York St John London Campus - Careers
Enterprise Academy
Find out about our start-up and leadership accelerator programme.
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The Enterprise Academy is our start-up and leadership accelerator programme, developed and delivered by entrepreneurs and industry professionals.
Through the structured 24 week programme, we support our students through the entrepreneurial journey, from ideation to investment-readiness, and everything in between.
You will learn how to evaluate and assess your market, your customer, and yourself, helping to turn your passion a reality.
Overview
Course structure
In Semester 1 you will study a series of core modules. You will then follow a pathway of your choice in Semester 2. There are 2 pathways to choose from.
Enterprise Pathway
The Enterprise Pathway is designed for students who are looking to launch their business. Maybe you have a great idea and are not sure where to start. Maybe you have an existing business and would like to know how to reach the next level of growth. Maybe you have a side-hustle and want to explore how you can make it a full time opportunity.
In the Enterprise Pathway we will focus on improving your 'investment readiness.' You will learn accurate forecasting techniques as well as preparing for our Big Pitch Competition, where you will have the opportunity to win cash prizes and potential funding for your business.
Leadership Pathway
If launching a business isn't right for you, the Enterprise Academy also serves as a leadership development programme. In the leadership pathway, we focus on self-development, equipping you with the skills to become an effective leader within an existing organisation, with workshops focusing on effective communication, influencing, negotiation, accountability and coaching.
Student projects
We want to bridge the gap between industry and academia by providing short term consultancy projects that help both you and the client reach your goals faster.
We secure a host of available opportunities, setting the project briefs in collaboration with the client, before recruiting a multi-disciplinary student team of students into project groups. With guidance and academic support, you will work on the brief, before presenting your proposals.
You may be assisting the clients in expanding the business into a new market, devising a new strategy, or assessing an opportunity.
Our student projects are a great way to enhance learning and personal growth. You will benefit from applying your knowledge to real-world problems, creating real-world solutions.
How you will study
Teaching and learning
Modules are delivered using a range of teaching, learning and assessment strategies. These include:
Lectures and seminars
The Enterprise Academy programme will be delivered both virtually and on campus. Each week, there is 1 lecture, followed by 2 two-hour group seminar sessions with your allocated Enterprise Academy Mentor. Here, your mentor will guide you through the task, assist with any knowledge gaps, and pass on their considerable experience.
After your sessions each week, you will be expected to complete a reflective survey on PebblePad, reflecting on what you have learnt and the activities you have completed.
Modules
You will study the following modules:
- Self-understanding
- Ideation
- Market research
- Target audience
- Value proposition
- Business models
- Project planning
- Marketing
- Legal
Experiences and opportunities
Competitions and opportunities
Throughout your Enterprise Academy journey we have some really exciting perks, opportunities and competitions lined up for you to participate in.
Examples include working with peers in digital marketing, receiving a budget to test your marketing strategy, a talk from a prominent entrepreneur, or access to a bespoke personality profile.
Collaboration
We support collaborative, independent learning. This means that our sessions are designed to provide all the foundational knowledge for you to build upon with the guidance and support of peers and mentors.
Our seminar groups are capped at no more than 25 students. This creates a more intimate learning environment, where you can share ideas and feedback with your fellow students.
Who you'll work with
Dr Muhammad Salman Shabbir
Enterprise Academy Senior Lecturer
Dr Tania Jain
Enterprise Academy Senior Tutor
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Julius Ibrahim
Enterprise and Innovations Manager
Richard Cristina
Enterprise Academy Mentor
Kathy Ennis
Enterprise Academy Mentor
Jennifer Francis
Enterprise Academy Mentor
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Zoe Garshong
Enterprise Academy Mentor
Anita Nayyar
Enterprise Academy Mentor
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Natalia Nicholson
Enterprise Academy Mentor
Lola Owolabi
Enterprise Academy Mentor, Coach in Residence
Claire Simsek
Enterprise Academy Mentor