Monday 1 March saw the official launch event of the BSEEN project which aims to provide support for graduate entrepreneurs in Birmingham. Key figures from the three universities, Birmingham City Council and other associated partners joined together to celebrate the launch of this exciting new project at the Council House.
Funded by Birmingham City Council, under their Working Neighbourhoods Fund initiative, the BSEEN (Birmingham Skills for Enterprise and Employability Network) project is a collaborative initiative between Aston University, University of Birmingham and Birmingham City University.
The project was praised by each of the three speakers at the event not only for the fantastic opportunities that it will provide to budding student and graduate entrepreneurs, but for the strong partnership that has already been established between colleagues at the three universities.
Aston's Pro-Vice Chancellor for External Relations, Prof Helen Higson said; 'BSEEN is a welcome addition to the range of schemes which graduates and students can access to help them in their careers. Entrepreneurship and innovation are key drivers for the region’s economy, and it is important that we support young people when they are starting out, to give them the best chance of success with their ventures.'
BSEEN offers three levels of support to entrepreneurial graduates:
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Level 1 consists of a six month tenancy in an incubator space, complete with training, mentoring and a business grant to get them off the ground.
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Level 2 is the BSEEN ‘Graduate Enterprise Club’, which aims to bring together like-minded graduates across the City for a series of networking events, high-profile speakers and skills master classes.
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Level 3 will be delivered by the participating universities’ careers services, and will offer information, training and support for graduate and student businesses, from informal advice and drop-in sessions, to formal workshops and lectures.
For more information on BSEEN, including details on how to apply, please email bseen@aston.ac.uk.
You can also follow BSEEN on Twitter for the latest project news: @b_seen
Words by Katherine Preston
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