Student entrepreneurs

29 June 2009

LJMU’s second cohort of Enterprise Fellows recently started on the new Enterprise Fellowship programme. 35 fellows were selected for this year’s programme - the largest number ever - which supports Merseyside students and recent graduates to develop the skills needed to launch a business and provides a £3,000 training bursary to help them achieve this goal.

Businesses accepted onto this year’s programme are varied, ranging from fashion design and illustration through to an eco-friendly building service and a computer game design business.

The 9-month scheme, which is co-financed by the European Social Fund & Learning & Skills Council, started with an intensive four day training course in the Graduate Development Centre. Fellows attended a variety of workshops which introduced them to essential business skills, including business planning, marketing, networking and pitching your business. A special networking event at the end of the course brought together the Fellows with guests from the local business community and LJMU’s partners.

The Fellows will continue to receive regular business advice meetings from LJMU’s Business Adviser, Claire Horan, or from LJMU partners Creative Bias. Business ideas are wide-ranging and students come from a broad range of academic disciplines.

Claire Horan, said, “This year’s cohort have again demonstrated the high levels of creativity, energy and commitment that exists among our student and graduate entrepreneurs that will make their businesses a success. We’re really looking forward to working with this new group of Fellows to support their endeavours over the next 9 months, and celebrating the achievements to come.”