Examining the Role of the British Council's Creative Spark Programme in the Development of Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Education in Kazakhstan

The Higher Education sector in Kazakhstan has been embarking on a period of modernisation following independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. The need to drive innovation to support the building of an effective and diverse economy has led to an impetus to bring Entrepreneurship into Higher Education and to build the skills and expertise required to respond to global challenges. The critical focus of this study has been to evaluate the trajectory towards developing entrepreneurial universities in Kazakhstan and their readiness in terms of both infrastructure and culture to support this development. The level of influence the British Council Creative Spark Higher Education Enterprise programme has had in supporting this ambition has been analysed. The extent to which the five-year programme of interventions between UK and Kazakh universities through Creative Spark have been both effective and sustainable have been evaluated. The value of cross-sector partnerships is limited without change in governance and a recognition of the necessity for closer relationships with industry which is demonstrated through the application of the Triple Helix model. The findings of this qualitative study indicate that although valuable and influential, the reach and effectiveness of the Creative Spark programme has been limited due to cultural factors, a lack of consistency and the resourcing required for long term, systemic change. Recommendations include the application of the Triple Helix model to facilitate symbiotic relationships between universities, industry and the government to build a stronger basis for entrepreneurial activity, and in turn to support Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Education.