A transformation of the Further Education sector is the goal of a new group called Gazelle formed of private and public sectors leaders which has been launched at the Association of Colleges Conference in Birmingham.
Gazelle has been created by Generator Enterprises Ltd, a company founded by five leading college principals - including City College Norwich Principal, Dick Palmer - that aims to transform the Further Education sector through entrepreneurship.
Each of the five partner colleges is leading on a different aspect of entrepreneurial education, from curriculum development to providing the infrastructure required by entrepreneurial colleges.
City College Norwich is pioneering an innovative new learning facility, it’s StartUp Lounge, which will provide a hub for enterprise education for the college’s 14,000 students.
The exciting new development, opening later this month on the college’s Ipswich Road campus, features different activity areas where students will hone the full range of enterprise and employability skills needed to get a job or start up their own enterprises - from developing new business ideas to pitching for cash investments.
Dick Palmer, Principal, City College Norwich, said:
“The launch of Gazelle is a hugely significant development for the Further Education sector.”
“This group of leading colleges, working with some of this country’s foremost entrepreneurs, are working together to create a new generation of entrepreneurial colleges with an ethos, values and culture that are distinctively geared towards wealth creation, business growth and employment outcomes.”
“Students at City College Norwich will be among the first in the country to experience the benefits of belonging to an entrepreneurial college, getting to practice the skills that employers demand, and learning the entrepreneurial attributes to be able to set up their own businesses, in our unique StartUp Lounge.”
The Gazelle group of colleges are joined by Gazelle Entrepreneurs, who include Dragons’ Den’s Peter Jones CBE and Doug Richard; Luke Johnson, founder of Risk Capital Partners; and Lara Morgan, founder of Pacific Direct; will bring their knowledge and experience of building and growing successful enterprises to the Further Education sector.
Gazelle Entrepreneurs will help Further Education colleges to ensure that students are equipped and prepared with an ambitious, can-do attitude for success in employment in today’s economic climate.
The entrepreneurs will be working with the leaders, teachers and students of a leading group of colleges to better connect education with entrepreneurship and ultimately to foster a new generation of entrepreneurs.
Gazelle Entrepreneurs comprise the following members:
They will be advising leading colleges across the UK over the coming year in three distinct ways:
Doug Richard, founder of School for Startups and a Gazelle Entrepreneur, who is also speaking at the AoC Conference said:
“I am a firm believer that entrepreneurship can be taught and must be learned and that’s why I am getting involved in an initiative that puts entrepreneurship at its core.
“We need a new generation of entrepreneurs who will deliver the young, fast-growth, gazelle businesses that create the new jobs, wealth and innovation, and the Further Education sector plays a critical part in delivering on this.”
About Gazelle
Gazelle is a group that has been formed by Generator Enterprises Limited, a company founded by five college principals: Amarjit Basi (New College Nottingham); Mariane Cavalli (Warwickshire College); Fintan Donohue (North Hertfordshire College); Dick Palmer (City College Norwich); and Richard Thorold (Gateshead College). Generator Enterprises Limited has been created with an exclusive focus on building a recognisable cluster of entrepreneurial colleges within the next five years.
Gazelle brings together leaders from the private and public sectors who are committed to deploying entrepreneurship as a strategic driver for change in the education sector. The group intends to harness the exceptional experience and expertise of entrepreneurs who have succeeded in business, are proven creators of wealth and who are willing to bring their experience of growing successful businesses into the heart of the further education sector.
‘Gazelles’ are dynamic, fast-growth young businesses, making the greatest impact on growth, wealth creation and employment opportunities in Britain today. The group is committed to mirroring these attributes to accelerate the adoption of enterprising attitudes throughout education.
Pictured at the AoC Conference: Dick Palmer, Mariane Cavelli, Richard Thorold, Amarjit Basi, Doug Richard, Lara Morgan and Fintan Donohue.
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