Michael Hayman MBE, Chair, Small Business Charter
More than 7,725 business leaders have now enrolled onto the Help to Grow: Management Course since its launch in 2021 – with 2,330 of those having signed up since February this year – according to new figures from the Department for Business and Trade (DBT). By September 2023, 5,290 SME leaders across the UK had finished the course at one of 60 Small Business Charter accredited business schools, with 90% of their fee covered by the government.
The latest data reveals that the vast majority (83%) of enrolments continue to sign up from outside of London; supporting one of the programme’s primary aims to reach SME leaders from all corners of the UK – with the map of schools stretching from the Isle of Wight to Orkney.
The Help to Grow: Management Course also continues to support leaders from often under-represented demographics. Almost two fifths (39%) of those enrolled on the course are women, compared with 24% of women-owned and led businesses in the UK business population. In addition, 14% of those enrolled on the course were from ethnic minority groups, compared with 6% of businesses being led by people from an ethnic minority background.
Michael Hayman MBE, Chair, Small Business Charter, said: “This is a truly transformative leadership course which is providing a growing number of business leaders with the knowledge and confidence to create more innovative, resilient, and productive organisations. We’ve been particularly pleased to see such a rapid uptick this year – with 30% of all enrolments having been completed over the last six months alone.
“As a direct result of participating in the course, our alumni are increasing revenue, launching new products and services, and employing more people. The Help to Grow: Management Course is making a profound change to the lives of business owners and leaders and I look forward to seeing the positive impact they continue to have on the UK economy.”
Laure Lombardo, Head of Business Operations at Vercida Group said: “The Help to Grow: Management Course has been a truly transformative experience. The course material was not only relevant and carefully crafted by exceptional module leaders, but also presented in a manner that encouraged critical thinking and practical application. Having a mentor who provided guidance, advice and feedback allowed for a rich learning experience was, for me, the cherry on top.”
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. Report findings show that 91% of participants would recommend Help to Grow: Management to other business leaders. The value of the programme also continues long after participants have finished the course with the majority (86%) continuing to interact with other SME leaders outside of their firm through networking and informal discussions.
