Towards a Good Practice Model for an Entrepreneurial HEI: Perspectives of Academics, Enterprise Enablers and Graduate Entrepreneurs

This paper reports on an examination of the perspectives of academics, enterprise enablers and graduate entrepreneurs of an entrepreneurial higher education institution (HEI). The research was conducted in Ireland among 30 graduate entrepreneurs and 15 academics and enterprise enablers (enterprise development agency personnel) to provide a triangulated perspective of the HEI. While acknowledging the presence of initiatives to promote entrepreneurship, the graduate entrepreneurs believed that the HEI does not prepare students for self-employment because HEIs are focused on preparing students for employment, because of the academic nature of entrepreneurship education (EE), and because a 'one size fits all approach to EE fails to recognize the heterogeneity of learners' needs. However, they conceded that graduate enterprise programmes provided them with the necessary breathing space to develop their businesses. In contrast, some enterprise enablers believed that HEIs could be a hiding place, protecting student and graduate entrepreneurs from the harsh realities of commercial life. While this paper provides a nuanced understanding of what constitutes good practice, the authors concede that there is no formulaic blueprint for an entrepreneurial HEI. More significantly, they conclude that the notion of an entrepreneurial HEI may yet be a step too far for many institutions, because entrepreneurship has yet to gain legitimacy, particularly in the Irish HE sector. (Contains 1 figure.)