In the UK, Global Entrepreneurship Week is asking aspiring and start-up entrepreneurs to “Take a Step Forward” #GEWfwd.
Enterprise continues to be high on the news agenda and the aim of the GEW campaign, a joint effort by Youth Business International and Barclays, is to turn positive sentiments into reality.
With the economy showing optimistic signs of recovery, now may be the best time in years to start a business.
With 280,000 people got involved in Global Entrepreneurship Week in the UK, it comes as no surprise that this year’s campaign is on track to surpass the size of the 2012 campaign.
This year are also marks the celebration of the tenth year of an entire week to promote entrepreneurship. Enterprise Week, the predecessor to GEW, began in 2004.
Vince Cable, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, and Skills will launch the week atWestminster Kingsway College in central London, alongside Pizza Express founder Luke Johnsonand a host of other inspiring entrepreneurs.
Andrew Devenport, Chief Executive of Youth Business International, expressed enthusiasm for GEW 2013. He had this to say regarding the week “Young or old, whether you’re in Barrow or Braintree, or Greenock or Greenwich, Global Entrepreneurship Week can help you take a step forward. We had a record year last year, but 2013 is shaping up to be even bigger and better. Youth Business International and Barclays want all aspiring entrepreneurs to sign up now for start-up success.”
Highlights of the UK campaign include:
- The Great British Entrepreneur Awards
This competition is brand new for 2013 and will highlight innovative businesses across the UK, with an awards dinner in central London. High profile people involved include Michael Fallon, Minister for Business and Enterprise, and Ingrid Vandervelt, Entrepreneur-in-Residence for Dell. gew.org.uk/events/the_great_british_entrepreneur_awards - Inspiring Entrepreneurs: In the Den with the Dragons
Ask Doug Richard, Kelly Hoppen and other no-nonsense experts about what makes a winning pitch and how to scale up your business. Taking place at the British Library. gew.org.uk/events/inspiring_entrepreneurs_in_the_den_with_the_dragons_0 - The Scottish Start-Up Summit
Decades of internationally-renowned business experience, tens of millions of pounds in profit, in one room. ” - GEW Scottish launch
On Monday 18th November at Shawlands Academy, we will be having the presence of the Minister for Youth Employment Angela Constance MSP to officially start the week in Scotland, with a consortium of leading Scottish enterprise charities www.gew.org.uk/events/gew_scottish_launch - Coca-Cola's Real Business Challenge
Could this be the largest education initiative for Global Entrepreneurship Week? Engaging around 50,000 school-children through enterprise, the RBC is free and, linked to the curriculum, it challenges students to tackle a business task set by Coca-Cola Enterprises. It is work-related learning at its most engaging and an opportunity for a whole year group to develop enterprise skills that will give them a competitive edge in today's job market.gew.org.uk/events/real_business_challenge - Mission Moscow
The £10 Challenge, run by the University of Chester. Teams of students have been set the exacting mission of transforming £10 into the profits necessary to fund travel to the Global Entrepreneurship Congress in Moscow in March 2014 through a series of tasks designed to test their enterprise skills, over the course of four months. gew.org.uk/events/mission_moscow_2014_-_the_10_challenge