Help to Grow Management Programme, £4 million, funded by Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS)
‘Help to Grow Management' project is funded by BEIS and is a growth programme for small business owners. It includes training, peer to peer knowledge transfer, and one to one business coaching. It helps the owner managers to develop the skills and the confidence to make difficult decisions about how to keep their enterprise afloat and boost growth and productivity.
Help to Grow Management programme is a four-year funded project (2021- 2025) that not only generates over £4 million for Kingston University but also assists small business leaders in growing their businesses and allows us to carry industry project partnerships (two partnership projects have already received additional funding). Help to Grow Management program, has provided training to more than 350 business leaders across London and South Central in our first year of the project, and bringing over £2.5 million in income for Kingston University from August 2021 to January 2023. Within the programme we have been fostering commercial partnerships with BEIS, allocating resources, and planning the programme delivery.
To date, we have provided training for more business leaders than any other university across the country, with over 350 business leaders trained under my leadership. Additionally, I am a member of the curriculum design that oversees the development of case studies for the Help to Grow Management Programme across the UK.
Our success has been recognized through various achievements, such as a visit from the Small Business Minister Paul Scully and further funding for the industry partnership projects. I have also established networks of businessethatho approach Kingston University and each other for support and attracted guest lecturers from participating businesses for KU students.
Programme Links:
Help to Grow Programme: https://kingstonuniversitybusinesstraining.com/
Gov. campaign https://helptogrow.campaign.gov.uk/
Sample Kingston University news coverage: https://www.mylondon.news/special-features/kingstons-help-grow-management-more-25265117
Small Business Leadership Programme, £870,000, funded by BEIS
The Small Business Leadership programme (funded by BEIS) at Kingston University was run in 2020 and brought in £870K to the business school. We successfully recruited of 294 business owners, and organized 12 cohorts, the most among the consortium members, over five months. This directly supported 294 business leaders and senior management team members from 260 companies. The condensed, 10-week programme was delivered online and included a mix of workshops, mentoring, and group work, providing opportunities for businesses to expand their networks and explore key topics such as leadership, innovation, employee engagement, operational efficiency, marketing, sustainable practices, and finance. Through the programme, entrepreneurs were able to improve their business resilience and recover from the impacts of Covid-19, while also developing capabilities for future growth and productivity.
Programme Links:
Small Business Leadership Programme https://smallbusinesscharter.org/small-business-leadership-programme/
Sample Kingston University news coverage https://www.kingston.ac.uk/news/article/2412/10-nov-2020-kingston-university-supports-small-businesses-hit-by-covid19-pandemic-by-delivering-governmentfunded-leadership-programme/
Business Basics Programme was another BEIS-funded project aimed at assisting 25 local businesses in adapting to digital technology. The project was a success, bringing in £50,000 to Kingston Business School over four months.
Through the Business Basics Programme, we were able to demonstrate the positive impact of personalized mentoring for micro businesses. Participating businesses were able to achieve their goals and priorities because of the one to one mentoring. This project helped to support the re-accreditation of the Small Business Charter, showcasing Kingston Business School's commitment to community partnership, knowledge exchange, and management knowledge. Also, this initial success led to further funding opportunities, including the Small Business Leadership Programme and the Help to Grow Management Project.
Impact Summary
A summary account of the impact generated by the activity and how the impact was achieved. No complicated text formatting is possible. Word limit: 200
The impact of the Business Basics for the participating businesses was universally positive to participating businesses based on achieving (or contributing to the achievement) of business goals identified at the beginning of the programme.
The impact of the Business Basics Kingston Business School was demonstrating the positive impact of personalised mentoring for microbusinesses in these businesses achieving their priorities and goals. The programme also supported the re-accreditation of Small Business Charter, demonstrating the school's community partnership, knowledge exchange, and management knowledge partnership.
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What else? The Small Business Leadership, Help to Grow, and Business Basics projects have had a direct impact on the learning and employability of our students, who have gained valuable placements and consulting experience working with local businesses. Through these programmes, our students have developed the management capabilities needed to exploit the potential of people and digital technologies, analysed costs and benefits to make informed decisions, maximised the benefits of digital and new technology to increase productivity, and encouraged innovation and improved employee engagement within their businesses.
The followings include students' feedback and evidence.
https://bit.ly/3AEdTuR
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mEckdPbOsA&ab_channel=HGMKingstonUniversity
https://bit.ly/3g4FmvZ
Qualifications and PROFESSIONAL expertise
- Project Leadership
- Project management
- Entrepreneur in Residence
- Small Business Solutions
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