Mims Davies MP shares Launch of Help to Grow: Management Essentials
There are countless small businesses in Mid Sussex and almost every business in the country is a small or medium-sized business (99.9%). SMEs support 16.7 million jobs across the UK, and account for £2.4 trillion of annual turnover – which is why the government is making 2024 the year of the SME.
This week, the Department for Business and Trade have launched their latest offer to support SMEs, Help to Grow: Management Essentials which is a free online course available to any SME leader or senior manager making strategic decisions, and particularly relevant for micro businesses, people who feel they are not yet ready to embark on the full Help to Grow: Management Course, and those wanting a quick refresher of key management concepts:
Help to Grow: Management Essentials | Small Business Charter
This initiative offers inspiration to any business and puts in place a mindset for growth. It gives SME Leaders the 'starter' confidence to think bigger and outside their day-to-day to consider how they can unlock their business's growth potential.
Their latest surveys show overall satisfaction remains high at 91%, and they are now able to see the productivity impacts on these SMEs:
- 69% have made changes to the way they manage, organise, or operate their business within six months of completion.
- 58% report that Help to Grow: Management contributed to increased sales.
Up to September 2023, the course has already supported more than 7,700 SME leaders with 37% of the people enrolled being women.
For perspective, only 24% of UK businesses are owned by women.
14% of the people enrolled were from an ethnic minority group, compared to only 6% of SMEs led by people from a minority ethnic background nationally.
These numbers show the course is not just reaching SMEs but benefitting a diverse range of businesses.
We now have these two offerings sitting under the wider Help to Grow campaign, which is enabling businesses to have greater clarity over the support available to them and show a united business landscape. Through this, we hope to unlock the potential of every SME leader, so every SME business can grow.
Mims Davies MP said:
"I very much welcome the Launch of Help to Grow: Management Essentials from my colleague Minister of State for Enterprise, Markets, and Small Business, Kevin Hollinrake MP.
This free short course is an introductory version of the full Help to Grow: Management course to reach even more small businesses.
This course has already helped over 7,700 SME leaders and I'd like to encourage all SMEs in Mid Sussex to explore this opportunity."
