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Pioneering Degree Course for Would-Be Entrepreneurs
Students on a pioneering new business degree course at Bishop Grosseteste University in Lincoln won’t spend their time sitting in lectures and reading books on business theories. Instead they will call themselves team entrepreneurs, create their own start-up companies and take part in business coaching sessions in creative labs. The new Business (Team Entrepreneurship) degree course starts in September and Elinor Vettraino, the new Academic Co-ordinator for Business and Enterprise at BGU, is busy recruiting students. “Team Entrepreneurship is a very exciting opportunity because it straddles the business world and the academic world,” said Elinor. “It’s pioneering: we’re only the fourth university in the country to offer a course of this sort. We’re part of a small, select group of like-minded institutions which want to push the boundaries of business education away from traditional delivery and towards a full experiential learning experience. “Our students will be known as team entrepreneurs – that’s important because they will see themselves as being business people. Our job is to help them balance the duality of being an entrepreneur and being a full-time student. We will coach the team entrepreneurs how to run their own business; their job is to learn by doing.” BGU intends to recruit 20 first-year students of all ages and from all backgrounds to make up the first cohort in September. “We’re marketing the course not only to schools and colleges but also to more experienced people who may want to set up their own business,” said Elinor. “It would be lovely to get a mix of ages as people with a bit more experience have a better understanding of life and can contribute different things to the group.” Unlike other students, who attend lectures and tutorials, take exams and write dissertations, BGU’s team entrepreneurs will set up their own businesses in order to make real money. “The idea is that by the end of the course they will have made enough money between them to send every student on a round-the-world trip for six months. The target is 10,000 euros each.” But the Team Entrepreneurship course is not about making a profit at the expense of everything else. “The students will also need to understand the social responsibility aspect that goes along with running a business, and they’ll be working with Karen Lowthrop from the social enterprise Hill Holt Wood near Lincoln to develop that,” said Elinor. “It’s very important that the team entrepreneurs get excited about giving something back to the community. In their third year, for example, they will go overseas and support a social enterprise.” The academic discipline known as Team Academy originated in Jyväskylä in Finland in the early 1990s and now there is a global network of academics running this kind of programme. -
Exploring the Magna Carta at BGU Lecture
Exploring the Magna Carta at BGU Lecture The President of the International Co-operative Alliance will give a talk about the Magna Carta at Bishop Grosseteste University in Lincoln to mark the 800th anniversary of the signing of the famous document. Dame Pauline Green will use her lecture on Wednesday 29th April to draw parallels between the Magna Carta and the modern co-operative movement. The Magna Carta is credited with laying down the core principles of British democracy, and its influence spread around the world as emerging nations searched for an equitable and just governance system. Democratic principles also lie at the heart of the co-operative business model developed 600 years after Magna Carta by a group of mill workers in Rochdale. The ‘Law First’ of the Rochdale Pioneers spawned a modern model of business that has reached all parts of the globe. Dame Pauline Green is the first female President in the 120-year history of the International Co-operative Alliance. She was elected in 2009 and re-elected for a second term in 2013. In her lecture she will argue that the co-operative movement is the best ever initiative for taking people out of poverty with dignity that the world has ever seen, and one of the UK’s most enduring exports. The lecture will take place at 2pm on Wednesday 29th April in the Robert Hardy Lecture Theatre at BGU. The event is free and open to everyone, and refreshments will be served. To book your place contact Jessica Lyons by calling 01522 583681 or by emailing jessica.lyons@bishopg.ac.uk. -
Lincoln B&B Featured in National Campaign
A bed and breakfast based on campus at Bishop Grosseteste University has been featured in a national newspaper as part of Visit England’s Access for All campaign. Visit England has been working with the Daily Express to highlight accessible tourist and business destinations across the country. Longdales House bed and breakfast at BGU was featured in a special edition which appeared in the S magazine supplement on Sunday (27th September). Visit England has now been granted an extra £125,000 to support businesses in improving their accessibility. As part of the project, businesses are provided with personalised feedback of their access statement as well as online and classroom disability awareness training for members of staff. Located on the campus of Bishop Grosseteste University, Longdales House was originally home to the head of the college and in 2011 it was developed into a stylish bed and breakfast facility. Staff at Longdales House have undergone extensive training over the past year to improve customer service excellence, having already attended a course as part of the World Host programme in June this year when Lincoln became a World Host committed destination. Jane Vincent, Senior Conferencing and Events Co-ordinator at BGU, said: “I am delighted that Longdales House has been approved for inclusion in the Visit England National Access for All campaign. I would like to say thanks to all the BGU staff that have helped us to achieve these awards.” Longdales House features a range of facilities for disabled people with accessible en suite rooms, conference rooms installed with hearing loops on the adjacent BGU campus, Deafgard alarm systems and a host of other options available on request. -
BGU Tops League Table for Employable Graduates
Bishop Grosseteste University in Lincoln has landed the second top spot among universities across the country for graduate employability, according to new figures published today (Thursday). Ninety-eight graduates out of every 100 who leave BGU following their first degree are in full-time employment or further study six months after graduating, according to the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education survey published by HESA, the Higher Education Statistics Agency. BGU’s figure of 98.1% for 2013/14 is up from 96.5% the previous year and puts Bishop Grosseteste University as the second university in the UK league table (after the Royal Agricultural University) for the job prospects of its first degree graduates. The national average for all UK universities is 93.2% “This outstanding ranking is fantastic news for our graduates as it shows that they are ready and ideally prepared for the workplace when they leave BGU,” said the Reverend Canon Professor Peter Neil, Vice Chancellor of Bishop Grosseteste University. “We work very hard to ensure that our degree courses are career-focused and most of them incorporate a professional work placement during the period of study. A good example is our new Team Entrepreneurship degree programme starting this autumn which will require students to set up their own business while on the course.” The latest DLHE figures can be found here. -
Top 3 in the UK
Bishop Grosseteste University in Lincoln is ranked third among UK universities for student employability, according to new figures published yesterday. 97.2% per cent of students who leave BGU with an undergraduate degree find work or are continuing to study six months following graduation. Only two other universities – Keele and Harper Adams – have a higher employability figure than Bishop Grosseteste University. The figures relate to full-time first degree graduates leaving in 2014/15 and the national average for all UK universities is 93.9%. The statistics appear in the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) survey published by HESA, the Higher Education Statistics Agency. “Once again the DLHE survey highlights how well our graduates do when they enter the job market,” said the Reverend Canon Professor Peter Neil, Vice Chancellor of Bishop Grosseteste University. “It’s very heartening to see BGU right near the top of the national ranking as it shows that we are doing everything we can to prepare for our students for the workplace when they leave us. “We work very hard to ensure that our degree courses are career-focused and most of them incorporate a professional work placement during the period of study. “One example is our new Business (Team Entrepreneurship) degree which requires students to set up their own business while studying with us.” The latest DLHE figures can be found by clicking here. -
Lecturers Swapping Lecterns for Laughs
Stand-up comedians often make jokes about politics, their childhood or everyday observations – but a new breed of comic is getting laughs out of academic research. Bright Club is a nationwide project to turn academics into comedians, and Bishop Grosseteste University is the latest institution to join in the fun. BGU will host its first Bright Club event at its Curiositea café on Thursday 12th May. Compered by professional comedian Simon Bligh, the evening will feature comic turns by education experts, drama tutors and even the university’s chaplain! “Academics are notoriously solitary creatures, and while they’re used to presenting their research at conferences this is a chance for them to put across the research they’re doing in a much more fun and inspired way,” said Elinor Vettraino, a business and enterprise academic at BGU who is organising the event. “Bright Club began life at University College London and it occurred to me that it’s an interesting way of engaging people within the BGU community to share practice and learning while having a fun evening.” At the BGU event next week former Perrier Award nominee and Time out Comedian of the Year Simon Bligh will introduce participants including: Dr Julia Lindley-Baker Academic Co-ordinator, Special Educational Needs, Disability & Inclusion The Reverend Dr Peter Green University Chaplain Graham Meeson Head of School of Humanities Dr Dennis Eluyefa Senior Lecturer in Drama Elinor Vettraino Academic Co-ordinator, Business & Enterprise “To prepare our budding stand-ups who are treading the boards for this first pilot experience Simon has held two training sessions,” said Elinor. “But the idea is that it’s a risk, and at the same time it’s great fun. It’s helps lecturers, whose job it is to engage with students and get their message across, to make their repertoire more versatile.” Tickets for the event cost £5 on the door (£2 for students) at Curiositea and are open to members of the public as well as to BGU staff and students. Doors open at 7pm and the event starts at 7.30pm on Thursday 12th May. Universities involved in Bright Club include Cambridge, Oxford, Leicester, Loughborough, Manchester, St Andrews, Belfast and Bristol. To find out more about Bright Club visit https://brightclub.org/ -
New Lease of Life for Former Connie’s Restaurant at BGU
A former canteen and dining room at Bishop Grosseteste University in Lincoln is being turned into much needed teaching accommodation as the institution gears up for an increase in students. BGU is spending £850,000 on converting the former Connie’s dining room and kitchen into an academic facility. The refurbishment project will create seven multi-functional, flexible teaching spaces on the ground floor of the building which will be ready for use in September 2015. The university’s strategic plan envisages a growth in student numbers and BGU is also broadening the range of courses it offers, introducing Business (Team Entrepreneurship), Health and Social Care, Sociology, Psychology, Counselling and History and Archaeology from September. Part of the new teaching facility will be used by staff and students on the university’s new Business (Team Entrepreneurship) degree course. “In the past Connie’s was the place where our students who lived on campus had their meals, but now we’ve moved to self-catering accommodation and opened the Refectory to cater for the changing demand,” said Fred Robson, Head of Estates at BGU. “We no longer need this catering space so we’re converting the building to give us additional teaching space as we grow our student numbers.” The work, which entails some minor demolition and re-roofing of the former kitchen, is being undertaken by the main contractor, Robert Woodhead Ltd from Mansfield. -
BGU Announces Partnership with Chartered Management Institute
Bishop Grosseteste University is delighted to announce its partnership with the CMI – Chartered Management Institute; the only chartered awarding organisation of management and leadership qualifications in the UK. BGU gained accreditation as an assessment centre from CMI this year and is now on track to develop a range of leadership and management qualifications accredited by the CMI. Already, the BA (Hons) Business (Team Entrepreneurship) programme has also been mapped to a Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management from the CMI meaning that students graduating from the BA have the option to also leave with this highly sought after professional qualification in leadership and management. -
BGU Commits to Greater Public Engagement
To demonstrate its commitment to engaging with the wider community, Bishop Grosseteste University in Lincoln has joined the National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement (NCPPE) and signed up to its manifesto. The move is part of BGU’s wider stakeholder engagement work which forms an important part of the university’s five-year strategy. The term ‘public engagement’ describes the many ways in which higher education, learning experiences and research can be shared with the general public. The NCPPE says public engagement “is by definition a two-way process, involving interaction and listening, with the goal of generating mutual benefit.” The Reverend Canon Prof Peter Neil, Vice Chancellor of BGU, commented: “I am very pleased that Bishop Grosseteste University has now signed up to the NCCPE’s Manifesto for Public Engagement. “This is a reflection of our long-term public engagement strategy and of our continuing dedication to our various communities. I am looking forward to encouraging further public engagement efforts by the university and all its members.” BGU has been increasing its investment in staff volunteering, which builds on the successes of its existing student volunteering scheme. High levels of student volunteering have helped BGU to establish itself amongst the top three universities for employability in the whole of UK, as seen from the latest Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) survey published by HESA, the Higher Education Statistics Agency. BGU also offers public lectures on campus and innovative skills development courses ranging from journalism to paediatric first aid and from writing skills courses to Makaton. The university’s enterprise incubation centre, BG Futures, plays an important role in engaging with the business community and the campus hosts regular national and international conferences. -
Big Issue Founder to Speak at Lincoln Conference
Lord John Bird, founder of The Big Issue, will be the keynote speaker at a conference in Lincoln next month which will help school leaders to improve the emotional wellbeing of young people. Think2Speak LIVE at Bishop Grosseteste University on Thursday 13th October is the first conference of its kind to be organised by Think2Speak, a community interest company based at BG Futures at BGU. The company and the conference aim to show those who work with young people how they can support their emotional wellbeing and understand the impact and value of doing so. Think2Speak, set up by Lizzie Jordan and Naomi Watkins, provides workshops, advice and consultancy to support schools where young people are affected by issues surrounding matters such as self-harm, suicide, HIV, domestic abuse, puberty, LGBT and mental health. John Bird, who was brought up in an orphanage, served time in a young offenders’ institution and often slept rough in London as a young man, will share his story and describe how his childhood and those he met influenced his life. “Staff in many schools have difficult conversations with young people that could be handled much better,” said Lizzie. “When schools ask for help we go in to support the senior management team, the teachers and the pupils with a range of services, including training, workshops, counselling and advocacy. “Our inaugural one-day conference is all about discussing the difficulties schools are facing, the benefits to the whole school for investing in emotional wellbeing, and signposting staff to the support that’s available.” In the morning there will be a series of short, focused TED-style talks covering the personal impact, the academic perspective and the school experience of the value of investing in emotional wellbeing of students, young people and the wider community. In the afternoon delegates will go back to the classroom to participate in a series of bookable workshops on topics including domestic abuse, puberty, HIV, suicide and self-harm. The sessions will make use of combinations of teacher training and demonstrations of the student workshops available to both primary and secondary schools. Simon Blake, Chief Executive of the National Union of Students, will also give a presentation on the day. Think2Speak LIVE is free of charge for senior leaders working in education. This includes head teachers, assistant heads, principals, deputies, business managers, heads of department of schools, colleges and universities, and heads of local authority education departments, national curriculum and government-funded education organisations. Limited paid for tickets are available – details are available at https://www.think2speak.com/think2speak-live/
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