Welcome to the Make Your Mark campaign’s Enterprise Insights where only the most interesting enterprise developments and stories are delivered to you fortnightly.

Real-world education and skills

Stronger Together (CBI – pdf: 1.5MB)

Schools and universities need to do more to increase young people’s employability skills, including the ability to take calculated risks, determination and a can-do attitude, as well as providing better quality careers advice, according to a report by the CBI Higher Education Task Force. The report suggests that the recession highlights the need for the education sector, government and businesses to invest more in ‘ensuring that the country has the skills and knowledge necessary for its long-term success’.

Creating enterprising places

Recession Britain: Findings from economic and social research (ESRC – pdf: 1.7MB)

Small businesses are responding more resiliently to the current recession than in 1991, a study into the effects of the downturn across society by the ESRC suggests. The report, which analyses research on employment, business, well-being and global issues, also argues that the recession may be a driver of innovation in businesses, although a lack of access to start-up credit may hinder more entrepreneurship.

Relationships between SMEs and their banks have become increasingly strained during the recession – and both parties need to do more to repair the damage, according to a report by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales. The research found that an inconsistency between banks and lack of understanding by SMEs has affected their ability to access finance. The ICAEW, interviewed for this month’s Speaker’s Corner spot, argue that banks need to commit to transparency and consistency, whilst SMEs need to improve their levels of financial management and awareness.

Speakers' corner

Clive Lewis, ICAEW

Clive Lewis, Head of Enterprise at the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales, talks to Enterprise Insights about;

• the end of the recession and opportunities for starting up
• why SMEs should now be focusing on growth and globalisation
• the importance of financial capability in entrepreneurship
   

In the media

People believe that entrepreneurs are best placed to lead the country out of the recession, a national survey suggests.

Cleantech and renewable energy are expected to be the fastest growing sectors of the UK’s economy over the next decade, a survey of business leaders for BIS suggests.

The UK’s first educational institution dedicated to enterprise and entrepreneurship, Peter Jones’ National Enterprise Academy, opened its doors this month. Speaking at the launch Jones, who is also Chairman of Enterprise Insight, said that there needs to be a ‘culture shift’ in the UK to encourage more entrepreneurship.

Lib-Dem leader Nick Clegg has outlined his party’s support for entrepreneurship, in advance of their national conference, but argued that it must be aligned with social justice.

If you're interested in finding out how to get involved in this year's Global Entrepreneurship Week, 16 - 22 November 2009, check out our website, or send us a message on Twitter @the_enterpriser.

Danger and Opportunity: Crisis and the new social economy (NESTA – pdf: 600KB)

The 21st century is seeing a new form of economic model – the ‘social economy’ – in which there are ‘blurred boundaries between production and consumption’ and strong ethics, according to a report by Robin Murray for NESTA. This social economy is emerging across the public, private and third sector, but there is insufficient support to help scale up ventures and spread new ideas globally.