But here’s the but …70% see ‘not knowing where to start’ as a key barrier.

At NCEE we believe that all students, regardless of background or discipline should have access to entrepreneurship education within their subject.

I am personally passionate about this. As many with a similar background to me I believed I would work for a large employer and work my way through the structures being recognised, I hoped, for my hard work, skill and expertise. Life isn’t like that. Working life is full of twists and turns, and whilst some of us will start a business, all of us will need to be innovative, creative and resilient to change.

Working for yourself may be one of the twists. I set up my own business 10 years ago. I did not have a clue as no-one in my family had done such a thing. Luckily I was supported by a friend who had done it before me. But this is why it is so critical. The report found that ‘exposure to entrepreneurship is a key driver of entrepreneurial intention. Respondents who have thought about starting or started a company are more likely to have a family member or friend who is a business owner’. At universities we must replace that social capital and expose all students to what setting up a company or working for yourself could look like.

The universities we work with are driving change. They are embedding enterprise and entrepreneurship into every programme of study, they provide start-up advice and incubation space for those that want to take things further. We know how powerful this can be, and so do other countries – we’re working in Tunisia, China and the Gulf on just these things.

So I join with Simon Rogerson, CEO of Octopus Group and The Entrepreneurs Network and call on all organisations to embed the principles of entrepreneurship in the minds of all young people.