It is from classrooms we learn so much about life, this starts at a very young age and we are now expecting the young to stay for longer periods of their lives. These safe environments are where the young can develop knowledge of their surroundings in a way which ensures their growth. However, they tend to be risk adverse, safety aware, one size fits all and also very bureaucratic.
Last week I had the pleasure to be at two very different National entrepreneurial events which enable students to learn while doing, SIFE and FLUX500. These are two very different programmes of events engaging students at extremely different levels, learning and outcomes.
However, they both get students from diverse backgrounds, skill sets and outlooks in life to engage in entrepreneurship without even making reference to business or entrepreneurship. These both empower the students to develop, explore, make mistakes and reflect on the outcomes.
Setting out in business is requires you to have multiple skills, finance, manager, sales, marketing, leader, employer and entrepreneur. These diverse skills have to be learnt and it’s through developing these we can become a professional and accomplished entrepreneur. These are life skills which no text book or online course can even attempt to fine tune. However, they are skills which employers, investors and fellow entrepreneurs love to be associated with.
Therefore we need more of it at all levels of education. However, it’s not about governments providing more cash, as both of these events received no direct finances from government agencies. They are funded by sponsorships from corporations who are looking for the most talented young people who can come into their businesses and make a difference, have ideas and be multi-skills in areas such as finance, manager, sales, marketing…
The involvement of business in developing the young is important in setting the needs and evolution of the learning outcomes. This business model is a very robust one which ensures the needs to every party involved, the students, educators, third sector, entrepreneurs and employers. It is therefore something which should grow and develop to ensure more opportunities are available to the young.
Take a look at www.sifeuk.org and www.flux500.co.uk and engage yourself.
