Enterprising tertiary level students

Abstract

Ireland is a small open economy, which is dependent on international trade. Ire-land has transformed itself from a traditional dependence on agriculture and then manufacturing to a knowledge-based, high value-added, service-led economy. Education is an important component of such a knowledge-based economy, playing a vital role in its transformation over the past number of decades and contributing to future economic success by helping to foster a culture that is conducive to innovation and enterprise. The Irish government has begun to focus on the development of smaller domestic firms as a source of future growth, which makes sense given the relevance of enterprise to the Irish economy. Encouraging enterprise education is therefore high on the agenda of the Irish government as entrepreneurs are catalysts of growth, generating capital, innovation and skills. The objective of this paper is to describe the range of entrepreneurship education programmes in operation at the University of Limerick. Particular focus is placed on how these programmes are delivered outside the Kemmy Business School to non-business students.