We are delighted to welcome Rebecca Jones to Enterprise Educators UK (EEUK) as our new Head of Training and Development.

Rebecca brings more than 30 years of enterprise experience as an entrepreneur, trainer, and educator. At EEUK, she will lead our training and development offer for members and take on responsibility for the EEUK Fellowship. We asked her a few questions so you can get to know her a little better.

Can you tell us a bit about your background and what led you to EEUK?

I have been involved in enterprise for more than 30 years, starting my first business when I was 19. Most of my career has been spent running my own businesses and working with entrepreneurs, alongside working with universities, colleges, charities and businesses across the UK. I have also taught enterprise at several universities.

More recently, I worked for a Welsh university, supporting students and graduates with developing their business ideas and working with academic staff to bring more enterprise into the curriculum. EEUK felt like a really natural next step. It brings together so many of the things I have spent my career doing and enables me to support the people who are working with the next generation of entrepreneurs.

What do you see as the role of Head of Training and Development, and what are you most excited about bringing to EEUK?

For me, it is about helping enterprise educators keep learning, trying things out and developing themselves. If we are asking students to think differently and try new things, I think we need to do the same ourselves!

I want to listen to members, understand what they need and develop training that is practical, relevant and worth giving up their time for. There is also a huge amount of experience within EEUK, so I would love to create more opportunities for people to share what they know and learn from each other.

A big part of my own work has always been around how we think, what we believe is possible and how we can look at things differently. I would like some of that thinking to come through in the training too.

What is the best professional development you have ever received, and what has running your own training organisation taught you?

I have been very lucky to have some fantastic training over the years, but I have probably learnt just as much from mistakes, both my own and seeing what has not worked for other people!

For me, the important bit is being able to stop, reflect and work out what you might do differently next time. I ran my own national training organisation for several years, working with freelance trainers across the UK, and that taught me that good content is not enough. Training needs to connect with people and give them something they can actually use.

You are also an EEUK Fellow. What does that mean to you, and what are you looking forward to about taking on responsibility for the Fellowship?

I loved becoming an EEUK Fellow. I found the process really valuable because it made me stop and think about what I had actually done and the contribution I had made over the years.

I really enjoy helping people see what they are capable of and supporting them to reach their potential, so I am really looking forward to helping other people through the Fellowship process and seeing them get that recognition too.

You have worked with academic staff as well as students. Why is embedding enterprise into the curriculum important to you?

For me, enterprise is about much more than starting a business. It is about confidence, creativity, problem-solving, spotting opportunities and having a go.

I have taught enterprise to students across a wide range of subject areas. Students do not necessarily need to become entrepreneurs, but I want them to be able to use the knowledge and skills they have gained through their chosen subject in a more entrepreneurial way in the future.

I have also supported academic staff to bring enterprise into the curriculum rather than it being something that happens separately. That combination of subject knowledge and entrepreneurial thinking can be really powerful.

How would you like members to get in touch or get involved with you and your role?

Just get in touch! I am very happy to have a chat.

Tell me what you are working on, what is driving you mad, what you would like to learn about or what you think EEUK could be doing differently. What would make your working life easier or more interesting? What sort of training would make you think, “Yes, I would definitely come to that”?

I am listening, so please tell me!

And finally, what might people be surprised to learn about you?

I am actually a bit of a country girl at heart. I love gardening, have a very much loved dog, two grown-up children, and I am a very proud grandma. I am happiest outside, usually in the garden, although the dog has a habit of getting involved! So, while I love talking about enterprise and training, I am just as happy chatting about what I am growing, what the dog has been up to or what the grandchildren are doing.

Please join us in giving Rebecca a very warm welcome to the EEUK community. You can reach her at rebecca.jones@enterprise.ac.uk.