Entrepreneurs Voice: Conservative Student Entrepreneurs Question Time

Ahead of our Student Entrepreneurs Question Time party conferences we interviewed a series of enterprising students/graduate entrepreneurs. We asked them about what they were looking forward to most ahead of the three party conferences.

We spoke to Peter Bailey, 23, Management Sciences graduate from Loughborough University. He is currently working on two main projects: Fail Forward and the South Africa Challenge.

Fail Forward is a campaign to celebrate individual learning from failures. The South Africa Challenge is a leadership programme focused on bringing young people together to help them fulfil their leadership capacity. Peter has been involved with NACUE for four years through Loughborough’s Enactus society.

Peter attended our Conservative Student Entrepreneurs Question Time in Birmingham. Ahead of our event he spoke to us about his opinions on the current state of youth enterprise.

Peter had been looking forward to hearing the government’s attitudes towards failing businesses and changing the funding structure for start-ups. He continued: “I want to find out answers to questions on the governments attitudes towards failure in the UK’s business scene. And I also want to question funding. How do you change the current funding structure for startup loans? Essentially if you keep giving out loans [without helping existing startups] it causes more businesses to fail.”

Peter believes entrepreneurship is something that cannot be taught, but instead facilitated with the help of politicians. He criticised enterprise educators for being focused on theory rather than having an attitude of going out and taking charged. He explained: “I don’t believe you can learn [all] the skills and techniques of being an entrepreneur. Get out there and do it!”

“In my opinion the way [it’s going] start-up loans are not producing a good environment. A lot of startups don’t need loans but advice. That’s why many fail.”

Peter was part of the packed audience that came out to our Conservative SEQT to join in on the discussion about enterprise/business. We also covered our SEQT from a Labour and Liberal Democrats point of view.

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We've achieved a great deal in a short number of years, though there's much more too do in supporting our mission of 'Powering the Enterprise Generation'.

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Powering the Enterprising Generation

Our mission is to support the development of education and student engagement throughout college and universities by championing student enterprise societies and peer-to-peer learning. NACUE started from an extraordinary movement in student entrepreneurship, providing young individuals with a platform to be experimental, creative and inspiring in their approach to enterprise and entrepreneurship, encouraging a bottom-up approach to inspiring the next generation.

Today, we see over 200 enterprise societies, powered by peer-to-peer groups, who are championing the success of young people throughout their interactive programmes by forging collaborative relationships with their institutions to provide greater experience and development opportunities for their peers. Establishing regional links with locals SME’s who are keen to open their doors to emerging talented, proactive and enthusiastic graduates perpetuates this.

Our work is dedicated to supporting the development and encouragement of entrepreneurship amongst young individuals and forms the sole purpose of NACUE. To learn more about NACUE and the services we produce, click here.

As a not-for-profit, we raise charitable donations that allow us to widen the opportunities available to young people in relation to enterprise and entrepreneurship, strengthening student engagement, the quality of education and connecting and representing student enterprise societies and student entrepreneurs worldwide.

NACUE is a charitable organisation that supports 32,000 students and young people every year. As funding becomes harder to obtain, we rely on the generous support of donors to ensure our programs can continue to change the lives and aspirations of the younger generation.

A donation of any size goes a long way to furthering our work and really is greatly appreciated. Every gift matters in aiding our mission of ‘Powering the Enterprising Generation' but we mainly rely upon the generosity of our members and alumni to do this. By making a single or regular donation you can make a big difference. To learn more about how you can donate, please follow the links below.

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NACUE are delighted to have supported a huge number of student-led societies over the years. You can see the number of established student-led societies on an interactive map below

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Entrepreneurs are at the very core of NACUE, everything we do is to better the startup and self employment ecosystem. We believe that entrepreneurs will shape the future, and we bolster this through our events, our network and our advocacy.

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NACUE works with students in Colleges and Universities right across the UK, helping support them in their entrepreneurial goals and connect them with like minded peers.

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NACUE works collaboratively with educators and academics in supporting the development of entrepreneurial mindsets in young people.

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Our events offer the young people we work with the opportunity to connect with our wider network, the experts and seasoned entrepreneurs in our community and the chance to be inspired to take the leap of faith into entrepreneurship. These events are attended by students and graduates from universities and colleges up and down the UK, as well as students from across Europe. Student Societies take centre stage at our events, alongside innovators, game changers and trail blazers of the UK startup ecosystem.

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The difference we make

Alex Deung

Society President, Entrepreneurs Durham

It has been a great pleasure working closely with NACUE. NACUE has supported me both on big and small issues within my role. Without NACUE’s support, Entrepreneurs Durham wouldn’t be where it is today.

Wendy Funnell

Head, Centre for Entrepreneurship

The pleasure of seeing young people start something from nothing and watching them as they’re growing is wonderful. If we hadn’t had NACUE, we couldn’t do a lot of what we’re doing now. I can absolutely, categorically say that.

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FE Student, Enterprise Society

I am enjoying it (the enterprise society) a lot, and it’s great to be achieving something real. So often in college we plan to the point of doing the activity but then never actually do it.