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Back to school in drive to boost entrepreneurs in Scotland

A RADICAL report will today call for a far-reaching overhaul of enterprise education , in an bid to increase the number of young entrepreneurs.

SEONAG MACKINNON EDUCATION EDITOR

All children, from primary one onwards, will be encouraged to take part in enterprise activities annually in an effort to change Scotland’s attitude towards business.

Organisations such as the Federation of Small Businesses and CBI Scotland are also being called upon to develop stronger links with schools.

The initiatives are among ideas which, it is hoped, will transform the Scottish economy, which has a poor record of business start-ups.

The recommendations of the report will be released today by a taskforce of representatives from education and business, including the highly successful entrepreneur, Tom Hunter.

The panel, led by Nicol Stephen, the deputy education minister, also calls for the appointment of enterprise development officers to work with clusters of local schools across the country.

Arguing that the Scottish economy needs skilled workers as well as entrepreneurs, the panel wants to see all young people over the age of 14 having the chance to learn vocational skills in a work-based environment.

The initiative is believed to be inspired by pioneering work in Glasgow schools allowing pupils to begin learning a trade such as plumbing or catering.

The Scottish Executive is to respond to the report in the new year. There is widespread expectation that it will take decisive action on the recommendations, as in autumn it was revealed that the three-year budget earmarked for enterprise education is to leap from £2.5 million to £40 million.

Responding to the report, Mr Stephen said : "These proposals offer an unprecedented opportunity for Scotland’s economic future. It is vital that we develop more positive attitudes among young people towards the world of enterprise.

"The report’s aim is to help deliver the change needed to contribute to a more enterprising culture in Scotland and to greater economic success in global markets."

Researchers suggest that one of the main problems for the Scottish economy is that too few pupils aspire to launch businesses. Many parents encourage their children to aim for professions such as law, medicine, finance and office administration, which they perceive as secure.

Highlighting a lack of self-belief among young people, the report Determined to Succeed: A Review of Enterprise in Education, will encourage Scots to be more prepared to take risks.

Charles Skene, the chairman of the Skene Group of Companies, visiting professor of entrepreneurship at the Robert Gordon University and a member of the panel said: "I believe the report contains some of the most important and far-reaching series of recommendations to come out of the Scottish Parliament. The recommendations will revolutionise the way in which we educate and enlighten our young people about the economic facts of life.

"They will enable all Scots, especially those in deprived areas, to lead a more satisfying, economically successful life and, following Adam Smith’s principles, increase the wealth of our nation."

Mr Skene said the report’s aim was "to ignite the spark of enterprise which many Scots possess, but which I believe has been dampened down to the detriment of our economy".

Matthew Farrow, the head of policy at CBI Scotland, praised the report.

He said: "We are among a number of organisations that have been pressing for enterprise education in schools. I do feel that the group’s report gives us the chance to go up a gear.

"Just now it is so fragmented. Much does happen in schools that is pretty good, but in reality it is a minority of schools affecting overall a minority of pupils."

Mr Farrow said that the key to the success of the report’s proposals will lie in the quality of the local development officers. He called for a focus on calibre, training and support.

http://www.thescotsman.co.uk/business.cfm?id=1402832002

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