The University of Portsmouth recently delivered the government-backed ‘Help to Grow: Management Course’ face-to-face to a group of Isle of Wight SMEs for the 1st time.
Dan Lodge, Business Support Programmes Manager at the University of Portsmouth comments:
“We are pleased to see this group of SMEs complete the Help to Grow programme with the University of Portsmouth on the Isle of Wight. By delivering the face-to-face sessions on the Island at Innovation Wight’s Building 41, we’ve been able to make this Government-funded business growth programme more accessible to Island-based SMEs.”
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Participants took part in a mix of online and in-person learning workshops, during this 12-week course that is 90% funded by the Department for Business and Trade. Portsmouth Business School is currently offering a bursary to cover the remaining 10%, making the programme fully-funded for SMEs on the Isle of Wight.
Delivered by Portsmouth Business School (part of the University of Portsmouth), in collaboration with industry experts and experienced entrepreneurs, the ‘Help to Grow: Management Course’ includes 12 weeks of in-depth training together with one-to-one business mentoring to help apply learnings and the opportunity to grow business fast.
Dan Lodge added:
“We have seen these participants flourish over the 12 modules and we are confident that they will go forward and achieve growth within their businesses.”
Since 2021 Portsmouth Business School, accredited by the Small Business Charter, has delivered the course to over 100 businesses across the south including several based on the Isle of Wight.
Aimed at senior leaders in small and medium businesses, the course covers strategies for growth and innovation, leading high-performance teams and digital adoption, as well as financial management and responsible business practices. Participants will hear from inspirational business leaders, learn alongside local peers and learn from like-minded leaders with bespoke peer-to-peer networking sessions.
Matt Jeffery, Managing Director of Brightbulb Design based on the Isle of Wight who completed the course in 2021 said:
“My first meeting with my mentor gave me a lot of takeaways that I instantly acted upon. For me there are structures I didn’t know existed that I can now look to develop within my business. Learning from my peers has also been of huge benefit to me.”
By the end of the course, a participating business will be able to take away a tailor-made growth action plan and have the confidence in how to grow their business.
Island businesses that would like to know more can contact the University of Portsmouth’s delivery team by emailing to [email protected] or can sign up here with the next Island cohort starting on 28th June.
