There are calls for tertiary institutions to awaken the entrepreneurial minds of their students.

It comes after an MYOB survey of over 1000 businesses found almost half of students entering into the workforce don't have the right skills for their company.

Less than 20 per cent of businesses felt the education system helps students to become entrepreneurs or innovators.

MYOB's head of SME, Ingrid Cronin-Knight, said the figures are even worse when it comes to students running their own businesses.

"46 per cent of people disagreed that students had the skills to run their own business, and only six percent of business owners agreed that students had those skills. I think that's a large challenge."

She said there needs to be less theory and more practical work for a number of courses.

"There was some concern around just fundamentals, and people coming out into the business with good literacy, good numeracy, and having a motivational mindset to actually work."

In the Canterbury region, one in five companies believe students have the right skills for their business, while only one in 10 think students have the skills to run their company.

The University of Canterbury's Centre for Entrepreneurship director, Rachel Wright, said practical experience is just as important as textbook learning.

"I think it's really important that students do something that's real, and is potentially for somebody else so they can work with a different businesses or social enterprise and get that experience."

She said tertiary students aren't always aware or seek out the right skills in the first place.

"I think it's up to the institution to actually help the students see and provide courses and opportunities for the students to gain these experiences."