Author: Ian Eddie And Bikram Chatterjee • Section: General News Article Type: News Item • Audience : 1,049 • Page: 18 • Printed size: 501.00cm² Market: National • Country: Australia • ASR: AUD 2,878 • words: 568 Item ID: 973861966
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Start up, start now
'J ust do it' has been a mantra for entrepreneurs for decades. However, the question remains as to whether or not it is possible to teach and learn entrepreneurship. If yes, then what is the best way to teach it? startups, business mentors and the local business network. Their focus will change from advertising on behalf of employers to attract graduates, holding employer recruitment forums and assisting with student CVs, to challenging future graduates to think Does a teacher of entrepreneurship need to be outside the box, and relating graduates and students practically qualified (an experienced entrepreneur) from multiple disciplines where such interdisciplinary as well as academically qualified? Should an skills are required. education program in entrepreneurship fit into a The careers office needs to interact with students standard academic program such as a bachelor or regularly and early in their studies to sow the seeds master's degree? How should the learning outcomes of innovation. The subject-specific courses need from an entrepreneurship program be assessed? to be flexible to incorporate electives from multiple The future of work is changing rapidly in response to discipline areas, such as business, arts and sciences, digital disruption, social changes and the expectations that may be of relevance to a student's startup. of Millennials. Traditional employment is no longer The startup economy demands new forms of a preferred option for many young people, and resources and interactions in universities. This will they have asserted a strong desire to start their own include knowledge of legal requirements, ways businesses and become self-employed. This changing to protect new ideas, business plans and financial What is the best demographic, social and technological environment budgets, in addition to being comfortable with barriers way to teach is creating a demand for better, more responsive and and the skills to identify those barriers. entrepreneurship? dynamic education and training to prepare a new Disciplines need to be interconnected in a way generation of entrepreneurs. not envisaged before, and need to be visible in each By Ian Eddie and Universities and other higher education providers other's discipline areas. The skills to identify, interact Bikram Chatterjee have been responding to this change in demand by and expand networks are the key to startups. The creating various new forms of programs and startup initial leadership from the career advisory service of and incubator hubs to attract and develop student universities is one way forward. entrepreneurs. It remains uncertain as to whether these The future lies in fusion degrees, training graduates responses have been successful or will require further for specific industries with skills required from arts, innovation. Outside the higher education sector are science, technology and business disciplines, and numerous startup hubs, business incubators and non- so stretches across traditional boundaries. Certainly educational institutions and venture capital funds that traditional discipline-specific degrees will still have a provide support for emerging entrepreneurs. place to cater to those inclined. One way of moving forward is for careers offices at Australian universities to consider startup entrepreneurship as a career option. This will Ian Eddie is VinaCapital professor of private equity distinguish Australian universities from many others in the Asia Graduate Centre at RMIT University around the world and will add to the strength of this Vietnam. Dr Bikram Chatterjee is a senior lecturer sector. In order to offer such an option, it is expected at the School of Accounting, Economics and that the careers office will interact with successful Finance, University of Waikato.