LSE Generate: providing entrepreneurship skills to school pupils

LSE Generate: providing entrepreneurship skills to school pupils

Community impact
Equality & diversity
Access & participation
LSE
17 January 2025
The entrepreneurship team at the London School of Economics (LSE) worked with OakNorth, an alumni-founded business, to develop LSE Generate: a schools partnerships initiative designed to help participants develop skills such as adaptability that are crucial to their future success.

LSE Generate has created a series of programmes focused on mentor-driven entrepreneurship which range from standalone events to six-month schemes culminating in a demo day where pupils have an opportunity to pitch ideas to investors and founders.

The programme has supported students from 59 UK schools, with almost half (49.5%) of participants from communities underrepresented in higher education. More than 100 mentors have provided over 400 hours of their expertise, with 90% of participants reporting improved entrepreneurship understanding after taking part. UK locations include London, Sheffield, Newcastle and Nottingham. Plans for 2024/25 include moves to widen the scope of the programme to reach students internationally.

Bootcamps and workshops are held in LSE’s innovation hub, the GenDen, and delivered in school settings. Since the schools programme was launched in 2021 LSE Generate has supported thousands of young people across London and the South East, providing opportunities for children as young as 10 to benefit from university expertise.