Entrepreneurship perceptions, training and opportunities among the skilled unemployed of Ireland : a pilot study

Abstract

This study explored the entrepreneurial perceptions, trainings and opportunities among the skilled, unemployed of Ireland. The current unemployment rate in Ireland stands at 11.5% which is an alarmingly high rate for a developed country. This level of unemployment has had many deeper social impacts in Ireland such as isolation, desperation, depression and has also caused a severe brain drain. However, Ireland’s current economic conditions and increasing rate of entrepreneurship capital have provided a potential avenue for economic improvement. The theories developed by Audretsch and Acs (1994) among others suggest that an entrepreneurial solution to the recession has merit for investigation. This was explored using a two phased qualitative research method. During the first phase, five experts in enterprise support services were interviewed and six skilled, unemployed individuals with an interest in self-employment participated in a focus group between November, 2014 and June, 2015. The data collection found that a number of entrepreneurial skills are lacking in the unemployed and that a tailored programme is necessary to serve the unemployed moving to self-employment in Ireland. In phase two, the data from phase one was combined with the review of the theory and current enterprise support structure of Ireland to develop a tailor made enterprise programme for the skilled, unemployed. This was then refined by the potential recipients. Both phases presented a number of interesting findings and noted that soft skills such as confidence and networking were at risk due to unemployment and become more at risk depending on the duration of unemployment. A number of ancillary issues with Irish support services were exposed and counteracted in the findings and discussion. Access to information, exclusivity of networks and social welfare perceptions all deterred people from this route to employment. The study concluded that a number of gaps and areas for improvement exist in the current enterprise support services and programmes. The study closes with suggestions for feasible enhancements to the enterprise systems and the design for a tailored and potentially more effective enterprise programme.