Celebrating our 20th cohort of the Help to Grow: Management Programme

This July, Executive Education at Leeds University Business School has had the pleasure of celebrating exactly 20 cohorts of the Help to Grow Management Programme since it began in January 2021.

As another academic year has come to a close and this great milestone has been reached for the programme, eighteen SMEs from across Leeds city region celebrated completing Help to Grow on the 4th July.

Completing this programme which is 90% funded by the government means that participants officially become part of the Help to Grow alumni network. This provides them with the opportunity to network with a diverse range of business leaders from a variety of sectors across the region as they take their businesses to the next level with the tools equipped from doing the course.

Participants, who have worked together online and in face-to-face workshops as part of the programme, 

Programme Facilitator and University Academic lead of Enterprise, Dr. Richard Tunstall said:

Congratulations to all of our amazing business leaders who completed the programme - we can't wait to see where your growth plans go from here!

Over 250 businesses have now completed the Help to Grow Programme at Leeds University Business School, the Cahm Collective being one of them. This business has products including candles, diffusers, hand and body washes and lotions and is all about sharing a positive mental health message through beautiful design-led gifts, trying to bring a moment of calm into people’s lives.

Director at the Cahm Collective, Amy Hogarth says,

It has given me focus and a renewed motivation for what we are doing. It has made me realise that having the right mindset is crucial to success. It is 95% of everything. There are lots of things you think you can’t do – but actually you can. The course really has given me the confidence to take it to the next level.

Help to Grow is a 12 week-programme which is 90% funded by the government, so you only pay £750. Aimed at senior leaders in small and medium businesses it includes 50 hours of in-depth training, 1:1 business mentoring, and the opportunity to grow your business. Designed to be manageable alongside full-time work, this programme will support you to develop your strategic skills with key modules covering financial management, innovation and digital adoption. 

By the end of the programme, you will develop a tailored business growth plan to lead your business to its full potential. You will hear from inspirational business leaders and learn alongside local peers, with access to a national alumni network.

Participants from cohort 20, the last cohort of this academic year have worked together online and in face-to-face workshops as part of the programme and can now grow their businesses into the future whilst being supported by a national alumni network.

Our next cohort of Help to Grow starts on 2nd September 2024. If you are interested in joining the Programme, please contact HelpToGrow@leeds.ac.uk for more information.

Read more about the Help to Grow programme.