Breathing space or hiding place? Graduate entrepreneurs' perspectives of entrepreneurship education in Ireland
Fenton, Mary
(2013)
Breathing space or hiding place? Graduate entrepreneurs' perspectives of entrepreneurship education in Ireland.
PhD thesis, Dublin City University.
Entrepreneurship education (EE) has become a panacea for graduate unemployment
despite a lacuna of empirical evidence to demonstrate that it can generate more
entrepreneurial activity (Matlay, 2007; Potter, 2008). This research examines graduate
entrepreneurs' perspectives of EE at third level in their formation as entrepreneurs.
The South East Enterprise Platform Programme (SEEPP) provides an interesting case
study of graduate entrepreneurship within South East region of Ireland, where
research was conducted amongst 30 graduate entrepreneurs i.e., 15 SEEPP
participants and 15 non-SEEPP entrepreneurs. This research also included the
perspectives of 15 enterprise enablers, namely SEEPP lecturers and enterprise
development agency (EDA) personnel to provide a triangulated perspective of EE at
third level. The graduate entrepreneurs and enterprise enablers acknowledged
initiatives by HEIs to promote entrepreneurship but they believed that EE does not
adequately prepare students for self-employment mainly because: (i) HEIs are focused
on preparing students for employment; (ii) lecturers lack critical enterprise experience;
(iii) the academic nature of EE; and (iv) EE's 'one size fits all' approach fails to recognise
the heterogeneity of learners' needs. The notion that more EE will lead to greater
numbers of graduate entrepreneurs is unrealistic because graduates' route to selfemployment
is not linear, moreover, there is a paucity of supports for 'raw graduates'
in their transition to self-employment. Whilst some EDA personnel regarded EE at
third level as a 'hiding place', many graduate entrepreneurs believed that HEIs
provided a 'breathing space' to develop their business. This research offers a nuanced
understanding of EE at third level and the prevailing economic conditions for graduate
entrepreneurship in Ireland. It contributes to the advancement of knowledge, practice
and policy by proposing a conceptual framework for EE at third level to meet the
diverse needs of graduate entrepreneurs. It concludes with the identification of areas
worthy of further research.