School accreditation
Worcester Business School has been accredited with the Small Business Charter Award in recognition of its commitment to student entrepreneurship, supporting small businesses, and the local economy.
The school operates a ‘round table’ approach to SME engagement, with small businesses in the region contributing to course development within the school, whilst the school in turn supports a formalised structure of advice and guidance for the businesses Further to this, Worcester have demonstrated their commitment to supporting the local SME community through engagement with a number of regional networks including the County Council and Local Enterprise Partnership.
The panel were particularly impressed with Worcester’s involvement in Here2Help, an initiative coordinated by Worcester County Council in the wake of Covid-19, with the business school providing advice and training aimed at supporting SMEs as they recovered from the impact of lockdown.
Worcester Business School has a clear commitment to encouraging student entrepreneurship, through a range of embedded entrepreneurial modules, which is enhanced by the engagement of Entrepreneurs-in-Residence (EiRs). The EiRs provide start-up guidance for students, and the opportunities for placements with SMEs, which have been cited by the student population as having a positive impact upon their learning.
The Small Business Charter Award is a national accreditation, assessed by small business leaders, to recognise business schools which demonstrate excellence in supporting small businesses, student enterprise, and the local economy. Worcester Business School will hold the award for 3 years. There are 63 business schools that hold the SBC Award in the UK and Ireland.
Dr Scott Andrews, Deputy Head of the University’s Business School, said:
“We are delighted that our hard work on entrepreneurship and building links with local business communities across our region has been recognised in this way. This follows several weeks of rigorous evidence-gathering in readiness for assessment panel meetings, for which we were enthusiastically supported by many current and former students, as well as the Hereford & Worcester Chamber of Commerce, the Worcestershire Growth Hub and local employers, to whom we are very grateful.”
“This accreditation paves the way for us to plan for delivery of the Government Funded Help to Grow: Management Course to SME leaders from across the region, starting in 2023, following demand previously identified by our Worcestershire Growth Hub.”
Anne Kiem OBE, Executive Director of the Small Business Charter, and Chief Executive of the Chartered Association of Business Schools said: “We’d like to congratulate Worcester Business School on its Small Business Charter Award. They have demonstrated their dedication to supporting local SMEs and embedding entrepreneurship into the school curriculum. It is fantastic that Worcester use their links with local stakeholders to create a framework of support for SMEs in the local region, and we look forward to continuing to develop our relationship with them.”