University hosts global enterprise network

A major research project led by Northumbria University to improve recruitment and career prospects for young people and boost business performance has held an international networking conference in Northumberland.

Many young people are entrepreneurial and can add huge value to a business or organisation, yet they often experience frustration in their careers. At the same time employers around the world report a skills mismatch and difficulties with managing young talent. It is a global issue that must be tackled, and Global and Entrepreneurial Talent Management 3 (GETM3) is about fixing this disconnect.

GETM3is a £1 million EU-funded Horizon 2020 research project. It involves a consortium of eight higher education institutions and eight businesses in five countries exploring why employers across the world struggle to recruit and retain younger employees within their workforce.

Over the past two years GETM3 has held nine international research networking events, and worked with people from across Europe and the USA, Mexico, China, Taiwan and Tanzania.  And it has recently held its 10th event in Newcastle which included a training session at a former bath house for miners in Broomhill, Northumberland, which is now being used by a group of local artists who share the space to collaborate and support each other’s businesses.

Following the theme of “entrepreneurs collaborating”, international researchers from GETM3 teamed up with the artists and graduate entrepreneurs from Northumbria in a Creative Confidence session, learning about the techniques of “pure creativity” employed by artists.

Dr Alison Pearce, Project lead for GETM3 and Associate Professor at Northumbria’s Newcastle Business School, said: “It was wonderful to host our latest event at the Old Bath House Studios here in Northumberland and to bring together international academics, a thriving community of creative artists and some of our recent graduate start-ups.

“The energy this diverse group was able to offer on the day is already proving hugely beneficial to our ongoing work to have a positive impact on local businesses. New ideas and the confidence to create and innovate are crucial to future business performance.”

Northumbria graduate start-ups involved in running  the event included Robert Lundgren, from Lundgren Tours, Sam Clegg, founder of enterprise support company HighflyVentures, and Freddie Gibbons, Innovator in Residence at the Northern Design Centre in Gateshead and co-founder and director of Newcastle-based nuhj, a new innovation consultancy

Dr Pearce added: “The day was organised brilliantly by the young entrepreneurs, who included a visit to Woodhorn to see the Pitmen Painters and also to Newbiggin Maritime Centre which provides exhibition space for local artists. Andy Hull from Art ‘n’ EvryFink and his colleague Helen Grierson, both from The Old Bath House Studios, ran an inspirational session demonstrating that anyone can be creative and giving everyone a go. It had us all involved and collaborating, building confidence rapidly in a way that illustrates perfectly the aims of GETM3. We’ll be including these techniques in the free toolkit for employers we’re launching next year.”