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Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to present evidence on the impact of enterprise education on young people still at school in London, UK. The study was designed to measure the effect of participation in a Young Enterprise (YE) Company Program on young people's attitudes toward starting a business, and on their enterprise potential. Design/methodology/approach – A longitudinal pre and post test design was used, with a sample of 276 young people. A control group provided a method of isolating the impact of the programme and was used as a test for self-selection bias. An attitudes to enterprise test was administered at the start of the programme and again at the end, nine months later. Findings – It was found that participation does have a positive impact on young people's enterprise potential, however this is moderated by other factors such as gender, ethnicity, socio-economic background and type of school attended. Research limitations/implications – The paper demonstrates the added value of a longitudinal design and the use of a control group. The relatively small sample size limited the extent of multivariate analysis that could be carried out. Practical implications – The paper provides an example of a robust evaluation methodology for the evaluation of enterprise education programmes in schools. Social implications – The paper highlights the importance of context in the delivery of enterprise education. The impact of enterprise programmes is likely to be moderated by a number of other factors such as socio-economic background. Originality/value – The paper cautions against a one-size fits all approach to enterprise education, and is relevant to policy makers and providers. The research design used attempted to overcome some of the criticisms often made of evaluations studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – This paper aims to explore the issues experienced in the delivery of a business challenge to a cohort of business undergraduate students at the University of Glamorgan. The challenge involved initiating and running a "real" business and returning a profit within a week. The students worked in groups of up to eight and were given start up capital. The paper seeks to evaluate the impact of the business challenge in terms of changing entrepreneurial attitudes and behaviour, and to examine the skills competencies acquired by the individual students. Design/methodology/approach – The study employs a mixed method approach to examine the respondent experience. The basis of the investigation involved a semi-structured questionnaire undertaken on completion of the challenge. In total, in excess of 50 students completed the research instrument. The questionnaire enabled the authors to quantitatively explore the overall impact of the business challenge by student age and gender. In addition, the semi structured design enabled the authors to explore the qualitative "rich data" of individual student experience based on their reflections. Findings – The findings reveal a positive impact in terms of enhanced attitudes towards the attainability and attractiveness of an entrepreneurial career. The findings reveal that the business challenge provided the students with a significant enhancement in generic enterprise skills including team working, leadership, communication and specific business skills such as sales and marketing behaviour. The students valued the opportunity and personal responsibility offered by the business challenge to apply their theoretical knowledge in a real world context. Several individuals reported that the positive experience with their business venture meant that they wished to continue the business alongside their graduate studies. Originality/value – The paper contributes to a limited literature in assessing the impact and benefit of business challenges. It will be of value to enterprise education providers in organising and planning such activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose |!|#8211; The purpose of this paper is to explore the choices learners have in steering their way through the educational system in the UK. Design/methodology/approach |!|#8211; The paper draws on data from two studies, one conducted in a state secondary school and the other in a Further Education College, both based in the north-west of England. Both used interviews (either individual or focus-group) to collect data, which were then analysed using a grounded approach. Findings |!|#8211; In linking the two studies the authors highlight how the impact of symbolic violence and the relations between groups and classes at school continue into the |!|#34;choices|!|#34; the learners make during adulthood and also into the learner|!|#39;s working life, and that these |!|#34;choices|!|#34; are often a large-scale consequence of many |!|#34;micro-choices|!|#34; arising from day-to-day situations. The acts of symbolic violence described in the college group are not of themselves very different from those described by the school group, though the consequences for the school group cannot yet be known. Research limitations/implications |!|#8211; The participants in the two groups are unconnected in that they attend different institutions and are at very different stages of their education. However the authors contend that there is a connection in terms of the participants|!|#39; experience of symbolic violence. Originality/value |!|#8211; The paper draws attention to the existence of symbolic violence in everyday school life, and highlights how these instances can have significant impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present the results of a comprehensive study on the specialisations or career tracks supported by the Information Systems (IS) curriculum in the UK. Design/methodology/approach – The study utilises the recently published IS curriculum guidelines (IS 2010) to develop a method for ranking the career tracks of undergraduate IS courses in the UK. Findings – The research presents a prioritised list of graduate IS careers by taking into account the entire IS course provision in the UK. At the same time, it offers data about the size of the IS curriculum in terms of universities in the UK and the number/type courses they offer. Research limitations/implications – The study relies on a previously undeveloped method for measuring career specialisations for UK IS graduates. Additional work is needed to validate the results through comparisons with alternative methods of measuring the careers supported by IS degree courses. Practical implications – By having concrete data about the state of the IS curriculum in relation to its employability opportunities, the IS academy can make more informed decisions about future curriculum development. Further comparative research can be undertaken to support arguments about the relevance of the IS curriculum to industry needs. Originality/value – There has been no similar UK study on this scale which examines the state of the IS curriculum in relation to the career opportunities it offers. The development of the method for this study also offers insights into the structure and recommendations presented by IS 2010. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]