Help to Grow: Management Essentials, a free online training course for small business leaders, is now available in British Sign Language.
Designed and produced by the Small Business Charter network of business schools and the Chartered Association of Business Schools team which are behind the well-regarded 12-week Help to Grow: Management Course, Help to Grow: Management Essentials provides an introduction to the essential business concepts for growth through a series of short, practical videos and supporting resources.
The online course was funded and launched by the Department for Business & Trade. The 17 practical, bite-sized videos are accessible via an easy-to-use learning platform. Course participants can now select the British Sign Language version of the videos when registering for the course.
Flora Hamilton, Executive Director of the Small Business Charter, says: “The British Sign Language version of Help to Grow: Management Essentials was created in response to the Lilac Review. 96% of course participants surveyed since the course was launched said they found Help to Grow: Management Essentials useful. By delivering Essentials in British Sign Language, the Small Business Charter is ensuring wider inclusive accessibility to this practical introduction to business growth.”
Michelle Ovens CBE, Founder, Small Business Britain, commented: “It is great to hear that Help to Grow: Management’s Essentials course is available in British Sign Language. Disabled entrepreneurs currently account for approximately a quarter of the nation's 5.5 million small businesses. In our Disability and Entrepreneurship report, that we launched last year with Lloyds Bank, we found that over half of Disabled founders had no external support when starting up. The Lilac Review is seeking to address inequality and improve access to opportunities for Disabled entrepreneurs. By doing this, the Review estimates that the UK economy could unlock an additional £230 billion in business revenue. So it is brilliant that the Help to Grow: Management programme is taking a lead in boosting the accessibility of its business support in this way.”
More information about the Help to Grow: Management Essentials course and the full Help to Grow: Management Course can be found here.
More information about the Lilac Review can be found here.
About Help to Grow: Management:
Help to Grow: Management is a 12-week course designed to support business leaders and their senior managers to increase resilience, innovation, and growth within their organisations.
Developed and delivered by the network of Small Business Charter accredited business schools, the course is available in more than 60 locations across the UK and is 90% government funded. It is designed to fit around existing work and personal commitments, providing business leaders with more than 50 hours of online and in person training including 10 hours of one-to-one mentoring. Individuals completing the course automatically join the Alumni Network, where they have access to exclusive events, content and partner offers, as well as the support of a UK-wide peer network.
The Small Business Charter (SBC) empowers small business success through its network of expert business schools. Developed 10 years ago by Lord Young, the previous Department for Business, and the Chartered Association of Business Schools, the SBC was established to signpost entrepreneurs, small businesses, and local economic stakeholders to business schools in their region with the expertise to help them thrive. There are 67 SBC accredited business school centres of excellence across the UK which are trusted partners of local stakeholders and the national government to deliver effective leadership and productivity programmes and small business support to drive economic growth.