The Enterprise Team
About the Enterprise Team
Enterprising thinking and skills are important for all students because they support personal and career success, whether that means starting a business or standing out in a competitive jobs market.
The Enterprise Team aims to help students, alumni, and staff who are interested in starting a business, setting up as a freelancer, or who have a side project that might have enterprise potential. Support is available through 1:1 advice, start-up programmes, grants, events and workshops.
Their Curriculum Lead for Enterprise Education works across the University to support academics and colleagues to understand and embed enterprise and to encourage students to join extra-curricular enterprise activities and programmes.
There is a range of support available to staff including:
Curriculum delivery:
Awareness raising sessions where a member of the Enterprise Team can provide a brief introduction to Enterprise Support, enthuse students to get involved in extra-curricular events, workshops and programmes and signpost student entrepreneurs to enterprise support.
Bootcamps on Tour, where enterprise support provision is tailored to meet the needs and interests of students and courses where freelance, self-employment and business start-up could be of interest before or after graduation. Sessions of up to three hours are timetabled into the curriculum and provided by Enterprise Team Business Advisors to introduce essential information and connect students with the team.
A Curriculum Activities Framework, where the Enterprise Team can model - and staff can learn how to deliver – enterprise activities such as Pitch Club, methods for ideas generation and inclusive innovation challenges. These activities build students confidence, connections between peers and spark a sense of creative agency. Information about these activities can be found in the Employability and Enterprise SharePoint site.
Staff development:
Introductory sessions to gain confidence in: what enterprise and entrepreneurship education is; how enterprise relates to University goals and benefits students; what resources, case studies and practice exist to support the development of provision.
Co-design consultations to support staff to enhance the student experience by integrating enterprise into modules and courses.
Support developing teaching practice, such as a new Careers and Employability Service and Enterprise Team collaboration: Pedagogic Innovations for Graduate Attributes. This training introduces communication-rich teaching and learning and group interaction strategies to improve student confidence, agency, and creativity.
Dedicated school provision:
Maker Space - The Maker Space is a collaborative workspace designed for creatives, inventors, and enthusiasts to come together, share ideas, learn, and work on various business ideas. Located on the 3rd floor of the prestigious Barbara Hepworth Building in room BH3/07, the space is equipped with tools, equipment, and resources that enable individuals to develop their businesses in areas such as digital design, internet of things, fashion, textiles and more.
As well as access to an extensive range of resources, members benefit from the expertise and guidance of fellow makers, and participate in workshops, events and networking opportunities that foster creativity, learning, and collaboration.
You can become a member if you are student or alumni of the University or a member of the start-up business community with Kirklees Council.
A member of the Enterprise Team is based there 2 days a week offering tailored start-up business support. Get in touch if you would like to discuss provision for your School.
For further information, please contact Sarah Agar-Brennan.