There was a time, not so long ago, when entrepreneurialism was considered something of a maverick career path. It wasn’t exactly frowned upon, but most parents would prefer their kids to do something safer; banking perhaps; may be accounting; or becoming a doctor or a lawyer. Actually, thinking about it, in most cases that’s still the same today.

Although business is an accepted career, for the most part the academic courses are geared towards steering young people into ‘safe’ positions within established corporations; there’s not a lot taught about going it alone.

I consider myself an entrepreneur. I started my business, LatestFreeStuff.co.uk, from scratch. I’ve been lucky enough, or perhaps that should be I’ve worked hard enough, to make it something of a success. I can’t help but think however, that the path would have been smoother, had I had some grounding within my education.

So what, if anything, can schools and universities do to help make entrepreneurialism more of a viable option for today’s students so that Britain can retain its reputation for creativity?

1.       Provide mentors

Everyone remembers the lack-lustre meeting that they had with their high school careers advisor. While I’m sure that these meetings are arranged with the best of intentions, it seems to me that their real purpose is to squash ambition and diminish expectations.

While the straight-A students might be encouraged towards an Oxbridge education, anyone who expresses an interest in being something out of the ordinary – astronaut, novelist, entrepreneur – is given a condescending smile and a leaflet on teacher training or a career in the armed forces.

School kids and students need to see what's possible

Mentors, on the other hand, can tell students what life is really like in their chosen field. They can provide insights and advice so kids can make an informed decision about the route they want to take. They can be a sounding board – we’re at our most creative when we’re young; who knows where all those youthful ideas could go, given the right encouragement.

Mentors can open up a network of useful contacts, and they can help deliver lessons that could be of use in numerous walks of life. If there are two things that students need when thinking about their future careers, they’re encouragement and practical advice. Surely it’s the job of schools, colleges and universities to provide that?

2.       Avenues into entrepreneur academies

One of the major educational developments in the last few years, in my opinion, is the acknowledgement that entrepreneurship is the right path for some people, and some academies have opened to facilitate that.

Unfortunately, very few A-level students are made aware of them, which is hardly surprising when we live in a country where vocational studies and apprenticeships are still considered secondary to academia.

Not everyone is destined for Oxford

Entrepreneurship academies can give young people the skills and experience they need to go it alone when they come up with ideas of their own.

Not everyone is suited to a full academic life; sometimes a more hands-on approach can be more beneficial, and in promoting a culture of entrepreneurship schools and colleges can help their students to embrace their unique skills and allow them to see the other prospective opportunities available to them.

This isn’t just good for the individual students involved, but for the whole country – Britain needs entrepreneurs; without them we’ll just stagnate.

3.       Provide more entrepreneurship courses

In America the entrepreneur has always been celebrated, and there is now an excellent provision of courses for people who wish to take this path. The focus is on building business acumen – securing finances, pitching to investors, company growth and marketing new products.

These are all areas that can prove difficult – and sometimes be the downfall – for those finding their way in business for the first time. So many potentially wonderful companies fall by the wayside because the people behind them lacked the experience to make them a success. An availability of entrepreneurship courses could prevent that loss and boost Britain’s burgeoning business market.

As an entrepreneur I am, of course, biased towards the development and support of new business. However, with the economy apparently again under threat, I believe that we should be doing all that we can to explore every avenue of building Britain’s business sector, and making sure that we once again become world leaders.

Entrepreneurs could be the key to achieving that.