Igniting entrepreneurial spirits in high school

There are plenty of examples of tech billionaires who started their entrepreneurship journey at a young age; Evan Spiegal came up with the idea for SnapChat as a 21-year-old design student and Arash Fersowski was also 21 when he dreamt up Dropbox with a classmate.

There are also millions of young Australians who could leverage technology to create their own version of entrepreneurial success – if they're aware of this potential – said Murray Hurps, Director of Entrepreneurship at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS).

Along with university students, UTS Startups is working with NSW high school students to ignite entrepreneurial spirits, broaden horizons and inspire the kinds of tech-enabled entrepreneurship that would suit the Australian environment.

“We want students, and parents, to change how they think about university education, to look beyond conventional salaried jobs, and consider entrepreneurship in whatever field they choose to study,” said Hurps.

“Nearly 10 per cent of UTS students are running their own startup by the time they graduate, and UTS Startups currently supports more than 500 active ventures. These enterprises have created 1200 new paid jobs in the last year alone,” he said.

UTS is aiming to bring together more than 6,000 high school students from years 9 and 10 for the ‘UTS Startups Summit’ at the Sydney International Convention Centre on 3 December 2024. The Summit aims to showcase young tech entrepreneurs, demonstrate emerging AI technologies and bring entrepreneurship to life. 

“Schools are currently invited to register their interest for the Summit,” said Hurps.

The university also runs a Startups @ Schools program, in collaboration with the University of Newcastle, visiting around 100 NSW high schools each year. The program introduces year 9 and 10 students, especially low-SES students and girls, to the potential of tech-enabled entrepreneurship.

“Technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are rapidly changing ways of working and expanding the possibilities for entrepreneurs. Now an individual can develop and deliver increasingly valuable solutions without a team of engineers or a large organisation behind them,” Hurps said.

“This is changing how students view their future careers. Six years ago, 30 per cent of UTS students said they wanted to pursue entrepreneurship. That number is now 57 per cent and expected to grow further.

“At UTS we don’t just focus on finding the best-of-the-best entrepreneurs and giving them more support. Our programs are designed to support every kind of person to engage in real marketplaces, generate value and build cutting-edge tech skills.”

One of the programs, ‘Rapid Value Creation’ is free and open to the public. It combines online and hybrid workshops to build skills in digital marketing, AI, and e-commerce.

A customised version for year 11 students is currently being trialled in 15 NSW schools and has just received NSW Education Standards Authority approval.

“High school is when students start to care about their careers. I want them to understand the unprecedented opportunity they have today to create solutions and distribute them to the world, on their own terms, and on their own schedule,” Hurps said.

“All programming that UTS Startups runs is free, and the payoff is creating the employment, learning and economic outcomes that our students and our country deserve.”