Italian enterprise gladiator does combat with UK benefits system

An international business consultant working with a Birmingham social enterprise has slammed the UK benefits system for blunting entrepreneurial spirit.

Italian born Ernesto Sirolli is well known around the world for his work inspiring enterprise in local communities. Sirolli, now based in California, recently spent a week in Birmingham helping Enta CIC with its programme to tackle worklessness through entrepreneurial start-ups.

Sirolli said: ‘A safety net is one thing but in this country people really have to think twice before setting up on their own because they risk losing their benefits if they do.

‘It amazes me that notwithstanding all of this, people are still coming forward and saying, “I want to start a business”.’

CEO of Enta Kevin Hayes said: ‘The entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well in Birmingham, the city of a thousand trades, and it’s flourishing as strongly in deprived areas as anywhere else.’

Both Sirolli and Hayes highlighted the importance of education, support and guidance, in ‘making’ entrepreneurs.

Enta has established an ‘enterprise facilitator’, trained by Sirolli, to help the fledgling entrepreneurs they are working with in Birmingham.