̽��ֱ��

̽��ֱ��Shadow Minister for Enterprise, Mark Prisk MP, visited Cambridge today on a fact-finding mission.

̽��ֱ��Hertford and Stortford MP met with several academics including the Director of the Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning (CfEL), Dr Shailendra Vyakarnam, who emphasised the positive connection between entrepreneurship and education.

̽��ֱ��Centre, based at Judge Business School, has a track record of helping large numbers of novice entrepreneurs from the UK and across the world to launch in the commercial arena and provides a good role model for the Shadow Minister and others as to how institutions can spread the spirit of enterprise.

Dr Vyakarnam explained the need to target education and training programmes in order to aid and benefit entrepreneurship.

“Education has to fit with what society is looking for, in order to meet small business strategic goals and be meaningful. ̽��ֱ��Centre has developed 4 flagship programmes all with specific learning objectives for the aspiring entrepreneur. For example, our highly successful Enterprise Tuesday programme teaches people how to develop basic business skills, the Emerging Technologies Entrepreneurship course advises young Cambridge scientists how to assess the commercial feasibility of technologies, while the Ignite programme fast tracks innovations to commercial reality.”

Professor Arnoud De Meyer, Director of Judge Business School, extolled the strengths of the Cambridge eco-system as a place for doing business and encouraging entrepreneurship.

“ ̽��ֱ��vibrant entrepreneurial network available in the Silicon Fen together with the superb resources via the Business Angels, Venture Capitalists, Cambridge Network, St Johns Innovation Centre, Cambridge Enterprise Ltd and, of course, the Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning makes Cambridge a hot-house for innovation and enterprise, “ he said.

“Judge Business School is well placed to offer the kind of professional skills necessary to assist people on their entrepreneurial journeys but also to help them sustain a business through growth beyond the start-up stage. This is an important factor in ensuring businesses stay in Cambridge and continue to contribute to the local economy.”

̽��ֱ��Shadow Minister also visited the ̽��ֱ��’s Institute for Manufacturing and Cambridge Enterprise.

After the visit Mark said:

“An entrepreneur needs professional know-how to ensure today’s idea can become tomorrow’s profitable enterprise. Experiencing first hand how the Judge Business School and the Institute are providing those skills to entrepreneurs, both during the start up stages and beyond, was very encouraging.

“Finding the right marriage between encouraging entrepreneurship and stimulating business is not only essential for the economy of Cambridge but it will ultimately benefit the national economy as well.”