Canterbury Christ Church University is offering its Help to Grow: Management Course in January 2025, and applications are now open to local business owners.
The 12-week programme, delivered by Christ Church Business School, is specifically designed for business leaders and senior managers of small and medium-sized businesses.
It aims to support growth by helping participants develop key leadership skills and create effective strategies across all areas of their business.
The University has successfully run two previous Help to Grow courses, with 25 local businesses taking part.
Kate Keane, senior lecturer at Christ Church Business School and programme director for Help to Grow, said: “We understand that running a business can be daunting, lonely and at times overwhelming, especially at the moment with the many challenges SMEs face daily.
“That’s why we are so pleased to offer this beneficial programme to support our local business leaders.
“We know from our previous participants that this course can deliver dividends to local businesses, helping them to grow and improve leadership skills, as well as provide an opportunity to build a close network of local contacts, which many attendees find invaluable.
“Our local SMEs are at the heart of our region’s economy, providing career opportunities and driving economic growth for the South East. By working together, we can help our local businesses build clear growth action plans and equip them with the tools they need to turn that plan into reality.”
The course is a mixture of face-to-face and online learning, with 12 consecutive weekly modules, as well as access to 10 hours of 1:1 mentoring.
By the end of the programme, participants will have developed a growth action plan based on the learnings from the modules, which include topics such as strategic planning, employee engagement, finance and marketing.
It is heavily subsidised by the government, which funds 90% of the course, with businesses paying just £750 per person.
