The School of Management at Swansea University is celebrating after the part played in winning a National Entrepreneurship Educator Award this year.
The National Enterprise Educator Awards, organised by Enterprise Educators UK, recognise excellence within enterprise and entrepreneurship education in UK higher and further education. The aim is to reward and celebrate those who have demonstrated an exceptional and inspirational commitment to supporting student and graduate entrepreneurship.
The winner of the Entrepreneurship Catalyst category was Summer Start-Up Week – “A National Collaboration”, including all 23 Universities and Colleges across Wales.
The focus of this award is on developing broad enterprise skills and attributes to be applied in any context including employment and intrapreneurship. Judges were looking for exceptional projects and initiatives that support individuals to develop broad enterprise skills and attributes for their future lives.
Summer Start-Up Week was an innovative online collaboration between all Welsh FE and HE Institutions to address the need to support and enable pre-start and early stage businesses during the Coronavirus pandemic. Campus closure from 21st March provided a unique opportunity to bring Welsh Enterprise Champions together to devise, plan and deliver a week-long online boot-camp and start-up community for 500+ aspiring and nascent entrepreneurs.
The collaborated week delivered via zoom was co-ordinated on behalf of Swansea University by Kelly Jordan, Entrepreneurship Officer, herself a runner-up in the Rising Star category of the NEEA.
MC for the week was Chris Jones (S4C weatherman) and included Live sessions throughout the week from Welsh Government Entrepreneur role models and Welsh business experts.
The School of Management’s Dave Bolton, Senior Lecturer in Entrepreneurship and Programme Director (BSc Business Management), took part in a number of sessions which averaged over 350 participants per session.
Ken Skates, Member of Senedd and Minister for Economy, Transport and North Wales, wrote to the Vice Chancellors of all institutions congratulating the network of entrepreneurship champions, saying,
“It is really encouraging to hear that Wales’ Further and Higher Education institutions are at the forefront of innovative practices. This award is a fitting acknowledgement of the exceptional entrepreneurship education being delivered outside the curriculum.”