Business leaders across the South West have taken part in a government management course.
More than 200 leaders at SMEs in the region have enrolled in the Help to Grow: Management Course in a bid to strengthen resilience and innovation, according to new figures from the Department for Business and Trade.
The 12-week Help to Grow: Management Course was founded in April 2021 to help business leaders and senior managers to increase resilience, innovation, and growth within their organisations. Of those who took part, 69% reported greater confidence in leading and managing their business as a direct result of the course.
By February 2023, 235 SME leaders in the South West had finished the course across four business schools at University of Bath, University of the West of England, University of Exeter and University of Gloucestershire. Throughout the UK, 3,340 people had completed the course across 52 UK business schools.
Research, published in May and undertaken by Ipsos, highlights the impact Help to Grow: Management has had on UK businesses. Seven in 10 (69%) report greater confidence in leading and managing their business while two thirds (66%) felt their leadership and management skills had improved.
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SME leaders across a variety of sectors have benefitted from taking part in the training including those in manufacturing, construction, professional services, scientific, and technical industries, and information and communication. Help to Grow: Management comprises four waves of three modules, 1-2-1 business mentoring, peer-learning and access to the Alumni Network.
Help to Grow: Management has supported leaders from often under-represented demographics. Nearly a fifth (17%) of participants identified as being from ethnic minority backgrounds, compared to 6% of all UK SME owners, whilst a third (34%) were women, compared to 24% of UK SME owners. A broad range of ages were also welcomed to the course with one in five aged between 50-65 and a quarter aged between 25-34.
Josh Smith, director of Cirencester-based business Creative Picture Framing signed up for the course with Gloucester Business School. He said: “The modules included in Help to Grow: Management touch on every part of a business from branding, to staff engagement and financial management. The knowledge and tools I gained reaffirmed our brand strategy while also giving us tips on how to evolve and improve it.
“A key area we looked at was the value that customers and employees being on board with your message brings to the business. This is an area we've been able to improve on because of Help to Grow: Management. We've still got all the data and the documents from the course and we're continuing to use them as we develop our business in every area and move into a new workspace.”
Michael Hayman MBE, chair, Small Business Charter, said: “The success of the UK's SME sector is critical to the growth of the wider economy. The Help to Grow: Management Course is designed to directly benefit our vibrant SME sector, equipping today’s leaders and future leaders with the tools, knowledge and confidence to identify and lead change, innovation and growth. It’s also brilliant to see the course attracting a wider diversity of business leaders, something we want to continue embracing as the programme progresses.
“We look forward to continuing to support business leaders across the South West and the rest of the UK as they take the steps needed to introduce change that will help them for years to come.”
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