Social Enterprise Hub programme #2 – Launch 2nd October 2023

Following a highly successful inaugural programme last academic year where 5 student businesses were awarded £4500 of funding to help them progress their ideas to reality, the second iteration of the programme launched this week.

An expanded cohort of 30 students from The Abbey and Reading School met with 6 mentors from the UoR Entrepreneurs Society at Henley Business School, for the first of a series of lectures about Social Enterprise.

This year’s programme has been slightly remodelled so that the students will have lectures interspersed with workshops to allow them to put their recently acquired knowledge to the test as they start to develop their business ideas, with the aim of helping local communities in a long-term and sustainable manner.

The workshops will also feature guest speakers who will bring an area of specialism to the sessions, including how to establish a business, how to prepare financial plans and how to pitch for funding – all essential skills that students will need in the future, no matter what career pathway they might choose.

Charles Lovibond, Head of Careers & Futures, commented: “Seeing this programme evolve from last year into something even better is extremely exciting. The passion and enthusiasm that this year’s cohort are already bringing to the programme suggests that many of our local communities will experience real value and benefit in years to come, which is exactly why this programme was established in the first place”