What is the Help to Grow: Management Course?

The Help to Grow: Management Course was launched in April 2021 by the UK Government with the goal of improving business growth and productivity for small to medium-sized enterprises.

The 90% government-funded course provides a comprehensive introduction to the core elements required to lead a small business to growth, and to feel more confident about your own management and leadership abilities.

In this article, we’ve collaborated with the Small Business Charter to provide an overview of the Help to Grow: Management Course, and how interested small business leaders could apply to take part.

What is the Help to Grow: Management Course?

The Help to Grow: Management Course is comprised of twelve modules, 1-2-1 business mentoring support, and peer-to-peer group sessions. 

In total, students will benefit from 50 hours of leadership training spread over twelve weeks, designed to fit in around existing work and personal commitments.

The course is designed and delivered by the Small Business Charter and available at 60 Small Business Charter accredited business schools across the UK. 

Modules are delivered by small business experts through a mixture of face-to-face and online sessions and include practical, SME case study examples and proven business frameworks that you can use for your business. 

Alongside the modules, course participants will complete ten hours of 1-2-1 mentoring that will help them apply what they have learned to their own business and leadership challenges during 1-2-1 sessions.  

Towards the end of the course, students, with the support of their mentor and business school team, will develop their Growth Action Plan which they can take back to their business and start implementing straight away.

What do the Help to Grow: Management Course modules cover?

The Help to Grow: Management Course has twelve modules which cover a number of different business areas, including: 

Strategy and innovation 

In the first module of the course, students examine how to keep a business competitive and relevant as markets and customers change. 

Building on current business models, students are taught to identify key opportunities for their business and its future direction.  

Digital transformation 

The second module addresses the benefits of digital adoption for smaller businesses and where the student’s company could improve productivity with the assistance of technology. 

On top of that, this module details how businesses can mitigate the risks of technological transformations.  

Winning new markets 

This module takes the form of a case study and provides the opportunity to work with fellow cohort members and discuss examples of market expansion.

Vision, mission, and values 

You will learn how to craft a consistent and authentic narrative about your vision that underpins your customer value proposition and supports internal performance.  

Developing a marketing strategy 

This module shows you how you can develop your value proposition, understand market segmentation and get to grips with the decision-making process of consumers. 

There is also information on the importance of database marketing.  

Building a brand 

In the second case study, you will perform a deep dive into a company that has successfully established its brand. 

The session enables the cohort to reflect on marketing strategies that engage customers and how a vision can support it.   

Organisational design 

Create conditions that will enable individuals and teams to thrive. 

This module will enable you to create a high-performing workplace by looking at organisational design and practices. 

Employee engagement and leading change 

During this module, you will look at the impact of managerial practices on employee performance. 

There will also be details on how the engagement and wellbeing of staff can be improved through a variety of initiatives. 

High performance workplaces 

This case study looks at the management practices a business has implemented to create a high-performance workplace. 

The Help to Grow: Management cohort will review practices and see how SMEs can adapt to be competitive employers over time.  

Effective operations 

Evaluate your organisation’s current performance and explore avenues for growth. 

There will be a discussion on what kinds of operations can encourage productivity and profitability.

Finance and financial operations 

Financial decision-making can be difficult and stressful, if you’ve never had to do it before. 

This module focuses on financial planning and how business leaders can measure the financial health of their business.  

Implementing growth action plans

The final part of the programme is a case study that encompasses all the modules covered. 

While looking at the growth journey of another business, students shape and refine their own Growth Action Plan.  

What have business leaders said about the Help to Grow: Management Course?

Here are just a few examples of how course participants and their businesses have benefitted from Help to Grow: Management Course.  

In terms of growing leadership skills, Damini Sharma, the CEO and co-founder of construction company The OM Group, said: “My two biggest takeaways from the Help to Grow: Management Course were how to build resilient teams, whilst becoming a stronger and more confident leader.  

“Even though it may seem lonely at times being at the top, you are not alone when you have a peer network, like the one that I have access to now as a Help to Grow: Management Course alum.”

Bhupinder Sidhu (Sid), Co-founder of business expert search engine Find a Business Expert, said: “The digital transformation module was particularly useful as it encouraged me to do more reading before making a significant change to our business.”

Using the Business Canvas model to assess his options and speaking to other business owners on the course, Bhupinder invested in a CRM. 

This significantly reduced the time to onboard new members of the service, the time taken to get information, and improved insights on website visitors.

Finally, for some small business leaders the course has provided clear, actionable guidance on how to grow. 

Anthony Main, founder of The Distance, has grown his business by 23% since completing the course. 

“I knew the Help to Grow: Management Course was going to be good for me”, said Anthony. 

“But the impact came in unexpected ways – including the sense of camaraderie and collaboration I experienced with my cohort.”

While co-founder and CEO of Accu, Martin Ackroyd, said: “The Help to Grow: Management Course has given me the skills and confidence to take our business to the next level. 

"Learning from a mix of key business frameworks and real-world case studies, we have been able to successfully drive revenue growth from £8m to £12m in just one year.”

In a November 2024 survey, 91% of SME leaders surveyed said they would likely recommend the programme to another business leader.

Am I eligible for the Help to Grow: Management Course?

The Help to Grow: Management Course is available to any business operating for a year or more, in any sector other than charity, that employs between five and 249 people. 

Participants must be decision makers, with staff reporting to them. 

They should be in senior leadership positions such as CEO, Chief Operating Officer, and other Director level posts, or be a senior manager such as Head of Marketing, or Head of Operations. 

For companies who would like to send more than one participant, the Help to Grow: Management Course accepts up to two participants from a business with ten to 249 employees. 

Where can I take the Help to Grow: Management Course?

The Help to Grow: Management Course is delivered by 60 business schools across the UK. 

With just four of the modules taking place face-to-face, there should be a convenient location near you. 

Find your nearest business school by visiting the Small Business Charter website. 

How much does the Help to Grow: Management Course cost?

The course is 90% government funded so small business leaders pay £750. 

This fee includes 12 modules, eight peer group sessions, and ten hours of 1-2-1 mentoring.

Once course participants have completed the course, they gain access to a free programme of alumni events, webinars, content including signposting to further government business support. 

Many also continue to work with their business school after the school, accessing resource and expertise through projects such as short-term student placements and two-year knowledge transfer partnerships.

How can I register?

Registering for a Help to Grow: Management Course is straightforward: 

• find the course that's most convenient for you 
• register with a few details about yourself and your business
• your chosen business school will be in touch to take your payment and explain the onboarding process. 

If you experience issues with any part of registering for the Help to Grow: Management Course, please contact the Small Business Charter. 

You can reach them through email or by phone: 

Email: [email protected] 

Call us Monday to Friday, between 9am and 5pm: 0203 006 0751.