Help to Grow, a business support programme aimed at helping small and medium sized businesses identify opportunities and protect themselves from future shocks, is going from strength to strength at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU).
The 12-week course – which sees business leaders receive advice and mentoring from industry experts, academics, and entrepreneurs – is supported by the Government, which offers a 90% subsidy for eligible businesses. ARU is helping businesses by covering the remaining cost through a fully funded bursary, in recognition of the challenges SMEs are currently facing.
Having already run two successful courses at ARU Peterborough, ARU is now launching its first course in Cambridge, which begins on 15 September and will feature a combination of in person and online sessions.
The Help to Grow: Management course is designed to help business owners make informed decisions, inspire their teams, and navigate future challenges with confidence. Those who have completed the course also join ARU’s expanding Help to Grow Alumni Network.
Business Engagement and Innovation Lead Fiona McGonigle, who is also the Help to Grow Alumni Network Lead at ARU, said: "Help to Grow allows business owners to fill in the gaps of knowledge and essential skills that might be holding their business back, providing them with a solid foundation for growth and innovation.
“Following two successful cohorts in January and April this year, we’re delighted to have launched ARU’s Help to Grow Alumni Network, which gives business leaders the opportunity to connect and share their experiences and knowledge.”
There are now over 50 Business Schools delivering Help to Grow courses across the UK and Ireland, and Fiona sits on the Chartered Association of Business Schools (CABS) Advisory Panel for the National Alumni Network. Members of ARU’s Alumni Network will be able to connect with the wider National Alumni Network and access events and information.
Stephen Anderson, Managing Director of Crooton, recently completed the Help to Grow course. He said: "The Help to Grow course delivered by ARU was hugely beneficial for Crooton. After each weekly session, the Senior Management Team would get together and review the content covered and discuss how the models and thinking might be applied to our business.
"As an organisation dealing with rapid change, the course and the associated review and mentoring sessions also gave us the space to take a step back and look at our strategic plans and positioning. Crooton is certainly better aligned to take on new challenges in the future which will help facilitate our continued growth. A big thank you to all at ARU for delivering this course.”
Mary Gilbey, Managing Director of Anglia Translations Ltd, said: “The Help to Grow: Management course has inspired me in many ways in relation to my leadership journey, not only through the peer-to-peer network support but also through the one-to-one mentoring sessions and the fantastic learning modules. Taking time out of my business to focus on some of the key strategic changes I can make to grow the business has been invaluable.”
Dr Frank Nyame-Asiamah, Director of the Help to Grow: Management programme at ARU, said: “Help to Grow: Management is a unique programme that allows academics to share new business models and novel research findings with business executives to help them improve their enterprise innovation, profitability, and growth strategies.”
The Help to Grow: Management programme at ARU should cost £750, but ARU is offering fully funded bursaries, to eligible businesses, which covers this cost. The next course begins in Cambridge on 15 September. To register your interest, visit https://smallbusinesscharter.org/h2gmcourse/faculty-of-business-anglia-ruskin-ee-cohort-5/ or contact Fiona McGonigle at fiona.mcgonigle@aru.ac.uk
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