We all know that the best policy is informed by practitioners, so whenever the opportunity arises, EEUK is keen for the voice of the membership to be heard.  This can be in areas that are directly related to our wide spectrum of an Enterprise Educator’s work, such as our recent calls to members to support the APPG Entrepreneurship in their schools work  or UKRI (UK Research and Innovation & Research England) in their KEF review.  In addition, we are flagging Wonkhe and Pearson’s survey that explores students’ sense of belonging and inclusion at university.

Picking up on our recent policy themes, there is commentary on GEM women’s report, that suggests that whilst women-led initiatives now make up a large proportion of the entrepreneurial ventures driving job creation, innovation, and economic growth, women still face access barriers to networks, finance, and role models they need to run profitable businesses. The challenge is now to adapt the eco-system to provide this support.

If you missed The Rose Review Progress Report 2022 it came out in Feb ‘22 and outlines the extra support needed for female-led businesses to thrive; the Rose Review shows that the impact of Covid-19 risks holding back progress. It suggests that despite the rapid growth in female-led start-ups, female entrepreneurs have experienced additional caring responsibilities during the pandemic that has impacted their business. In positive news, they launched the Women Backing Women campaign (to increase chances of early-stage investment) and have record numbers of financial service providers signed up to the Investing in Women Code.

“Levelling up” is challenged as a route to addressing regional inequalities in this Institute for Government paper, which looks at skills, R&D as well as education, giving food for thought to those engaging regionally.

Graduate employment is ‘myth-busted’ in a new UUK report, which 2019 IEEC keynote Charlie Ball summarises in his appreciation of the mismatch between graduate skills and employer needs.

Finally, our latest EEUK blog helps connects the dots when seeking entrepreneurial, sustainable and ethical outcomes for business starts and curriculum.

Alison Price
Head of Policy and Professional Development
EEUK

April 2022