Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
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Enterprising students to discover new route to employment
A new Government led initiative to boost enterprise will see up to 4,000 entrepreneurial university students and graduates in England connecting with small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs).
The Startup Career Milkrounds is part of the Government’s
enterprise education package and will see the National Association
of College and University Entrepreneurs (NACUE) and
Enternships.com working with university enterprise societies.
They will create a national brand for an annual Milkround
fortnight that will give students and graduates the chance to
engage with small firms through Milkround-style fairs, securing
summer placements, raising entrepreneurial skills levels and
creating graduate jobs.
Business and Enterprise Minister Mark Prisk, said:
“Providing opportunities for young people to start and grow a
business is crucial to the long term economic success of the UK.
The Startup Career Milkrounds, being developed with the university
enterprise societies, are a great way for students to meet local
businesses, build strong links and discover the opportunities
available to them whilst they are studying or when they graduate.
“We are already doubling the number of enterprise societies
and aim to have them in every university and most further
education colleges by 2015. We will also soon be launching a £10
million startup loan programme for young people so that budding
entrepreneurs can get a range of mentoring support and a small
amount of capital to start their enterprise. By investing in
enterprise now, we can inspire and nurture the entrepreneurs of
the future.”
NACUE has selected 20 enterprise societies to organise
student-led Startup Career Milkrounds for their regions. Each
society will receive £500 from NACUE to design and host the event,
which will be match-funded by the society’s respective university.
Students will have the opportunity to hear from and connect
with the vibrant startup communities in their regions, through a
series of talks, speed-networking sessions, and meetings with
local SMEs.
Hushpreet Dhaliwal, CEO at NACUE, said:
“We cannot ignore the fact that startups and small businesses
employ more than 90 per cent of all people in the UK. Working with
Enternships.com and student-led enterprise societies, this
initiative will link entrepreneurs with local businesses and show
students and graduates that startups offer a great alternative
career path.
“Startup Career Milkrounds will also give local SMEs access
to a wealth of talent in their area. It will remove many of the
myths and ideas that young people have about starting their own
business and highlight how becoming an entrepreneur can be both a
viable and hugely rewarding experience.”
Enternships.com will also work with each society so that
local startups and SMEs can post placements and jobs on an online
portal for free during the campaign fortnight.
Rajeeb Day, CEO, Enternships.com, said:
“We're delighted to be working with NACUE to deliver
a project that will help students find work this summer. A
placement is a brilliant way for both companies and student to try
out new things and this initiative will create hundreds of new roles.”
The initiative will run between 22 May and 2 June at 20
universities in England. Details are available at www.startupmilkround.com.
The Government has also committed to continued investment in
youth enterprise by renewing funding to NACUE. The organisation
will receive £1.3 million of funding for 2012/13.
This year the Government is running the Business in You
campaign to encourage more people to start or grow their
business throughout 2012 using a range of existing support
services, such as enterprise education. More information is
available at businessinyou.bis.gov.uk.
Notes to editors: 1. Startup Career Milkrounds are taking
place at the following societies; Kent Enterprise, Buckingham
Business Enterprise Society, Plymouth Entrepreneur Society, Essex
Enterprise Group, Bedfordshire Entrepreneurs, Roehampton
University Business Club, Brunel Entrepreneur Society, Queen Mary
Entrepreneurs, SOAS Ventures Investment and Entrepreneurial
Society, HULT International Business School, Ravensboure
Enterprise Society, University of Greenwich, Warwick
Entrepreneurs, Lancaster Entrepreneurs, Chester Enterprise
Society, Manchester Entrepreneurs, The University of Bolton
Enterprise Society, Royal Holloway Entrepreneurs, South Bank
Enterprise Society, Huddersfield Entrepreneurs Society.
2. The National Association of College & University
Entrepreneurs is a grassroots organisation that stimulates student
enterprise by supporting, connecting and representing enterprise
societies, enterprising students and student entrepreneurs in
Colleges and Universities across the UK. Launched in May 2009,
NACUE now supports over 80 student enterprise societies, 40,000
entrepreneurial students and 85 institutions in the UK alone,
delivering mentoring and training, and sharing best practice to
stimulate student entrepreneurship. For more information visit www.nacue.com.
3. Enternships.com provides ambitious and dynamic students
and graduates with an opportunity to learn about business and
enterprise through work placements in entrepreneurial and
innovative environments, from startups to global venture funds
around the world. Founded by Rajeeb Dey, enternships.com formally
launched in 2009 and is growing rapidly. More than 3000 companies
in over 20 countries have used enternships.com to find graduate
talent, including companies like Groupon and PayPal, and
celebrities like Martha Lane Fox of LastMinute.com and James Caan
and Peter Jones of Dragons Den. For more information visit www.enternships.com.
4. BIS's online newsroom contains the latest press
notices, speeches, as well as video and images for download. It
also features an up to date list of BIS press office contacts. See
http://www.bis.gov.uk/newsroom for more information.
Contacts:
BIS Press Office
bispress.releases@bis.gsi.gov.uk
Dan Palmer
Phone: 020 7215 5303
dan.palmer@bis.gsi.gov.uk