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University Enterprise Centre showcased in Downing Street report

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The University of Leeds has been featured in a new report published by 10 Downing Street, focusing on the entrepreneurial spirit in education. The report is the latest in a series of moves from the government to make sure that young people leave education ready to work, with the skills and experience employers are after.

In the report, Lord Young, an adviser to the Prime Minister on small business and enterprise, states: “I welcome the leadership of the University of Leeds in this area and the approach they have adopted to market and embed “enterprise” in the name and content of subject specific courses from Biotechnology to Fashion Design. They believe that this will be a key differentiator for applicants so they will choose the University of Leeds over others.”

The Enterprise Centre, led by Director Professor Nigel Lockett, is also featured as a case study, highlighting our 30% growth year-on-year in the numbers of students engaging in enterprising activities. Over 900 students engage with specialist modules, either elective or as part of their degree and 800 students have taken advantage of Spark, our business start-up service, or sought advice regarding developing enterprise skills.

Professor Nigel Lockett said, “I’m delighted to see our sector-leading work to embed enterprise both inside and outside the curriculum is being recognised by Government. Lord Young has long been an advocate for the positive role enterprise can play in our society and we recognise our responsibilities to help create the next generation of entrepreneurs. Enterprise at Leeds provides exceptional enterprise opportunities, education and support to all our students and graduates to enable social and economic impact."

Maintained by schools, the Enterprise Passport is a nod to the growing importance and value of extra-curricular experience and will for the first time give an official record of a young person’s business and employability skills in addition to their academic qualifications.

The full report, entitled Enterprise for all: The relevance of enterprise in educationcan be found here. Deputy Director of the Enterprise Centre, Dr Sarah Underwood, sat on the Advisory Board for the production of Enterprise for all.

For more information about enterprise at the University, visit www.leeds.ac.uk/enterprise or read the interview with Professor Nigel Lockett in The Yorkshire Post, as he outlines the University's ambitions and track record in research and enterprise. You can find the article here.