ENTERPRISE IN EDUCATION: SME SURVEY
CHAPTER TWO: PARTICIPANTS' EXPERIENCES
2.1 Chapters 2 to 6 outline the main findings to emerge from the analysis of both the qualitative and quantitative data. Where appropriate, full results are shown in the body of the report, however full responses to all questions are provided in Appendix 1. A complete set of computer tabulations is available as a separate document.
2.2 In chapter 2 details of EinE are reported on, with particular reference to length of time and extent of involvement, types of activities involved in and likelihood of continuing. Prior to this, however, problems with the identity of EinE are discussed.
TROUBLES WITH THE IDENTITY OF ENTERPRISE IN EDUCATION
2.3 The main survey revealed that there is a high degree of confusion regarding EinE and what it entails. In short, respondents did not know if they were involved or not. Just over half (54%) of the organisations classed as participating came from the non-participating sample. When interviewers checked the status of the organisation, most commonly, recent involvement in work experience ensured the migration of the organisation from the non-participating sample to the participating sample.
2.4 Similarly, there was a small degree of migration from organisations thought to be participating to the non-participating sample at 16%.
2.5 As highlighted in the introduction, this migration may have occurred because respondents were unable to recall any particular events or activities relating to schools, pupils or teachers- these having taken place many months previously (and without formal records being taken).
2.6 Additionally, organisations often have a single person who is an advocate of the scheme and acts as a hub for participation. If this person was not the respondent in the interview, for example, the more detailed level of knowledge regarding involvement in individual initiatives may not have been captured. This was particularly true in the larger SMEs (of which there were far more amongst the participating sample).
2.7 Certainly the way in which involvement is described and referred to differs greatly, with little appreciation that connections between pupils and schools falls under a strategy such as EinE or DtS. To improve awareness and familiarity of EinE there needs to be stronger branding in all support literature and indeed information should be set in the context of EinE.
AWARENESS OF EINE INITIATIVES
2.8 Spontaneous awareness of the different schemes is on the whole quite low (see figure 2.1 overleaf).
Figure 2.1: Q4a. Spontaneous awareness of initiatives or activities involving business and schools
Base: all participants and non-participants (498)
2.9 In short, recall is poor: aside from the generic activity of work experience the maximum spontaneous recall for any initiative is just over 10%. Two thirds of non-participating organisations asked could not mention any initiative or activity spontaneously (69% saying 'none' or 'don't know') compared to just 38% of participating organisations. The main activity recalled by respondents was work experience, mentioned by 48% of participating organisations and 22% of non-participating organisations. The other initiatives / activities were each mentioned by much smaller proportions of organisations: 'Young Enterprise' was mentioned by 12% of participants and 5% of non-participants and: 'Careers awareness events/ activities' by 8% and 3%, for example.
2.10 When organisations were prompted, recall improved considerably (see figure 2.2 overleaf).
Figure: 2.2: Total awareness of main initiatives
Base: all participants and non-participants (498)
2.11 Virtually all participating organisations and non-participating were aware of the generic activity 'work experience'. The most widely recognised initiative was 'Young Enterprise' (mentioned by 68% of participating organisations and 55% of non-participating) and cited by more than twice as many businesses as the other initiatives, such as 'Make it in Scotland' (mentioned by 27% and 18%), 'Determined to Succeed' (21% and 9%) and 'Business Dynamics' (14% and 7%). Expectedly awareness was generally higher amongst the participating businesses.
2.12 As would be expected, higher awareness exists for the more popular initiatives. It is unclear however from the main survey whether organisations have any knowledge of how EinE is structured, or that it is a national, Scottish Executive strategy i.e. that it refers to the aim of engendering an enterprising culture amongst Scotland's young people as a whole and incorporates the other initiatives / activities, such as work experience or careers events under its ambit. Certainly the qualitative research does not suggest this: organisations may be aware of individual initiatives but most commonly this is by merit of actually being involved in them. There is no explanatory booklet for organisations to refer to that describes the thinking behind the scheme, how it is structured, and how they can become involved: involvement in all its forms is ad-hoc, arranged more often than not on a case by case basis. This surely is a missed opportunity, ultimately making participation less fulfilling for participating organisations and giving non-participating organisations less of a rationale for becoming involved.
2.13 Those aware of the initiatives and activities were most likely to have become aware via schools contacting them to take part. Participating organisations also cited contact from Careers Scotland / Young Enterprise as an important information source, whereas non-participating organisations cited the press/trade press and their children's schools as important sources (see figure A.1.4 Q4b for further details).
2.14 Clear communication is therefore needed to give SMEs basic information about the scheme , the different activities included in it and its strategy.
LENGTH OF EXPERIENCE AND LEVEL OF INVOLVEMENT
2.15 The findings indicate that many of the participating companies have been involved with EinE activities for a number of years, although equally there has been a steady stream of companies coming on board both within the last year, and in the last few years. Full details of the length of time businesses have participated are shown in Figure 2.3 below.
Figure 2.3: Q7a. Length of time participants involved in these activities
Base: all participating (200)
2.16 For a substantial proportion, the level of involvement is fairly regular, with slightly less than half (44%) claiming to be involved at least several times each year. Moreover, most of the remainder are in contact with schools one or twice yearly (44%). These figures are shown in full detail in Appendix 1 (Fig A.1.8.).
ACTIVITIES INVOLVED IN
2.17 In terms of the specific EinE activities that businesses are involved in, work experience is by far the most common. Involvement in other types of activity such as Young Enterprise or giving Career Talks has been much less widespread. Teacher placements, in particular, appear to be relatively uncommon. Accordingly when our sample expressed opinions on EinE and the benefits and drawbacks of any involvement, their views were largely based in a context in which pupils visit businesses rather than businesses visiting schools.
2.18 Figure 2.4 overleaf shows those activities that participants stated they were currently involved in as well as those that they have ever been involved in.
Figure 2.4: Q6. Involvement in specific types of activity
Base: all participating (n= 200)
2.19 The difference between the two sets of figures, for current and ever involved, suggests that there has been a change in patterns of involvement. Indeed inevitably there will be some companies where the main point of contact for a school or Careers Scotland has left the company or there has been a change in policy towards participation. However it is also apparent that in the absence of any formal 'set up' or 'relationship' between a school and a business, the latter may not be entirely sure whether or not they are still currently involved.
2.20 For example, whilst a business may have taken on pupils for work experience or allowed a visit to the workplace last year, and may be quite willing to undertake this commitment again, without a formal acknowledgement of this commitment it is not necessarily clear that there is an on-going relationship.
2.21 Within the qualitative research, it was also apparent that the ways in which businesses became involved with schools is very ad hoc. Amongst the examples cited, were 'through the PTE' and attending parents' evenings. However, a connection with a school on a personal basis is not a pre-requisite of being involved in EinE. In the quantitative research we measured whether or not respondents had any involvement with local schools on a personal basis, and the level of positive response was not that dissimilar for those participating in EinE (36%) and those not involved (29%).
2.22 The 'ad hoc' nature of the relationship between schools and/or pupils and business also has major implications for the way in which the overall experience is perceived, and indeed in terms of how the experience might be improved. These issues are discussed in greater detail in chapter 3.
COMMITMENT TO EINE
Likelihood of continuing to be involved
2.23 The vast majority of the participating companies indicated that they were likely to continue this involvement and indeed most expressed a strong commitment to doing so. Figure 2.5 below shows the full results to the question "how likely are you to continue to be involved?"
Figure 2.5: Q12. Likelihood of participants continuing involvement with schools
Base: all participants (200)
2.24 Thus over 90% stated that they are likely to continue compared to less than 10% who indicated the opposite, and indeed two thirds stated that they were very likely to continue.
EASE OF DEALING WITH PUPILS
2.25 In this context it is not surprising that most participating businesses found it easy rather than difficult to work with pupils, as Figure 2.6 shows.
Figure 2.6: Q9. Rating on how easy/difficult pupils are to deal with
Base: all participating (200)
2.26 The majority of participating firms indicated that pupils were easy to deal with (81%) and only 5% gave a negative response although a further (15%) indicated that they had had both good and bad experiences.
2.27 Within the qualitative research there were no particular examples amongst the participating businesses of pupils being difficult to deal with, and generally experiences were described very positively in this respect.
"I think the most important thing is that I'm pleasantly surprised by how enthusiastic the kids are." (QUOTE FROM A PARTICIPATING BUSINESS)
2.28 Most firms have typically been involved with older secondary pupils S4-S6 (69%), with only 14% claiming to have been involved with S1 to S3 pupils. Likewise only a minority (14%) have worked with primary pupils and involvement with Special Schools was even less common (at only 3%).