Filling the educational gap: How FE providers could lay the foundations of a freelance future

Why we should be teaching students the rudiments of #freelancing and #entrepreneurship 

According to the latest estimates, there are currently 2.1 million freelance workers in the United Kingdom. These are people who, either by circumstances or design, have broken away from traditional employment routes. But while these freelancers play an integral role in the economy, as a country we are failing to provide this important sector of the workforce with the support and education they need. I would argue that that support needs to begin in the classroom.

The problem with being a freelancer

The power of the internet has made freelancing not only possible, but desirable, as it gives individuals control over their own working life. But a significant percentage of freelancers will have taken that career path with no experience beyond their core skill – be that programming, copywriting, or financial planning. Which means that inevitably the biggest reason why entrepreneurs fail is because they don’t understand the basics of running a business. That’s an area where educators can help. 

How FE providers could lay the foundations of a freelance future

Ask yourself this. If you were to go into your dream business right now, would you know how to create a business proposition that makes sense? Would you know how to find new customers? Or where to go to network? When you were in your early 20s, which is when many people embark on a freelance career, would you even have a basic idea of how to manage the fundamentals of everyday business – bookkeeping, scheduling, tax, customer service? 

Whether through dedicated courses, or working the principles of freelancing into relevant disciplines, where freelancing is a common career path – journalism, design, art, accounting, IT – educators can help to prepare the next generation of the UK workforce for success. Because right now, a huge number – up to 60% – of talented freelancers are failing to make it through the first five years of their business venture, through simple lack of knowledge. Wasting a massive amount of potential for no reason other than the fact that the support isn’t there. 

The general remit of further education is to give students the understanding they need to achieve within their chosen field. But the traditional employment model is changing. To succeed, students don’t only need to know how to do their job, but how to be employable, and how to manage a business. All of the skills a successful freelancer employs are fully transferable. No time teaching them, or learning them, will be wasted. By not teaching them, we are setting our students up to fail. 

Albert Azis-Clauson, CEO & Co-Founder, UnderPinned