Every cloud….

Written by Emily Beaumont

 

To say 2020 has been a difficult year for us all is probably an understatement.  I’m not going to dwell on such things as the global pandemic or imminent exit from the EU (to name a few of this year’s complexities), but what I will say is that collectively, these events have created a unique set of circumstances for those working in Higher and Further Education, putting us all in situations I hope we never have to experience again.

As much as I’m a pessimist (ironically it helps my optimism as things inevitably work out for the better?!) and could dwell in the dark cloud of doom for days on end, I’m always attracted by the sparkly silver lining that inevitably exists on every cloud.  And what a silver lining we have to celebrate this year.  In the midst of all the chaos and confusion of 2020, our Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Educators shone, ‘setting to’ like we’ve all become accustomed to them doing in times of difficulty, adapting and evolving their practice whilst reaching out to support their fellow associates.

When EEUK launched #EntEdOnline in response to the COVID-19 pandemic we were overwhelmed with the crowd sourced content supplied by our network that could sit alongside documents created by EEUK and links to external sites that we considered useful.  On top of this, we hosted a sold out #EntEdOnline Webinar which showcased how EEUK Associates were taking their delivery online (a recording of which can be found here).  So good is what our network helps us create, that we’ve since been requested to share #EntEdOnline again during Global Entrepreneurship Week and at the upcoming USASBE Conference 2021.

At every opportunity this year, our Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Educators were searching or offering solutions to go under, over, or around the barriers of 2020 to make sure that our students and other key stakeholders could still have access to the high quality of enterprise and entrepreneurship education they have had available to them for so long.  So, don’t be like me and cower in the corner as to what 2021 might bring because it doesn’t matter.  Whatever it is, just know that as an Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Educator you have the tenacity and resilience to deal with it and as an associate of EEUK, a vast network of like-minded folks are here to help make it happen.

Dr Emily Beaumont

President-Elect, EEUK

Academic Subject Leader: Business, Enterprise and Financial Management, University of Gloucestershire