Abertay Enterprise Framework: business awareness beyond subject learning

This paper proposes a new approach to developing business skills more broadly across the graduate cohort in Scotland. The approach has been developed as a response to a previous study of employers1 - particularly SMEs - and through anecdotal evidence from tutors who send students on work placements. This evidence showed a clear gap in the business skillsets of graduates in areas such as marketing, human resource management and leadership. The approach designated Abertay Enterprise Framework has been developed to run from SCQF 7 to 10 (the normal length of a degree programme). Instead of studying business related topics in isolation (e.g. a module on introductory marketing) the topics will be integrated into the students’ cognate area of study in such a way as to show the interconnectedness of these themes and their chosen subject area. This combination allows students to enter and leave the framework at different SCQF levels without requiring prerequisite knowledge.