Government-backed scheme can boost your business resilience

Leaders of small and medium-sized businesses across Swindon and Wiltshire are being encouraged to take up places on the 90% government-funded ‘Help to Grow: Management Course’. Designed by entrepreneurs and industry experts from the UK’s leading business schools, the course helps senior staff across industry sectors sharpen up their leadership skills and address a range of business performance and resilience issues.

Help to Grow: Management is a 12-week, 50 hours course, covering the critical components required to develop a resilient business strategy. It includes online and face-to-face sessions and peer networking, expert support to develop a personalised business action plan, and up to 10 hours of 1-to-1 mentoring. 

90% funded by UK Government, the course costs just £750 per person. 

This practical leadership course importantly provides a few hours a week away from the day-to-day challenges of running a business, allowing participants to invest in their leadership skills, equipping them with the knowledge and confidence to take their business to the next level.  This modular course covers how to:

• develop leadership skills across all areas of business including strategic planning, employee engagement, vision and values, finance, and marketing
• develop strategies for market segmentation, positioning and targeting to streamline the marketing approach
• leverage a regional peer network to share practical challenges, ideas, and experiences
• work with a mentor to develop a Growth Action Plan tailored to the business and its unique journey
• engage employees on the business journey and plan the future structure of the organisation
• identify new technologies and digital approaches to enhance innovation and productivity across the business
• improve operational efficiency to save time and money.

At the end of the Help to Grow: Management Course, participants are ready to lead the change required to develop their business, even in the most challenging of conditions.  Benefits can be immediate: many participants have put their learnings into action even before finishing the course.

To be eligible for the course, a business must employ between 5 and 249 people and have been operational for at least a year. Companies employing 10 or more people can enrol up to two senior managers on the course.

The course is delivered by several accredited business schools close to Swindon and Wiltshire, including the University of the West of England, the University of Bath, University of Bournemouth, Winchester University, Solent University and Oxford Brookes University.