Students and school leavers in the North of England are more entrepreneurial than their southern counterparts, who prefer less risky and more traditional job futures.
A study by electronics giant Panasonic has found that a quarter of all undergraduates surveyed in the North of the country are keen to become their own boss as soon as they leave education.
This contrasts to those students in the South who are more reluctant to become self-employed because they prefer more traditional careers.
Respondents to the survey said Richard Branson was the most inspirational entrepreneur, followed closely by celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, who gained ground thanks to his school dinners programme and his restaurant, Fifteen enterprise.
Other entrepreneurial role models included Bill Gates, James Dyson, Bob Geldoff - the music critic Simon Cowell and founder of the Easy brand, Stelios Haji-Ioannou.
Coinciding with the findings, is the country’s first entrepreneurs academy, set up in the Northern town of Knowsley to equip young people with the tools needed to start-up their own business.
The facility, known as the Knowsley Youth Enterprise Academy, will operate on three levels - firstly acting as a type of incubating centre for people running their business up to the age of 25-years-old.
According to the British Chambers of Commerce, it will also provide accommodation for young self-employed people allowing them to focus on the core issue of running their business with potentially less financial risk.
The third level of the Academy focuses on building links between local schools and promoting the facility to encourage small business growth.
Bob Tate, head of business systems at Panasonic, commented: “"It is in everyone's interest to promote entrepreneurialism as a career choice to people of all ages. For every small business that starts up there's a real chance it could be the next big brand.”
Apr 14, 2005
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