Providing effective entrepreneurship education: a UK perspective

The study considers the provision and design of entrepreneurship education based on evidence from a quantitative survey regarding its value and impact. There has been a significant expansion of entrepreneurship education curriculum provision both within the UK and globally in the university sector. However, there remains ongoing debate regarding its value and contribution in terms of achieving viable business start-ups that contributes significantly in terms of employability and economic contribution. In the UK, the existing evidence base is typically short term in focus considering immediate attitudinal impact upon students of an entrepreneurship education intervention. This chapter considers evidence from a quantitative study of two UK Universities, namely Coventry University and the University of South Wales. Reflections on the effectiveness and impact of the entrepreneurship education experience were evaluated. The evidence collected in this study is UK centric, but will have relevance on a global perspective for the entrepreneurship education discipline and community. The evidence collected informs the value and design of entrepreneurship education and its impact on both self-employability and employability career choices. Moreover, the study informs entrepreneurship education by making recommendations regarding effective pedagogical practice and curriculum design. This study informs programme providers, enterprise support agencies and government policy makers regarding the value and construction of entrepreneurship education.