Southampton Business School launches Help to Grow: Management course for region’s SMEs

This December marks the launch of the University of Southampton Business School’s (SBS) ‘Help to Grow: Management’ course.

Aimed at SMEs, the programme will help business leaders to identify more efficient ways of working and target new markets by developing a specific Growth Action Plan.

It follows the Small Business Charter awarded to SBS earlier this year, putting them among a UK-wide team of business schools providing companies with the tools they need to grow.

Gillian Saieva, Associate Professor and Director of Executive Education at SBS, said: “Our highly anticipated roll-out of this programme evidences SBS’s engagement across the wider university, city, and region in successfully recruiting a diverse range of SME businesses.

“This includes a local business that’s already engaged with the university on an Innovate UK Knowledge Transfer Partnership, further benefitting from our reach to better align their business for further growth.

“Additionally, we have recent local and national award winners, university suppliers, and alumni setting out on their growth journey together.”

Among the participants are Gareth Evans, SBS alumnus and co-founder of Sentinel Unmanned in Poole – as well as Frankie Peck of Southampton’s own Lee Peck Media.

“Having just joined my father’s agency after a 10-year career in the BBC and latterly on the Politics South Show, both Lee and I have signed up for Help to Grow”, said Frankie.

“The big advantage of the course is that it will allow us to work on the business rather than in the business.

“More than that, as I’ve come directly from journalism, the programme will give me an invaluable insight into the world of business alongside learning from business leaders in the region.”

The 12-week course runs from December to March, mixing live and on-demand online content with in-person learning.

Participants will also receive one-to-one mentoring, 50 hours of in-depth training and networking opportunities with other local business leaders.

The course is subsidised by the UK government for business owners, leaders and senior managers from all business sectors, though charities are not eligible.

• smallbusinesscharter.org/help-to-grow-management

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