14 education & business
Championing today’s entrepreneurs and tomorrow’s success stories
On September 12, just as The Business Magazine lands on desks throughout the south, Rosy Jones from Southampton Solent University will find out if she has taken top honours in a national competition for student enterprise. As the University’s head of employability and enterprise, Jones has been shortlisted in the Enterprise Society Champion category of the prestigious 2013 National Enterprise Educator Awards (NEEA). Jointly run by the National Centre for Entrepreneurship in Education and Enterprise Educators UK, they recognise outstanding achievement in the sector. The Business Magazine’s Alison Dewar finds out more about Jones' passion for helping students and graduates succeed
“For me, entrepreneurship is about allowing our students to realise they can use their skills to do something they like. That they have the capability to work for themselves, to make their own money and pursue the best opportunities in industries where becoming a freelance or a consultant is the norm,“ said Jones.
“It’s about giving them the confidence to achieve what they want to be, knowing we are here to support them not just now, but in the future too.“
It’s a strategy which clearly delivers results. Some 40% of the University’s graduates end up working either for themselves or for a micro business, and a further 40% of businesses started at Solent are still running three years after they began trading.
This year alone, the University has given out £86,000 from its slice of the Higher Education Innovation Fund, helping 54 students set up 49 businesses, with grants of between £500 and £2,000 being used to pay for anything from IT equipment to funding working capital.
40% of the University’s graduates end up working either for themselves or for a micro business, and a further 40% of businesses started at Solent are still running three years after they began trading
Among its many success stories is Tomasz Dyl, recently named Southampton Young Entrepreneur of the Year. Five years ago, while at the University and aged just 17, Dyl took advantage of its expert support to set up field marketing agency GottaBe!, which now employs five staff and numbers clients including Specsavers, 02, Western Union and Hampshire Constabulary.
The focus on putting students and graduates at the heart of its enterprise strategy is where Jones says Solent University sets itself apart. Having joined in 2011 and previously having worked at the University of Southampton, as well as NCEE and WSX Enterprise, she combines more than 12 years’ experience in the higher
www.businessmag.co.uk Rosy Jones
education sector with a background in the commercial world.
And there’s little doubt that her first-hand experience of running her own business gives her an edge when it comes to understanding entrepreneurship.
“Students often don’t see what they are doing as a business, they just see it as something they want to do. If you or I were to set up a business we would look at issues such as target markets, suppliers or customer base; students don’t have that knowledge but they do have plenty of enthusiasm,“ she said.
“We say to our students, there is no better time than now to set up a business. They won’t have a mortgage, very few of them have children and it is much better to have six months trying to run your own business than being unemployed. We’re enabling them to ’have a go’, to try out their skills and, if one business doesn’t work, there may be others which will.
“We effectively provide a pre pre-start-up experience, we coach them, help clarify ideas and spend a lot of time talking about their plans. By the end, if the idea hasn’t changed, it’s usually because they are very good, or you haven’t talked to them enough.“
THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – SOLENT & SOUTH CENTRAL – SEPTEMBER 2013
Among Jones’ many achievements during her career have been the setting up of the Dynamo Challenge for student entrepreneurs from five universities across the region, and organising the first ever Enterprise Support Conference for university enterprise officers.
Since joining Solent University, she has helped develop student entrepreneur societies Solent Sparks and Enactus; and also launched the Solent Entrepreneurs’ Network for Sustainable Enterprises (SENSE), giving graduate entrepreneurs the chance to meet once a month with their peers, share experiences and receive support and advice.
Jones added: “Entrepreneurs will tell you running your own business can be lonely, this is a chance to find out the problems other people are having, which makes a real difference. Of course, it also gives them a ready-made potential client base for what they are doing – whether that’s web design, developing apps or offering marketing services.“
Delighted to be shortlisted for the Enterprise Society Champion award, Jones says whether or not she wins, her real reward has been reading some of the wonderful tributes paid by students in her nomination.
One applauded her ability to turn him from an “enthusiastic but misguided wanna-be business person“ into an entrepreneur running a £200,000 business in just three years; while another said: “SENSE sessions have really helped me gain confidence moving forward with my business idea. It’s reassuring to know that the support network of peers and staff is there to help with any issues I face along the way.“
With such glowing reports, Jones can be sure that among Southampton’s many young entrepreneurs she is already a winner.
Details:
www.solent.ac.uk
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