help to grow: management

A 12-week programme which supports senior managers of small and medium sized businesses to boost their business’s performance, resilience, and long-term growth.

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On this programme you'll join 30,000 senior leaders taking part in a practical management training programme delivered by world-class business schools, accredited by the Small Business Charter.

The 12-week programme combines online sessions with face-to-face learning and one to one mentoring. It is 90% funded by the Government (you will contribute £750).

You can find out about the experiences of a recent graduate of the programme here. 

Benefits of the programme:

  • Enhance your management and strategic capabilities
  • Produce a growth plan for your business
  • Build resilience to future shocks
  • Learn to innovate in your business
  • Adopt digital technologies to boost productivity and operational agility
  • Develop your value proposition and reach into growth markets
  • Improve employee engagement and responsible business practices
  • Learn how to become a more sustainable and responsible business
  • A blended programme that combines interactive, online sessions with face-to-face learning to suit you

The practical curriculum will support you to build your capabilities in:

  • Leadership
  • Innovation
  • Digital adoption
  • Employee engagement
  • Marketing
  • Responsible business
  • Financial management

By the end of the programme, you will develop a business growth plan to help you lead your business to release its potential.

About Help to Grow An overview of Help to Grow: Management, a 12-week programme which supports senior managers of small and medium sized businesses to boost their business’s performance, resilience and long-term growth.

eligibility criteria

To join Help to Grow: Management, your business must:

  • Be a Small or Medium-sized Enterprise (SME) based in the United Kingdom
  • Be from any business sector, employing between 5 and 249 people
  • Have been operational for at least one year
  • Not be a charity

To join Help to Grow: Management, the applicant must:

  • Be a senior decision-maker, such as Chief Executive, Finance Director, Operations Director, etc. (please note, only one person per business can attend the programme)
  • Commit to completing all sessions and paying the £750 registration fee
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start dates

Leeds Business School is running a number of cohorts across the year:

  • 22 April 2024 
  • 9 September 2024 

To find out more about Help to Grow contact us by email via Help2Grow@leedsbeckett.ac.uk, or you can join our next available cohort by registering via the Small Business Charter registration page.

What you'll cover on the programme

Looking at the business model and what innovation means for SMEs– not just new invention but doing things in a different way – and how a business’s absorptive capacity is vital in helping it remain competitive and relevant as markets and customer needs evolve. Consideration of the circular economy in the business model.

Businesses that embrace the opportunities of digitisation and understand the potential of the data at their fingertips achieve productivity gains and competitive advantage.  Participants will review the opportunities presented by digital options, AI, machine learning and data analytics to enhance or revolutionise their outputs, communications, processes and business information systems.

Looking in depth at how a business has innovated its model,  developed markets overseas, what entry models they used to address the opportunities in different countries, how they adapted their overall business model and overcame challenges, and how the experience encouraged them to innovate.

Having a clear and consistent narrative about vision and purpose that is authentically represented in the brand of the business is equally important for external positioning and internal engagement and culture.

This module focusses on understanding customers and considering their needs and routines in order to position and promote relevant products and services. It looks at how to identify the characteristics of key market segments and developing a structured strategic approach to marketing.

Exploring how a business built a market-leading brand and continued to serve its customers’ needs through changing times. What challenges had to be overcome and how did the company stay true to its purpose and values.

This module is about building capacity for growth, looking at structures, skills and governance needed in the business now and as it grows. This includes knowledge management processes to share knowledge between people and teams, structuring for productive flexible and remote working, and maximising the blend of people and automation brought on by advancing digital adoption.

Looking at leading others through change and enhancing performance through employee engagement. Leaders and managers will reflect on the impact of their leadership style on their people, and how to create a sustainable culture of growth and productivity that embraces difference and diversity and promotes employee wellbeing.

An example of a company that has put employee engagement at the heart of their business and created an inclusive culture. The tools and ways of working are innovative and productive and the business has achieved growth through the way it works as much as through what it does.

Whatever the sector, there are operations within the business that generate outputs and add value for customers. This module looks at aligning operations with marketing and business strategy, how to identify factors that can disrupt value flow, and the importance of strategic partnerships, resilient supply chains and digital technologies.

Covering the key financial statements and ratios and cash flow forecasting, what they mean for SMEs and how to identify the financial data relevant for monitoring growth for the individual business. This module also looks at financing growth both from the inside and from external sources relevant for SMEs.

Case study of an inspirational business leader who has successfully built a responsible and innovative business and can describe the approaches, networks and key enablers that were important for the successful delivery of their business growth plan.

Collaborative and practical learning to succeed in business

Leeds Business School

We deliver engaging programmes to provide you with the right skills and support your professional development through the direct application of theory to practice.

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