Gabi Round and Dr Jonathan D Owens from Salford Business School have formed a research partnership with the University of Hertfordshire, University of Liverpool, and Manchester Metropolitan University and are developing a collaborative research workshop at the forthcoming AdvanceHE Teaching and Learning Conference, held at the University of Sheffield. Along with Young Enterprise (UK), this partnership is founded on the UK’s trailblazing success at the biggest Higher Educational Entrepreneurship competition in Europe, with the UK coming 1st in both 2022 (Salford) and 2023 (Loughborough). Our interactive workshop explores how experiential learning fosters entrepreneurial mindsets, sustainability, and social impact. It will discuss best practices from the Young Enterprise (UK) Start-Up Programme across the four HEI’s and through ideation-centred modules. The interaction workshop will invite academic and researcher from other HEI’s across the UK to engage in activities like “Creating the Enterprise” and “Ideation Sim” and hear student success stories through video testimonials. Learn how to embed entrepreneurial thinking, inclusivity, and sustainability within higher education curricula. Gain actionable frameworks to prepare students for impactful careers, addressing global challenges while advancing economic resilience and Advance HE’s mission.
The partnership will work on evolving social and economic challenges to highlight the need for educational approaches that contribute to economic stability and growth. Subsequently, the one of the key drivers by the research partnership is on preparing students to drive innovation, economic stability, and growth through their careers through enterprise and entrepreneurial learning. Featuring numerous insights from the across from the partnership it will explore how experiential learning initiatives can enjoyably equip students with the skills and values needed for responsible and sustainable business leadership. These are seen as key soft/human employability skills sought by employer’s post-graduation.
The research partnership and Young Enterprise (UK) see a core emphasis of this interactive workshop is on embedding entrepreneurial and innovative thinking within higher education programmes to prepare students for impactful careers that support economic resilience and growth. The University of Salford Business School’s ideation-centred modules will support participants and the workshop to examine strategies for building student capabilities in ideation, strategic decision-making, and sustainable business development. By engaging in case studies and group discussions, attendees will explore practical approaches to cultivating students’ capacity for innovation that aligns with the global priorities of sustainability and social responsibility.
The workshop addresses how experiential, entrepreneurial education fosters inclusivity and equal opportunities for all students, including those from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds. The workshop aims to provide a practical understanding of how to design and implement curriculum frameworks that build student capabilities in ideation, strategic decision-making, and sustainable business development.
We are excited that our next project following on from Advanced HE Teaching and Learning Conference is a book on international teaching case studies in this field. It will look to bring together key learning and best practices across a large population on how experiential, enterprise and entrepreneurial learning in Higher Education can support and foster inclusivity and equal opportunities for all students. We hope to have this title accepted by the publisher soon and then it is planned to promote this at the Advanced HE Teaching and Learning Conference onwards to be released in 15-months’ time. Therefore, please watch this space for a call for chapter contributions.