More than 10,000 business leaders across the UK – including over 800 in the West Midlands – have enrolled on the Help to Grow: Management Course to provide them with the knowledge and confidence to boost their business performance, according to official figures. Department for Business and Trade data shows 835 business leaders in the West Midlands enrolled on the 12-week course.
The 90 per cent government-funded programme was launched in April 2021 to help business leaders and senior managers to increase resilience, innovation, and growth within their organisations. It comprises 12 modules which have been updated multiple times since launch to ensure they continue to address the changing challenges that SME leaders face. The course includes 10 hours of 1-2-1 business mentoring, peer learning and access to a dedicated alumni network for ongoing support and development. Across the UK as a whole, 10,635 business leaders have enrolled on the Help to Grow: Management Course as of the 30th September 2024. Of these, two in five (38%) identified as female and 14% are from an ethnic minority background compared to 18% and 6% in the wider business population. Delivered by 62 Small Business Charter accredited business schools across the UK, it is available to West Midlands business leaders at Aston Business School; Birmingham City Business School, Birmingham City University; Coventry University Business School; Keele University Business School; and Worcester Business School. Among those to have completed the course are Abbie Wood, Senior Travel Consultant at In the Saddle, based in Cleobury Mortimer in Shropshire, who attended the course at Worcester Business School.Flora Hamilton, executive director at Small Business Charter, said: “Hitting the milestone of having 10,000 people enrol on the Help to Grow: Management Course from across every part of the UK demonstrates the value business leaders are getting from the programme