University of Southampton wins national Graduate Futures Award
for Student Enterprise Pathways Framework
The University of Southampton’s Student Enterprise and Social Impact team has won the Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Award at the Graduate Futures Awards 2026, in recognition of its innovative Student Enterprise Pathways Framework.
The award, supported by Enterprise Educators UK, celebrates outstanding practice in enterprise and entrepreneurship education across higher education. The recognition gives important sector validation to the work being developed at Southampton to make enterprise support more accessible, relevant and developmental for a wider range of students.
The Graduate Futures Awards, known as the GRAFTAs, were launched this year by the Graduate Futures Institute to celebrate excellence across the careers and employability sector. More than 200 submissions were received from institutions across the UK and Ireland, with Southampton winning in the Enterprise and Entrepreneurship category.
The Student Enterprise Pathways Framework was designed to help more students see themselves in enterprise, whatever their background, ambition or starting point. Rather than assuming every student enters through the same route.
This approach has helped the team shape a broad and more intentional offer, with clearer entry points, stronger progression, and better alignment between early-stage support and later-stage opportunity.
It has also contributed to significant growth in student engagement and participation, while helping more students build confidence, explore what is possible, and develop their ideas into meaningful ventures and outcomes.
The judges described the winning entry as “A very clear and effective initiative that broadens accessibility to enterprise learning and has a compelling and well-evidenced impact that demonstrates the success of the approach.”
Tom Simmonds, Head of Student Enterprise, Social Impact and Events, said “We are incredibly proud to have won this award. What makes this especially meaningful is that it recognises an approach built around widening access to enterprise and helping students enter in different ways. Too often, enterprise can feel like it is only for those who already see themselves as founders or have highly developed ideas. The Pathways Framework is about opening that door wider, helping students find the right route in, build confidence, and progress from wherever they are starting. To have that recognised nationally, and by a category supported by Enterprise Educators UK, is a fantastic validation of the work the team has put in.”
This award reflects the creativity, care and commitment of the Student Enterprise and Social Impact team, and the wider ecosystem of colleagues, partners, mentors and students who continue to shape and strengthen enterprise at Southampton.
Photos credit Alex Crosby
Get involved
If you are a student with a business idea, freelance ambition, startup concept or social impact project, whatever stage you are at, we would love to hear from you.
And if you are an organisation, founder, alum or partner who can help support the next generation of student entrepreneurs, changemakers and creators, please get in touch with the team.
