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MIT Day 1

Have arrived at MIT for Entrepreneurship Programme following a four hour rail trip from New York this morning.

The course began with a four hour networking event where we had to try and meet as many people as possible and create a team of eight for the business plan and elevator pitch competition at the end of the week. Met a great group of people from countries as diverse as Dominican Republic, Saudi Arabia, Canada and Ireland.

Interesting to note that Scottish Enterprise had paid for eighteen participants from Scots high tech firms but there were no representatives from Welsh organisations apart from yours truly. That is a great disappointment as we need Welsh-based entrepreneurs to attend such high quality courses on a regular basis.

Hopefully, I can get some onto the next strategic MIT course to be held in be Edinburgh in March.

Comments

Anonymous said…
'Interesting to note that Scottish Enterprise had paid for eighteen participants from Scots high tech firms but there were no representatives from Welsh organisations apart from yours truly.'

thanks for posting that little gem Dylan, isn't Scottish Enterprise at arms length from the Scottish Government - therefore allowing original thought!

Here in Wales we have to ask since when do Civil Servants who have never worked in the private sector know what is needed for businesses to grow?, Wales should never have allowed the WDA to get taken into WAG in Rhodri bonfire of the quangos.

If WAG has any sense they would ask you for feed back when you return, i wont hold my breath thou.
January 26, 2009 10:38 am
Anonymous said…
Good case for getting our economic develoment dept back at arms length.
I wonder how many of the RDAs were there.
We have a third class service here and its not improving or learning
January 26, 2009 10:59 am
Professor Dylan Jones-Evans said…
The Scots have certainly got their act together although one can only hope that we can start accessing some of these world class courses - the public sector in Wales already have access to the best institutions through a specific scheme but, bizarrely, the private sector don't.

I see the point about the bonfire of the quangoes but to be fair to the WAG team in the USA, they are the most dedicated and hard working bunch that I have come across in the last three years and I would think that there will be some serious job announcements soon. We certainly need it, after the 760 posts lost by Corus (which this blog predicted months ago).
January 26, 2009 12:27 pm
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