Cardiff School of Management at Cardiff Metropolitan University has been awarded the Small Business Charter in recognition of their extensive work to support small businesses, connections with businesses and the commitment they have shown in supporting students in enterprise and entrepreneurship activities.
The Cardiff School of Management has been instrumental in the creation of the ‘Centre for Work Based Learning’ (CWBL), a dedicated facility that has demonstrated its capability and capacity in responding to the needs of small businesses. This has earnt them the newly introduced Small Business Charter Exemplar which recognises areas of excellence. The university continues its commitment to education, research and innovation in partnership with students, governments, businesses and industry, and this brings benefits to the society and the local economy.
The Small Business Charter award recognises business schools that have undergone a rigorous assessment across the three pillars; i) small business support for growth, ii) engagement with a wider stakeholder engagement in the growth agenda, and iii) support for student start-ups.
In addition to a nationally recognised kitemark, the SBC provides a platform for business schools to share best practice on what works best in supporting small businesses. There are currently 36 business schools who have achieved the award.
Speaking about the achievement, Kirsty Williams AM, Cabinet Secretary for Education, National Assembly for Wales, said:
‘’We would like to congratulate Cardiff School of Management for achieving the prestigious Small Business Charter award and for being the first in Wales to do so. The outcome is testimony to their effort in reaching out to local businesses that has in turn delivered financial impact for the local economy. The Welsh Government is keen to see more Welsh schools achieve the Charter award.”
Professor David Brooksbank, Dean of Cardiff School of Management, said:
“We are delighted with this significant award, which reflects the School’s longstanding commitment to the small business sector and the excellence of our provision. We are honoured to be the first business school to be granted chartered status in Wales; an award for five years with recognition of nationally excellent practice is the highest accolade that can be achieved.
The Charter also demonstrates the commitment and hard work of staff at the School of Management and signals that small businesses are at the heart of our business engagement activity. We have built a strong tradition of working with and supporting local SMEs and the Small Business Charter award is both testament to that past, but more importantly is a statement of our intent for the future. As an anchor institution for South East Wales, this award showcases our impact and our role in growing the economy and improving productivity in the whole of the Cardiff Capital Region.”
Anne Kiem, Executive Director of the Small Business Charter and Chief Executive of the Chartered Association of Business Schools, said:
“The Small Business Charter is a difficult award to achieve and Cardiff School of Management are to be congratulated for their success. The assessors were particularly impressed by the business school’s strong commitment to enterprise and to SME engagement. The award highlights the management school’s contribution to research, support to businesses, student start-ups and academic spin outs.”