Flying Start gives thousands of undergraduates and graduates the opportunity to follow their dreams and start their own business.

Flying Start has three components - Rallies, Programmes and Online

• Flying Start Rallies which are one day events run with every RDA and HEIs in all UK regions. The rallies are personally focused on helping individuals 'take action' and 'making it happen'. They are aimed at students with ideas but who don't know what to do next and students who have a clear business idea that they want to pursue within the next 12 months
• Flying Start Online - our online community of graduates, mentors and experts... all of whom help, advise and support Flying Start members
• Flying Start Programme
  • General Business - a three day, two night residential intensive investment readiness programme for general business start-ups
  • RSA Flying Start Programme - a three day, two night residential investment readiness programme for graduates from the creative industries

FS Rallies were very successful and have established NCGE within the student and HEI community. We believe the reason for their success is that they are different from other one day student oriented events. Flying Start Rallies are fully integrated in a very personal and practical way - they are directly linked to support in the institutions involved and to local business support. FS Rallies are focused on 'doing it' and on 'taking action' to make a business dream a reality.

Participants at all Rallies are linked to FS Online (personal support system) which has networking access to wider entrepreneurial and a near-peer community. This means that through FS Online every student can benefit from individual attention, advice, support and nurturing at every stage of their entrepreneurial journey. FS Online also houses a comprehensive graduate funding database for every UK region including Scotland and Wales.

Attendees of the rally are also encouraged to apply for the Flying Start Programme (FSP) a business development and acceleration programme . The FS Programme provides three day, two night residential intensive investment readiness training and education programme designed to get graduate businesses up and running within 12 months. The FS Programme is delivered by a team of local investment readiness and business experts, and mentors. All programme costs for participants (including accommodation) are included. General Business FS Programme is offered twice a year.

The RSA (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce) and the National Council for Graduate Entrepreneurship (NCGE) have joined forces to offer the first national investment readiness programme for UK university graduates of design and creative arts courses.

The RSA Flying Start Programme is an intensive three day residential programme specifically for recent graduates from UK design and related creative industry degree courses. To be held in Manchester in July 2006, the RSA Flying Start Programme is designed to provide graduates with knowledge of the fundamentals of new business venture planning and start-up and to assist graduates in the creation of mentor and expert networks; everything graduates need to start a creative industries business. All programme costs (including accommodation) are covered. Participants in this programme will be selected by the RSA.

If you are thinking that you would like to start your own business once you graduate then this programme represents an excellent opportunity. If beginning your own enterprise is something you have not considered at this point, maybe owing to the inherent difficulties in getting started, then this programme could be what you need to set you on the right track.