Help to Grow: Management returns to support East Midlands’ leaders and bolster growth
Senior managers looking to boost the performance, resilience and long-term growth of their business can benefit from the return of a government-funded programme at Nottingham Business School (NBS) this winter.
By Helen Breese | Published on 1 October 2024
Categories: Press office; Nottingham Business School;
The 12-week Help to Grow: Management course supports small and medium-sized businesses and takes place entirely online to allow participants to complete it alongside full-time work.
It is delivered by experts at NBS, part of Nottingham Trent University, which is in the 1% of business schools worldwide to hold triple accreditation for excellence. The programme is worth £7,500 but is 90% funded by the Government.
The course covers key areas such as digital adoption, vision and values, building a brand, organisational design, employee engagement, and creating and implementing growth plans.
It includes facilitated online sessions, practical and interactive workshops, one-to-one mentor support, peer networking, and access to the regional and national Help to Grow alumni programme.
NBS has delivered the programme since 2021, engaging 260 business leaders from 230 SMEs across the East Midlands and covering a range of sectors from construction and manufacturing to solicitors and digital marketing agencies, hospitality and leisure to beauty and wellness.
Professor Lynn Oxborrow, Nottingham Business School
Tony Phelps, managing director of medical and cleanroom consumables manufacturer, Helapet, used Help to Grow: Management to broaden his understanding of sales and marketing, improve employee retention and progression, and give him the knowledge to delve deeper into the company financial accounts.
He said: “The return on investment is multiple fold with all the information I got from the course in addition to the mentoring and networking opportunities. The delivery, support and co-ordination from Nottingham Business School was fantastic.”
Henna Shah, managing director of Attock Network Products, specialist suppliers to the networking industry, said: “The most beneficial part of the programme for me was that there are so many different modules covered, from finance and marketing to people.
“So, for me, it's about identifying the gaps in my own knowledge and the business. Doing the course has highlighted the areas of improvement that we need to work on. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who anyone who wants to take it up.”
NBS holds Small Business Charter status, a national accreditation awarded to business schools which excel in supporting small businesses, student enterprise, and the local economy. Over the last two years it has engaged hundreds of SMEs and their employees through its UpScaler, Small Business Leadership, and Women in Leadership programmes.
Professor Lynn Oxborrow, programme director at NBS, said: “We have been delivering Help to Grow: Management in the East Midlands for several years now and have witnessed the tangible benefits to the participants and their businesses.
“The course is designed to help them develop a tailored business growth plan to increase productivity, grow revenue, and take their business to the next level.
“Alongside this, we know that they also benefit from the knowledge of their experienced mentors and course leaders, and the opportunity to network and discuss ideas with local peers who are often facing similar challenges.”
The next cohort, which begins on Thursday 21 November, is now open for applications. Business must have between 5-249 employees and have been operating for at least a year to be eligible.
To find out more about how NBS might be able to support you through Help to Grow, email grow@ntu.ac.uk or visit www.ntu.ac.uk/helptogrow
Notes for Editors
Press enquiries please contact Helen Breese, Public Relations Manager, on telephone +44 (0)115 848 8751, or via email.
About Nottingham Business School at Nottingham Trent University
Nottingham Business School (NBS) at Nottingham Trent University (NTU) is a leader in experiential learning and personalisation of business, management and economics education and research, combining academic excellence with positive impact on people, business and society. NBS has an unrivalled level of engagement with business, public and voluntary organisations. With more than 8,500 students, NBS is also one of UK’s largest business schools.
NBS is triple crown accredited by EQUIS, AACSB, and AMBA as well as EFMD BA for International Business, which are globally recognised hallmarks of excellence and quality for business education. NBS is also accredited by Small Business Charter, providing support and development for SMEs. The school is also a PRME Champion and held up as an exemplar and beacon by the United Nations Principles of Responsible Management Education (PRME).
About Nottingham Trent University
Nottingham Trent University (NTU) has been named UK ‘University of the Year’ five times in six years, (Times Higher Education Awards 2017, The Guardian University Awards 2019, The Times and Sunday Times 2018 and 2023, Whatuni Student Choice Awards 2023) and is consistently one of the top performing modern universities in the UK.
It is the 3rd best modern university in the UK (The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2023). Students have voted NTU 1st in the UK for student employability (Uni Compare 2025)
NTU is the 5th largest UK institution by student numbers, with over 40,000 students and more than 4,400 staff located across six campuses. It has an international student population of almost 7,000 and an NTU community representing over 160 countries.
NTU owns two Queen’s Anniversary Prizes for outstanding achievements in research (2015, 2021). The first recognises NTU’s research on the safety and security of global citizens. The second was awarded for research in science, engineering, arts and humanities to investigate and restore cultural objects, buildings and heritage. The Research Excellence Framework (2021) classed 83% of NTU’s research activity as either world-leading or internationally excellent.
NTU was awarded GOLD in the national 2023 Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) assessment, as it was in 2019.
NTU is a top 10 for sport (British Universities and Colleges Sport league table 2023).
NTU is the most environmentally sustainable university in the UK and second in the world (UI Green Metric University World Rankings, 2023).