Entrepreneurs Make It Happen

15 March 2010

Knowledge Dock, the University of East London’s enterprise development service joined forces with the National Council for Graduate Entrepreneurship (NCGE) to promote the FlyingStart ‘Make it Happen’ programme, the NCGE’s flagship programme aimed at graduates and final year students who are interested in setting up their own business.

 

The event which was attended by 100 budding entrepreneurs was designed to raise students and graduates’ interest levels in starting up their own business and help them overcome obstacles stopping them from starting their business.

 

Attendees on the day were treated to a number of workshops delivered by serial entrepreneurs Owain Wyn-Jones and Andrew Davies who drew upon their vast experince to deliver informative sessions in topics such as market research, finance, marketing and customer service.

 

“I’m delighted with the turnout at the event. Even more pleasing is that approximately 80% of the attendees signed up to the 12 month programme and they will now benefit from online resources, seminars and mentoring, all with no cost through the programme” said Laraine Wyn-Jones, Programmes Manager for the NCGE.

 

On the day attendees also had the chance to network with past beneficiaries of entrepreneurship programmes, such as the ‘Be Your Own Boss’ programme, who have already taken their first steps in their entrepreneurial career to share their experiences and ideas.

 

Thorsten Klein, Business Incubation Manager at the Knowledge Dock, said: “UEL provides an exciting and supportive environment for enterprising students who want to explore entrepreneurship as an alternative career path. Not only can students study on the entrepreneurship module as part of their degree, but we also run a series of parallel programmes such as the ‘Be Your Own Boss’ programme, the annual E-Factor competition where UEL students compete to win £10,000 to turn their business idea into a reality and we also have the Petchey Centre for Entrepreneurship, where students can access a wide range of business information and support as well as access hot-desking space”.

 

-----ENDS-----

Notes to Editors

Knowledge Dock
Knowledge Dock is the University of East London’s (UEL) enterprise development service and European accredited Business Innovation Centre (BIC). Knowledge Dock is the only BIC in London, one of 12 in the UK and part of a European Business Network (EBN) which consists of 160 organisations across 21 European countries.

Knowledge Dock actively connects students to business opportunities, enables entrepreneurs to make the right connections to start their business, SMEs to the specific expertise to grow their business, and connects industry to the academic knowledge at the University of East London (UEL).

The Knowledge Dock Business Centre, located at the University of East London Docklands campus, houses a range of business support, enterprise development and conferencing facilities.

University of East London
The University of East London (UEL) is a global learning community with over 23,000 students from over 120 countries world-wide. Our vision is to achieve recognition, both nationally and internationally, as a successful and inclusive regional university proud of its diversity, committed to new modes of learning which focus on students and enhance their employability, and renowned for our contribution to social, cultural and economic development, especially through our research and scholarship. We have a strong track-record in widening participation and working with industry.

Owian Wyn-Jones
Owain has spent 12 years running his own successful business in IT and marketing and advertising. He sold his last business due to ill health and is now returning to self employment as a professional speaker, talking about his background, sharing his knowledge and providing an insight into the obstacles he has overcome.

Andrew Davies
Andrew specialises in using social media in media in business. Andrew has an amazing background, including careers with BBC Radio and MySpace. Andrew was headhunted to become part of the team setting up MySpace in the UK, and has written the first ever course on Social Media which will be included in GCSE English.