Promoting entrepreneurship as a career option ‐ the graduate enterprise programme

This paper presents findings of a research study carried out to review the outcomes of the Scottish Graduate Enterprise Programme (GEP). Two hundred and forty‐five graduates participated in the nine GEP business start up courses from 1983 to 1991. They came from a range of academic institutions and disciplines. At least a half have started a business at some point, we found 69 (50 per cent) of those traced were in business, almost half were female. They did not tend to come from entrepreneurial backgrounds, though most had previous work experience. They had considered a range of career options. They started up with low amounts of capital and found finance a constraint, although a range of other problems were identified. On average the businesses have shown growth in capital, turnover, profits and number of employees. They rated their business performance high on quality standards, innovation and competitiveness, though average on sales and profit performance. The Graduate Enterprise Programme helped those with sufficient motivation, to gain the ability to convert their idea into a business. We conclude with recommendations, based on the experiences of the Graduate Enterprise programme, for supporting graduates to create their own businesses.