Magazine Spring 2007 This is the second edition of our new bi-annual magazine. if you would like to be added to the mailing list please send us your information on info@walesinternationalconsortium.com and specify if you prefer to recieve it electronically or by post. |
May 2007
Calling All Aspiring Entrepreneurs
In January 2007, Swansea University launched a UK first; a Masters Course specifically targeted at aspiring entrepreneurs. Whether starting a new high tech venture or looking for career progression in an existing high growth entrepreneurial business, the Masters in Business and Law is what many people have been waiting for. The course provides practical education in all the key aspects of business law, business skills and, critically, entrepreneurship and commercialising innovative ideas.
Supporting Wales’ drive to develop fast-growth Knowledge Economy start-ups, the course is designed to equip the leaders of tomorrow with the skills they need to steer these companies through to success.
The first group of highly motivated students is now progressing well on the course and particularly enjoying its practical nature. Simon Bowen, a Welsh entrepreneur and former Senior Executive with BP, is the Course Director and he is delighted with progress so far:
“The students are from a variety of professional backgrounds and different parts of the world from Iran to China, Brazil, Africa and of course the UK. This rich mix of experience and perspective is really adding to the life of the course. The students are particularly benefiting from the way the course is formulated as all the assignments and course exams are geared towards real business issues. Many of the assignments will form the basis of key legal documents and policies that the students can use in their own businesses”.
The heart of the course is how to start an innovative business. The students produce a business plan and present their ideas to a panel of business people. As part of the final taught module - Commercialising Innovation - they act as the Due Diligence Team representing an investor. The teams take a real business idea, normally presented to them by a local innovator, work up the market intelligence, develop the business plan and then present the business opportunity to a group of investors who have money to invest in small high growth businesses in Wales.
The final stage of the course is the preparation of a detailed business plan on the student’s own idea with the intention of creating a document that is of a sufficiently high standard to present to investors.
Such is the success of the first course that the Swansea team is now actively marketing the course across the UK, in China, India, Africa and many other countries including the US. Simon commented that interest received in the course has been excellent.
“We have received enquiries from all around the world from people who are looking for something different to an MBA, something more practical. We are on track to realise our vision of providing a pipeline of energized entrepreneurs into the economy. Through our close links with the Technium network we also have the capability to support the students in setting up companies during the course and then getting them launched into the market as soon as they graduate”
The MBL is a course that is suited to all entrepreneurial business people but has particular strengths in preparing students to be an employer rather than an employee.