Reaching the young through Enterprise in Gwynedd, North Wales

Shared by Emma Make Your Mark team

Gwynedd in North Wales was revitalised by changing the attitudes and opinions of young people though enterprise

The strategy in Gwynedd focused on young people and promoted the importance of enterprise working closely with education.

The aim in Gwynedd was to provide a culture of enterprise through lifelong learning. By merging economic development and education, a dialogue opened up that would directly affect the labour market.

An Intrapreneurship programme was created and offered in schools for student taking their GSCEs, showing different routes into employment with particular focus on enterprise and intrapreneurship. This enabled students to think about potential future careers within the county in a new way.

The overall education and career aim was to create a county where young people would have clear education and career pathways. This would support young people and give them every opportunity to work and live within the county long-term.

Gwynedd tips on how to effectively create an enterprise culture

Create strong aims. Gwynedd wanted to show that it is an attractive town in which to live and set up business.
Use education. By targeting students you can ensure that the next generation is encouraged to impact positively on their community.
Work with the business community: Build strong links and networks to ensure that business will influence the public sector. Find business leaders who will advocate the importance of enterprise within education.
Promote Intrapreneurship to young people to show the variety of ways enterprise can be applied. Use the education agenda to champion the skills young people will need to be enterprising, such as communication, networking and other soft skills.
Focus on the labour market.