#nsec kicking off with Julie Meyer 10:11 AM Mar 27th via UberTwitter
#nsec uk needs everyone to enter entrepreneur country. Small becomes big. In a world with no money we need to barter and charm – Julie Meyer 10:32 AM Mar 27th via UberTwitter
#nsec julie mayer keynote http://tweetphoto.com/16013855 10:32 AM Mar 27th via UberTwitter
#nsec identify what you are meant to deliver… Be the only person that can deliver aim for more than me 2 and best of the best – j meyer 10:33 AM Mar 27th via UberTwitter
#nsec entrepreneurs need to tackle social problems e.g. Sir John Vardy. Allow human generosity. accept responsibility j.meyer 10:38 AM Mar 27th via UberTwitter
#nsec organise and be architect of your life. Small gov equals stong individuals. Large gov equals dependant individuals 10:41 AM Mar 27th via UberTwitter
#nsec britain can handle BIG. Support each other embrace entrepreneurs. Internet, entrepreneur and individual capital are the future j.mey 10:45 AM Mar 27th via UberTwitter
#nsec oli barrett speed networking, shameless self promotion! The answer to every problem is meeting the right person! 11:06 AM Mar 27th via UberTwitter
#nsec Oli Barratt – be audacious! Blagging, keep people interested, reach out to the top people and be persistant! Keep in touch 11:08 AM Mar 27th via UberTwitter
#nsec Oli Barratt – techniques to keep in touch. Not just twit/fb. Host your own events. Good info comes from http://tweetphoto.com/16016107 11:12 AM Mar 27th via UberTwitter
#nsec Oli Barratt – be the most helpful entrepreneur you can be 11:13 AM Mar 27th via UberTwitter
#nsec Richard Leyland from Worksnug answers back to Julie Meyer. 11:54 AM Mar 27th via UberTwitter
#nsec Dr David Bosward from ncge – read jumping the chasm for developing technology based business. Jump the chasm to the mass user group 11:59 AM Mar 27th via UberTwitter
#nsec internet, software and mobile technology panel http://tweetphoto.com/16019130
12:03 PM Mar 27th via UberTwitter
#nsec Ali Mitchell: Huddle – ignore trends or only get involved when trends taking off. What will ave joe – crap at tech, buy? 12:05 PM Mar 27th via UberTwitter
#nsec Ali Mitchell: Huddle – Inpiration, work, luck and timing
12:06 PM Mar 27th via UberTwitter
#nsec paolo barone: microsoft – tech evangalism, tech must create an attachment with people through user centred design. 12:08 PM Mar 27th via UberTwitter
#nsec paolo barone: microsoft – must get feedback. Users will use systems in ways you never think of! 12:10 PM Mar 27th via UberTwitter
#nsec technology panel – fun and loving your boring business app. Games are really important for learning – serious games at coventry uni 12:12 PM Mar 27th via UberTwitter
#nsec technology panel – knowledge information for feedback? Self adapting software.
12:22 PM Mar 27th via UberTwitter
#nsec creative industries panel Araceli Carmargo: the cube, Mike Skidmore: Pluralist, painter, coach, facilitator, teacher ‘business play’ 12:49 PM Mar 27th via UberTwitter
#nsec creative industries panel- Mike Skidmore: take advantage of ideas or regret later. Serendipity, willing to give an idea a go 12:52 PM Mar 27th via UberTwitter
#nsec creative industries panel – lying about skills and overselling what you think you can deliver then learn fast so you can do it! 1:02 PM Mar 27th via UberTwitter
#nsec creative industries panel – best creativity comes from collaboration. Get the creativity right and management will follow. 1:10 PM Mar 27th via UberTwitter
#nsec make sure everyone is informed of brief and budget. Engage creative staff. Creatives can be pro-active and powerful. 1:13 PM Mar 27th via UberTwitter
#nsec creative industries panel -Araceli fights back – creatives are not fluffy kooky people that can’t count or be strategic! 1:14 PM Mar 27th via UberTwitter
#nsec how can you plan a business organisation to foster creativity? What do u need to sacrifice? What kind of creative head are you? 1:17 PM Mar 27th via UberTwitter
#nsec is the label ‘creatives’ dangerous? Isn’t everone creative? Drawing from different tools to reach the best output. 1:20 PM Mar 27th via UberTwitter
#nsec mike skidmore – making the most of your talents in the creative sector http://tweetphoto.com/16032286 2:36 PM Mar 27th via UberTwitter
#nsec mike skidmore – 85percent of creatives enjoy being seen as ‘different’ Difference is a paradox 3:12 PM Mar 27th via UberTwitter
#nsec mike skidmore – creatives and business relationships can lack understanding – poor language poor communication 3:21 PM Mar 27th via UberTwitter
#nsec Ayd Instone: innovation and creativity – starts of with a song! http://tweetphoto.com/16040861 3:51 PM Mar 27th via UberTwitter
RT @MrJamesPorteous: @cmktweets anyone can be creative – it doesn’t mean everyone can be constructively creative. Well said 5:06 PM Mar 27th via UberTwitter
#nsec dreams aren’t what you have when you sleep they’re what keep you awake 11:07 AM Mar 28th via UberTwitter
#nsec @fellowcreative V.I.T.A.L – training and discussion for creative students using social media 12:28 PM Mar 28th via UberTwitter
#nsec @hermionyway – ventures newspepper and techfluff. Sells herself as a woman in tech. Blog grown to euro network of tech journalism. 12:34 PM Mar 28th via UberTwitter
#nsec closing keynote @pennypower of @ecademy listened, felt the need and created a business around these needs. 2:42 PM Mar 28th via UberTwitter
#nsec closing keynote @pennypower it is a social world. We can be social and successful. Cross the chasm from friends to business. 2:46 PM Mar 28th via UberTwitter
#nsec Penny Power: success is sharing, social capital is you secret weapon. ‘Being you is the best you can be http://tweetphoto.com/16187056 2:50 PM Mar 28th via UberTwitter
#nsec Penny Power: your biggest and mosy critical challenge is to understand yourself. Be willing to go out and meet strangers, connect. 2:54 PM Mar 28th via UberTwitter
#nsec Penny Power: who are u? How2 map your persona? ‘I believe social networking gave people the opportunity to increase emotional wealth’3:02 PM Mar 28th via UberTwitter

I have had a great chat with Anthony from SIE (Scottish Institute for Enterprise) about their work with universities and their internships. We both agree that the SIE output could be adapted to better suit the needs of creative students. Anthony, Christina Kinnear from Evolve at GSA and I will be meeting with other SIE interns at other Scottish art and design schools to discuss how creative students could better be reached by SIE and how the materials could be better presented to be relevant and appealing to them.

“Design courses never lay out the true facts of life in the design world. The core problem of giving false hopes of a job has not been addressed” Student, Rob

This re-inforced my view that many art and design colleges propagate the view that they are star-makers, students can graduate and on talent alone will hit the big-time or will easily gain a graduate job on leaving.

How can enterprise education be used to inform students on the realities entering and being part of the creative industries?

I have been part of three graduating classes and many ex-classmates have found the transition into a creative industries job difficult or impossible. Many have gained employment in other industry sectors or have had to take on low or no-wage placements to improve cv’s just to get a foot in the door. This leads me on to:

Enternships
Interns Anonymous
Internocracy

Organisations discussing fair work experience and internship practices and opportunities. I completed two stints of unpaid work experience and gained invaluable skills and education… BUT I was lucky enough to find one placement in my local town and had the time give up a day a week, my other work experience position paid travel expenses and provided lunch but it was in London and if my parents hadn’t provided the means for accommodation and living I would have been unable to take the position. If a student or graduate cannot access internships due to economic reasons how can they improve their employability?

I must also say that as a small business owner I had two unpaid work-experience students who came once or twice a week in return for lunch, some free merchandise and some training. I spent time teaching the students jewellery techniques and self-employment skills and in return they helped me produce stock so that I could concentrate on the management side of the business. I know many creative businesses that would be unable to continue in business without the man-power of a work-experience labour force.

………………………Undecided.

Christina is a 4th year student at The Glasgow School of Art studying BDes Product Design with a service design focus.  She  is also the Scottish Institute for Enterprise intern for Glasgow School of Art.  In her role as SIE intern she set up Evolve at GSA which aims to improve students and alumni of GSA’s professional Practice and aid their transition into the creative industries.

I have been looking into her work at Evolve as I am in the process of developing a creative enterprise strategy for Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design at Dundee University and find it invaluable to look at what’s on offer at other universities that can improve the creative enterprise prospects of our own students.

I have also spent the morning reading her blog Curiosity Manufactures Knowledge which I have found really interesting in terms of her views from a product design and design thinking background.  I am increasingly interested in the benefits of design thinking for enterprise education and found some great insight from her dissertation Design Thinking Dissertation.

This image from Christina’s blog prompted me to think about enterprise education for creative students.  How can generic business knowledge and training be transformed to suit those who think differently or perform better in a non-traditional academic setting?  how do creative students learn best?  It also supports my view that work experience is vastly important and should be encouraged as part of an undergraduate degree, specifically as part of a placement or enterprise sandwich year.

Diversion over, back to the writing….

Probe Pack 1 contains:

Goodies! (important)
Diary for recording ideas, problems, supports, advice, peer networking etc.
Stickers to prompt diary entries
Camera to record interactions with their creative community
Knowledge mapping task and templates
University experience questionnaire
Cultural enterprise mapping