Finalist

Entrepreneurial University of the Year Award

University of Wales Trinity Saint David

Finalist of the Entrepreneurial University of the Year Award

"From enterprising roots to a globally connected forest of ideas."


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Summary

University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD) was set up by entrepreneurs in Wales exactly 200 years ago, so our Triple E submission is an integral part of our celebrations. Embedded in the entrepreneurial learning ecosystem since our formation, we have records of our development of innovative entrepreneurial education over the past 40 years, for example, for over 35 years we have engaged our own entrepreneurial alumni to continuously advise us. Our strategic commitment is not only long standing, it represents who we are. This requires pro-active development with industry partners, government, academia and social groups, and adherence to the world-leading Welsh ‘Well-Being of Future Generations (Wales) Act’.

Our discipline-based Academic Champions of Enterprise reach every subject, which we believe, is why data collated by government ranks us: 1st in the UK for the number of graduate start-ups that have survived at least three years and 2nd in the UK for the number of active graduate firms.

With our University mission of “Transforming education; transforming lives”, what began as a local role has evolved into a significant international one, through the creation of our core funded International Institute for Creative Entrepreneurial Development (IICED).

Our leadership profile ranges from ground-breaking UK Quality Assurance Agency Guidance to initiating the European Commission’s EntreComp Framework, and from developing policy and practice work at the United Nations, to developing compulsory national entrepreneurial school curriculum in two countries. UWTSD have been cited in the US as leading the field, and are harmonious in moving forward.

Key People


Professor Medwin Hughes
Vice Chancellor
Senior Management,  UWTSD



Assoc. Prof. Dr Kathryn Penaluna
Director
International Institute for Creative Entrepreneurial Development (IICED),  UWTSD



Barry Liles OBE
Pro-Vice Chancellor (Skills and Lifelong Learning)
Senior Management,  UWTSD



Professor David Kirby
Founder
Harmonious Entrepreneurship Society (HES),  UWTSD



Felicity Healey-Benson
Founder of HES Lead researcher - entrepreneurial learning
IICED,  UWTSD



Hazel Israel
Researcher and educational development lead
IICED,  UWTSD



Paul Ranson
Digital Lead IICED
IICED ,  UWTSD



Dylan Williams
Lead Entrepreneurship Champion
IICED ,  UWTSD



Nicola Powell
Industry Engagement
Administration team,  UWTSD



Professor Emeritus Andy Penaluna
Professor Emeritus and former Director
IICED,  UWTSD


Acknowledgements

World Bank, OECD, European Commission Joint Research Centre, EU Erasmus+, Welsh Government, Government of North Macedonia, SEBRAE Brazil, South East Europe Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning, Bantani Education, Enterprise Educators UK, Fiorina Mugione, Former Chief of Entrepreneurship Section, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development

Images

2 UWTSD Entrepreneurial alumni

1 UWTSD Interactive map produced after global summit

3 UWTSD Student journey

4 UWTSD EntLearn

5 UWTSD leading EU Parliament debate

6 UWTSD Graduate Attributes Framework

7 UWTSD in UK Parliament

8 UWTSD QAA Guidance Press

9 UWTSD N Macedonia School Curriculum progression

10 UWTSD HES webpage screenshot

working with schoolchildren

On Alex steps

IMPACT STORY

Impacting lifes

In 1822 our founders created the first University in Wales, funded by their own enterprises, led by their ambition to create a strategic hub that would become a cultural anchor in the region. Our education offer now extends to all disciplines and we use alumni feedback as a primary measure of success.

Born through this resolve and entrepreneurial foresight, and despite being a small institution, UWTSD has evolved into a world leading centre for entrepreneurial learning at all levels, from schooling to post-doctoral, with an impact case that has received significant international acclaim. Whether it be the consistently top government rankings in graduate business start-ups and survival rates, or research that drives innovation through interdisciplinarity, we have always listened to the needs of our entrepreneurial stakeholders before stepping forward to initiate change.

Our expertise has taken us from UK Parliamentary roles to keynote speeches in the European Parliament, and from working with local stakeholders to supervising innovation-based research at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. Initial work informed the development of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, as our primary aim was ‘propoor’ when supporting 47 developing economies through the Empretec organisation. In 2018 we reached our goal of 200,000 trainees, and the project continues. As advisors to the OECD, we have impacted at both school and University levels.

In the Covid online environment, we have trained educators in 52 countries as leaders of EntreCompEdu and led educational developments as far afield as Brazil, with over 20,000 registered participants.

LEARNINGS

Lessons learned

We have learned extensively through our alumni, whatever the discipline or subject. An entrepreneurial champion helps to ensure relevance, objectivity and future orientated thinking. This insight extends to our research, where the difficult role of navigating silo orientated journals can hinder progress.
Our work has been highly ranked (in UK Research Excellence Framework) as educationally valid, based on research in cognition science, and inclusivity. For example, theatre and performance educators know a lot more about persuasion than our business educator colleagues, and sports educators when it comes to competitive environments. Our leadership in developing two country’s school curricula in innovation and entrepreneurship required us to dig deep into what learning, not simply teaching, can mean.

When we led the UK’s Quality Assurance Agency work in Enterprise and Entrepreneurship, observers noted the sheer breadth of engagement. The guidance is used internationally, for example in 1,100 Chinese universities according to the Bejing Education Ministry. Entrepreneurs in the UK’s All Party Parliamentary Group formally congratulated the team, stating that ‘we punched well above our weight’. The EU Joint Research Centre took this thinking on board at its inaugural meeting to develop Entrecomp, which we contributed to from start to finish. The International Council for Small Business’s Education manifesto (Krueger, 2021) stated ‘... a good place to start is a question that Andy Penaluna (of UWTSD) asks “If you had to educate starting from Primary School, where would you start and why?” …add how do we ensure that educator training and assessment dovetail’

FUTURE PLANS

What's coming?

This is a continuing journey of learning and explaining, within a circular economic goal that is harmonious, ethical and inclusive. Our Harmonious Entrepreneurship Society was founded by Prof. David Kirby, who coincidently taught entrepreneurship here 40 years ago, and led work in Egypt. With 1700 followers in 147 countries, an online international Harmonious Entrepreneurship student competition includes training relating to and counteracting the effects of climate change, and responding to the demand for resilience training within not only disciplines such as agriculture, horticulture, energy and construction, but also communities.

In March it was announced that all new UK Subject Benchmark Statement (University discipline-based quality enhancement) have to include enterprise, entrepreneurship and sustainability. The first 14 subjects are Archaeology, Chemistry, Classics and Ancient History, Computing, Counselling and Psychotherapy, Criminology, Early Childhood Studies, Forensic Science, Geography, History, Housing Studies. Policing and Theology and Religious Studies. 13 more, from Anthropology to Psychology are in draft for 2023.

As UWTSD’s International Institute for Creative Entrepreneurial Development have chaired the UK-wide quality enhancement in enterprise and entrepreneurship, there will be much to do. UWTSD ‘Spin In’ Company Ship ShapeVC, winners of the Wales Fin Tech Start Up Awards provide access to finance that is potentially a game changer, providing speedier access to professionally relevant support as well as funding.
We now lead the Welsh Curriculum approaches to developing innovative enterprising innovators in schools, so teacher and leader training is a key role. As other countries have approached us at Ministerial levels, watch this space!

KEY STATISTICS

(2nd in UK)

Number of graduate businesses we engage with.

(1st in UK)

Number of active graduate businesses who have survived 3+ years

79

Number of Countries who have employed us for our education expertise (excluding UN numbers)

200,000+

Number of learners engaged through United Nations training developed at UWTSD

1st

To lead national development on quality assurance of enterprise and entrepreneurship (UK QAA Guidance)

Two out of 10

EU Joint Research Centre (CARSA) In Depth Cases that kicked off the development of the EU’s EntreComp Framework

One of 18

Invited contributors to the inaugural expert meeting to develop EntreComp

1st

To lead development of progressively monitored compulsory innovation and entrepreneurship schooling – in North Macedonia

1st

Formally validated / UK University approved entrepreneurial teacher training module

1st

Education Doctorate based on EU’s EntreComp

28,000

Teachers who will teach a school curriculum model (Skills Essential to the Four Purposes - commencing Sept 2022) that was designed by UWTSD.

Triple E Awards

The Triple E Awards are a global recognition of efforts toward the quest for entrepreneurship and engagement in higher education. It is the first award to focus specifically on different dimensions of the universities' third mission. Implemented regionally, the Triple E Awards aim to foster change in universities and to emphasize their role in their communities and ecosystems.

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