.

The final beneficiaries of the good practice are students in primary, secondary, further and higher education in Swansea.

Gower College is the main driver of the BEES initiative. The roles of the other partners are to work together to develop young people across the City of Swansea through:

  • Regular meetings to plan and implement strategies across all levels of education in the City.
  • Events organisation, including Start up Weekend, Young Business Dragons, Mimi Dragon, bespoke enterprise interventions and city wide enterprise competitions. 

Building Enterprise Education in Swansea

BEES is about developing a co-ordinated enterprise education programme across all schools, colleges and universities in Swansea, so that all young people can access high quality provision. By combining a wide range of activities, including teacher training, student workshops and enterprise promotion and start-up events, the initiative reaches out from primary school all the way through to higher education.

The initiative, driven by Gower College Swansea, connects a group of enterprise champions drawn from further education, higher education, the City and County of Swansea, the Chamber of Commerce, Careers Wales and other stakeholders.

The main achievements of the initiative have so far been winning an UK Enterprising Britain Award in 2014, a European Enterprise Award in 2014 and the City being seen as the focus of enterprise in Wales and further afield.

Sue Poole has won Business Mentor Award for her work on setting up the first Enterprise Academy in Wales in 2012 and a UK Award as Enterprise Educator of the Year in 2011. Professor Andy Penaluna of UWTSD has recently won a Queens Award for Enterprise for the work undertaken across the city. 

BEES is about developing a co-ordinated enterprise education programme across all schools, colleges and universities in Swansea, so that all young people can access high quality provision. By combining a wide range of activities, including teacher training, student workshops and enterprise promotion and start-up events, the initiative reaches out from primary school all the way through to higher education.

The initiative, driven by Gower College Swansea, connects a group of enterprise champions drawn from further education, higher education, the City and County of Swansea, the Chamber of Commerce, Careers Wales and other stakeholders.

The main achievements of the initiative have so far been winning an UK Enterprising Britain Award in 2014, a European Enterprise Award in 2014 and the City being seen as the focus of enterprise in Wales and further afield.

Sue Poole has won Business Mentor Award for her work on setting up the first Enterprise Academy in Wales in 2012 and a UK Award as Enterprise Educator of the Year in 2011. Professor Andy Penaluna of UWTSD has recently won a Queens Award for Enterprise for the work undertaken across the city. 

Activities

  • Train teachers in primary and secondary schools in Swansea to deliver enterprise education within the curriculum
  • Training workshops across schools for school students as extra-curricular activities
  • Co-ordinate and deliver start-up events and other enterprise promotion events
  • Develop an Enterprise Education Strategy for Swansea
  • Support the development of an Enterprise Academy in Swansea

  • Train teachers in primary and secondary schools in Swansea to deliver enterprise education within the curriculum
  • Training workshops across schools for school students as extra-curricular activities
  • Co-ordinate and deliver start-up events and other enterprise promotion events
  • Develop an Enterprise Education Strategy for Swansea
  • Support the development of an Enterprise Academy in Swansea

Resources

  • Funding: local authority covers costs of two staff members; sponsorships cover costs of annual competition for schools
  • In-kind: local authority and other partners for provide venues for events and promotion; professors and students from universities deliver training workshops in schools pro bono

  • Funding: local authority covers costs of two staff members; sponsorships cover costs of annual competition for schools
  • In-kind: local authority and other partners for provide venues for events and promotion; professors and students from universities deliver training workshops in schools pro bono

Pain Relievers / Solutions

  • The BEES initiative adopting a holistic approach to enterprise education, that include training of teachers, meetings with school heads and supporting schools by delivering training directly to students via workshops and events.
  • The BEES initiative is also a coordinated approach between all the relevant actors relating to enterprise education in the Swansea area, which ensured that the efforts will be systematic across the community, and not piecemeal.

  • The BEES initiative adopting a holistic approach to enterprise education, that include training of teachers, meetings with school heads and supporting schools by delivering training directly to students via workshops and events.
  • The BEES initiative is also a coordinated approach between all the relevant actors relating to enterprise education in the Swansea area, which ensured that the efforts will be systematic across the community, and not piecemeal.

Pains / Challenges

  • One major challenge in enterprise education is to make the delivery of the enterprise curriculum more practical, using active-learning, project-based learning etc. This challenge includes developing new curricula, developing teacher competences and opening up schools to cooperation with businesses and other actors in the community.
  • Another challenge is how to ensure that enterprise education initiatives are not disconnected, ad hoc initiatives, but rather part of a coordinated, community-led effort to promote enterprise.

  • One major challenge in enterprise education is to make the delivery of the enterprise curriculum more practical, using active-learning, project-based learning etc. This challenge includes developing new curricula, developing teacher competences and opening up schools to cooperation with businesses and other actors in the community.
  • Another challenge is how to ensure that enterprise education initiatives are not disconnected, ad hoc initiatives, but rather part of a coordinated, community-led effort to promote enterprise.

Additional information:

Following an evaluation by Carnegie UK in 2014 the publication “The Welsh Dragon” the success of enterprise education in Swansea and in Wales, they state that the delivery themes of the Youth Enterprise Strategy has proven to have an impact on students attitudes and skills and ultimately, the number of start ups in Wale. The case studies they looked at offer valuable lessons to enterprise policy makers in other parts of the UK who aspire to develop enterprise minds.

Success factors of the good practice:

  • Policy background: Wales has had a strong national strategic framework promoting entrepreneurship education and youth entrepreneurship for over 10 years.
  • Individual driver: the BEES initiative was launched with all partners playing their part in driving the enterprise agenda. Many of the initiatives were driven by one committed individual (Sue Poole of Gower College Swansea), developing projects with young people aged 5 – 25 before it gained a momentum of its own. 
  • Local expertise: Swansea had has a strong entrepreneurship education institution in the community (Gower College and the 2 local Universities) which provided the necessary expertise.
  • Local funding: the local authority, large and small businesses support with sponsorship funding and in kind support to enable these initiatives to take place.  
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