Speaking recently at the Chartered ABS Annual Conference, Minister for Small Business Paul Scully gave an insightful keynote speech on the value of business schools to supporting economic growth and the benefits of the Help to Grow: Management Course for small businesses. Here is what the Minister said:
“Help to Grow is a huge opportunity for individual businesses – and a crucial part of the government’s drive to level up, to deliver a greener economy, and to ensure a more Global Britain. We know that having the best leaders to drive and embed change is absolutely essential if we’re going to deliver the prosperity, we all want to see.
“We want to give the UK’s many small businesses the support and skills they need, not only to bounce back from the pandemic, but also to drive the innovation, growth, and job creation we need as we move towards a secure and prosperous future.
“The Government is committed to making sure every region in the country has access to productivity-boosting business training, which is why we have invested £220 million in Help to Grow: Management.
“The 38 Government-backed Growth Hubs across England, also provide businesses across England with support and advice accessible via a free and impartial, local ‘single point of contact’.
“Business schools like yours have a track record of delivering high-quality programmes to SMEs and supporting your local economy. This is why you are well-placed to deliver the Help to Grow: Management.
“Through the programme, we are aiming to support 30,000 SME business leaders increase productivity, seize investment opportunities and grow their business, all whilst levelling-up productivity across the UK.
“By facilitating SMEs to adopt modern management techniques and business technologies, we hope to give businesses the skills they need to reach their full growth potential and close the productivity gap between the UK and major competitors in the G7.”
On the valuable role of business schools in supporting small businesses, he said:
“The UK is blessed with world-leading business schools across the UK. These are institutions that are anchored in their local regions and vital to supporting growth and prosperity.
“41 of these business schools are accredited by the Small Business Charter – an assessment carried out by small business leaders on those schools’ ability support small businesses, their local economy, and student entrepreneurship. These schools are attuned to the needs and unique characteristics of businesses in their local area and their doors are open.
“The business and management academics in these schools have a track record supporting thousands of small businesses to scale up, to grow, to become more productive, more innovative, through a range of high quality interventions such as executive education and training, consultancy and advice, knowledge exchange and research, and incubators.
“The Small Business Charter and accredited business schools are the perfect partner to deliver the government backed Help to Grow: Management Course. They bring this wealth of experience and expertise to this high quality programme which the schools have designed with input from industry. This is an important moment in our economic recovery and we’re proud to be working with these great business schools to unleash the potential of our nation’s small businesses.
“That so many schools working together to deliver one programme like this on a national scale is a first and something to be very proud of.
“I encourage more schools to become SBC accredited to gain the recognition of their impact on small businesses and their local economies. Joining the many schools that have joined this year and now have the opportunity to deliver the Help to Grow: Management Course.
“We have made good progress on the number of cohorts available to participants. An impressive 34 cohorts (5,850 places) are available to business leaders across the country. We are also very pleased by the high-quality curriculum and course materials that have been assembled, drawing on the best that the business schools have to offer. Working together, we have developed a world-leading programme.
“With cohorts of the course now running at leading business schools across the country, we’ve been receiving positive feedback from participants.
“Of particular value to SME leaders is the opportunity to take time out of the day-to-day running of a business to prioritise growth strategy.
“Matt, Founder and CEO of a digital design agency and participant at Portsmouth University, told us:
“I was always working in the business, not on the business. Getting the work in, getting the projects out, making sure the clients were happy. Anything we wanted to do for ourselves, to make our business better, ended up getting pushed to the bottom of the list… studying and understanding what our business model looks like has helped me think more strategically about how we can leverage the relationships we have to launch new products and services, and really add value – for our clients and for ourselves.”
“Peer networking and the chance to connect with likeminded, local business leaders has been a highlight for many participants.
“Tim, Chief Operating Officer of a geographic information services business and participant at Brunel Business School, said:
“We are a very niche company, but in my group there are people who run a car dealership, an IT company and marketing companies. It’s interesting hearing other people’s problems, and to learn that there are lots of shared ones. I just think that the exposure is healthy.”
“Tim has even started doing business with one of the fellow participants on his course, also demonstrating the potential business opportunities networking can bring.
“Mentors are a key part of the Help to Grow: Management programme, supporting participants to develop their Growth Action Plan and help them better understand the opportunities available to their business. I am grateful for the continued work of business schools in identifying suitable mentors for your participants.
“The 1:1 mentoring included in the course is also proving to be of particular added value to SME leaders, offering the support and advice they need to put their learnings into action. Katya is a mentor at Portsmouth University with significant business mentoring experience and her own coaching business too. She says:
“The company leaders are great, they genuinely want to do a great job, but they have a lot on their plates and can feel overwhelmed. They are so busy meeting deadlines that they don’t always stop to ask for help. A big deal for me is showing participants how to prioritise, be clever with the resources they have – and learning how to ask for help.””
Minister Scully concluded his speech by outlining the continued support available to participants upon completion of the programme:
“Following the completion of the Help to Grow: Management programme, participants can continue to receive support through the alumni network to continue learning and networking. We are grateful for the vital role business schools are playing in the development and delivery of this alumni network.
“I look forward to continuing to work with CABS and its partner institutions as we intensify the roll-out of Help to Grow.
“More broadly, I hope that we can also work together on the wider issues of management, leadership, and the way that workplaces are changing in the aftermath of the peak of the pandemic.”
To find out more about the Help to Grow: Management Course, please click here.