Yesterday I received the following message from UKFast and since many argue that entrepreneurship (in both the business sense and in the social sense) is a feature of being a lifelong learner, I thought that this would be something Pascal subscribers would have a view on.
I'm also interested in how at an individual level, entrepreneurship is operationalised since I have found no convincing tools in relation to the development of undergraduate attributes in the area of enterprise/entrepreneurship. Has anyone found measurement tools in this area?
Best wishes Mike
Employers must not be afraid to take on graduates who demonstrate entrepreneurial spirit.
As the race for graduate jobs intensifies with the number of vacancies falling by seven per cent, candidates are becoming increasingly afraid to present themselves honestly in front of employers.
With the Association of Graduate Recruiters reporting that the number of applicants for every vacancy has surged to 70, the class of 2010 are becoming more and more hesitant about appearing too keen to start their own business. In a move to appear more employable, many graduates are concealing any future plans that extend beyond working for the company they are interviewing for.
Jonathan Bowers, communications director at UKFast, has been presenting a series of different career talks over the last few months and has identified this as a common concern among students.
He says, "With such competition for graduate positions, students feel the need to present themselves as reliable, committed individuals and are worried that revealing future ambitions which may conflict with the company's own plans may hinder them."
Despite the education community and new organisations such as Peter Jones' National Enterprise Academy nurturing entrepreneurialism, the business community is not showing its support.
Having recently launched four off-shoot companies under its umbrella, hosting provider UKFast recognises the importance of hiring entrepreneurial people who will be able to shape and grow the business in the future.
UKFast managing director Lawrence Jones says, "Business owners must not be afraid to encourage entrepreneurialism. At UKFast we see people with ambition as an opportunity. These employees could well become the leaders of the future and it is important that businesses embrace that possibility.
"Surrounding myself with driven and ambitious thinkers has enabled me to diversify the business and make UKFast a market leader."