Written by Rob Edwards
The board at Enterprise Educators UK (EEUK) is delighted to announce the appointment of two new Honorary Fellows in recognition of their significant contribution to the organisation and to the field of enterprise and entrepreneurship education as a whole.
Gareth Trainer, Head of the Centre for Graduate Prospects at the University of Sunderland, was a board director for nine years in total. During his first term (2007-2010) Gareth supported the Board to transition the organisation from its origins to the EEUK we know today and had specific responsibility for the introduction of the National Enterprise Educators Awards. He returned to the Board in 2016 serving as Treasurer for two years, Vice-Chair, then Chair for two years, ending his term in 2022 as Past President. As Chair, he led a significant project to modernise the structure and governance of EEUK, reconfiguring Executive roles and increasing the accessibility, accountability and inclusivity of the organisation by setting up committees of directors and EEUK Associates that continue to support the ongoing development of the organisation.
Dr Philip Clegg, Associate Director for Enterprise at Oxford Brookes University, also left the board in 2022, having been a director for six years and serving as Vice President. With Gareth, Phil worked to highlight the agenda of enterprise education in schools, and its direct impact on business and entrepreneurial creation, and was actively involved in the development and piloting of the Fast Track to Enterprise Education programme.
On being recognised as an EEUK Honorary Fellow, Gareth said, “It was, and remains, the pleasure of a lifetime to have helped to develop and lead EEUK over the years and I’m so pleased that all the hard work the Board and membership did during my time as Chair seems to be supporting even more and hard work, helping the organisation to go from strength to strength, and long may it continue!…I feel very, very honoured not only to receive this, but to have been involved with, and to have learned from EEUK in the first place!!”
Phil commented, “It’s a great honour to be awarded EEUK Honorary Fellowship status, and to be asked to join this distinguished group of enterprise education professionals. Of course I am delighted to accept this award, but I have to also say that my contribution to EEUK was both a pleasure and a privilege, and something that greatly aided my own learning and development, so thank you to EEUK for 6 brilliant years”.
Emily Beaumont, EEUK President, notes, “On behalf of the EEUK board, it is a great pleasure to welcome Gareth and Phil to the esteemed ranks of the Honorary Fellows. Not only have they both contributed so much to the development of EEUK, and guided us through the challenges of Covid-19 and having to effectively move our membership engagement online, but their expertise and extensive knowledge of the wider enterprise education environment makes them especially worthy recipients”.
Gareth and Phil will be officially welcomed as EEUK Honorary Fellows at the Gala Dinner of this year’s International Enterprise Educators Conference (IEEC) at the University of Surrey. The conference takes place from the 6th to the 8th of September, and further information can be found at www.ieec.co.uk