Can entrepreneurs be created? Well, as they said, some basic entrepreneur skills can be taught, but can they really craft people out to be one?
One thing also, do they specialize in some other courses? Having a cert in Enterpreneuring doesn't get one into industries that require proper qualification, like engineering, IT, accounting, to name a few.Extracted from the straits timesSEPT 1, 2003
Business whiz degrees in hot demand
Four years ago, there were none; now, there are 6 degree courses in Singapore that focus on how to be an entrepreneur
By Lee Su Shyan
COMPANIES CORRESPONDENT
FORGET the idea that businessmen are born, not made - Singaporeans are flocking to sign up for degree courses teaching them how to become entrepreneurs.
One such course has seen up to a fivefold surge in the number of students signing up. And to meet the growing demand, more educational institutions are jumping on the bandwagon to offer these degree programmes.
Four years ago, there were none in Singapore. Now, there are up to half a dozen such specialised degrees.
However, the surge in interest is not simply because Singaporeans are keen to take the academic path to becoming business whizes.
Many sign up not in the hope of becoming entrepreneurs, but to get an edge over others in the tight job market, say course organisers.
'Even large organisations need people who can think like entrepreneurs,' says Mr Stephen Jones, a director of studies at the University of Wales which has teamed up with the Management Development Institute of Singapore to offer a Bachelor of Science in entrepreneurship and management.
When they launched the degree course in 2000, it was among the first - if not, the first - of its kind in Singapore, and attracted only 20 students in the initial intake.
But now, three years later, with a 'growing awareness of such courses', another 130 students have signed up for the programme.
The Singapore Institute of Management (SIM) has just this year launched its Bachelor of Business in business administration course, specialising in entrepreneurship. The degree is awarded by Melbourne's RMIT University.
An SIM spokesman says: 'There has been heightened interest in entrepreneurship among our students.' There are currently 63 students enrolled in the SIM course.
Listed education group Hartford Institute of Management has joined the fray, launching a Bachelor of Arts programme in business and entrepreneurship this year. The degree is awarded by Britain's University of Huddersfield. The response has been good, according to its director, Mr Steve Lee, who did not give any figures.
While some might argue that being a go-getting businessman is something that cannot be taught, the schools beg to differ. They say that some entrepreneurship skills can be learned.
Mr Lee argues, for example, that 'behavioural aspects associated with entrepreneurship, like change, innovation and creativity, certainly can be honed by education and training'.
Another trait that can be developed is risk-taking. University of Wales' Mr Jones admits that 'some people don't go to the university and can still be quite creative'.
But others may not be natural risk-takers.
'So one way of encouraging them to think entrepreneurially is to give them examples of problems and ask how they would solve them. There's no threat as your job is not on the line,' he adds.
As well, to be a successful entrepreneur is not just about having a great idea.
Ms Goh Ai Yat, a lecturer who handles the entrepreneurship module for the RMIT course, says: 'What we try to do is to convert the idea into an opportunity. This can come about only if you have done a market survey on whether it can be commercialised. Students have to learn how to do a business plan.'
And she feels that her students benefit because she is an entrepreneur herself - she runs a training consultancy.
Even if students do not end up as entrepreneurs, the schools believe that the skills taught are increasingly relevant for all workers.
Hartford's Mr Lee says: 'More companies today are placing greater importance on issues like business development, creation of new subsidiaries and business spin-offs.'
When firms retrench, those who can generate revenue for their companies are less likely to be laid off, he says.
'Entrepreneurial activity is simply not limited to the 'hero entrepreneur' model - that is, individuals setting out to set up their own business ventures,' he notes.
Indeed, Mr Jones says: 'Many of our students study banking. As a banker, you have entrepreneurs coming to you for, say, approval of loans. If you've studied the challenges facing entrepreneurs, you become a better banker.'
The profile of students taking the courses ranges from middle to senior management employees from the public sector as well as multinational companies.
Ms Goh agrees that some students take up the course because they 'feel the limitations of the job market, and they need to equip themselves with more relevant skills'.
But do the courses produce entrepreneurs? The jury is still out as many students have not graduated.
Ms Goh says her current batch of students are at the moment incorporating a company to start up a 'soup' cafe.
And Mr Jones says three students who graduated nearly two years ago have set up a business offering expedition trips for school students.
He says: 'They've organised trips for students overseas, so they had to be accredited and insured. Not only have they found enough work for themselves, they have also created employment for 10 other people.'
Copyright @ 2003 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.