Government-funded leadership course to boost small business leaders

Small business leaders across Birmingham are invited to take advantage of the government-funded Help to Grow: Management Course.

Designed by entrepreneurs and industry experts with 90 per cent of government funding, the course helps small business leaders and senior managers from every industry to boost leadership skills as well as business performance and resilience.

Help to Grow: Management Course is a 12-week course, delivered by business schools of Chamber patrons, Aston University and Birmingham City University.

It covers the critical components required to develop a resilient business strategy with online and face-to-face sessions, 10 hours of one to one mentoring, peer networking, and support to develop a growth action plan.

It also provides time away from the challenges of running a business to invest in leadership, equipping participants with the knowledge and confidence to take business to the next level.

Nil Chohan, operations and technical director at Birmingham based Instinct Hardware, which manufactures high-quality architectural hardware has been on the course. He loved the face-to-face element of the course and the ability to network with like-minded people.

He said: “It was great to be in the same room as other business leaders who all felt the same way as I did. They all wanted to attend the course to help grow their business. It was really useful speaking to them, and I have kept in contact with a few of them and we meet up for coffee. ”

With concerns over a recession, Nil Chohan suggested that the course is ideal to help companies remain resilient.

He continued: “It certainly provided the tool sets to look at other areas. Previously we 've been focused on the UK and the module on internationalisation made us think more about export opportunities. In times of recession, you obviously have to look at other markets and the course gave me the confidence that it 's not that difficult. ”

To be eligible for the course, businesses must employ between 5 and 249 people, and have been operational for at least a year. SMEs employing 10 or more people can enrol 2 senior managers on the course.

The course costs £750 per person.

The course is delivered by multiple small business charter accredited business schools within Birmingham and across the West Midlands.

More information, including course dates and testimonials from course participants, is available from Help to Grow: Management Course