Help to Grow

Limited offer: fully funded places

Learn new skills, reach more customers and boost your profits with Help to Grow.

Overview of Help to Grow: Management

Designed to fit alongside work commitments, this 12-week programme combines a practical curriculum with one-to-one support from a leading business mentor and alumni networking sessions.

By the end of the programme, leaders will have developed a business growth plan to help them lead their business to release its potential.

Key benefits for you and your business

enhance your management and strategic capabilities
receive valuable support and challenge from peers in other industries
network with peers and develop long lasting connections
build resilience to future shocks, learn how to innovate in your business and boost confidence that you’re on the right path
develop your value proposition and reach into growth markets
apply the learnings and produce a customised growth plan for your business
improve employee engagement and responsible business practice.

Start dates and registration

Open to all organisations

Usually £750 per person, but organisations may have this reduced to £0 via the University’s Business Support Fund.

The start dates are specific to the programme's induction session. Module one starts one week after the induction session.

Starting Wednesday 21 January 2025 (online and in Oxford)

What is Help to Grow: Management?

The programme is a unique opportunity for senior leaders to build expertise across the key areas and to boost business performance, resilience and long-term growth.

Help to Grow: Management is delivered by small business and enterprise experts from Oxford Brookes Business School and supported by leading figures from industry and experienced entrepreneurs.

The 12-week programme has been purposed to be taken alongside full-time work. The programme is built around a practical curriculum that also features 1:1 support from a business mentor, peer-learning sessions and an alumni network.

The bespoke curriculum is aimed to support business leaders to build capabilities surrounding leadership, innovation, digital adoption, employee engagement, marketing, responsible business and financial management.

Additional information

Who is eligible?

Business eligibility

UK businesses from any sector that have been operating for more than one year and have between 5 to 249 employees are eligible. Please note charities are not eligible.

Applicant eligibility

You must be a decision maker or member of the senior management team within the business such as chief executive, finance director, operations director etc.

If your business employs between 10 and 249 people, two people from the same business can now attend the course.

Cost

The course is valued at £7500pp, but costs only £750pp as the remaining 90% is funded by the Government. For a limited time period, business leaders can access the programme on a fully funded basis. The remaining 10% can be fully funded via a fee waiver from our university’s Business Support Fund.

Seize the opportunity to work with a range of experts to help your business thrive.

Programme structure

The programme offers 50 hours of support over 12 weeks. It is intended to be manageable alongside full time work.

The programme is built around a practical curriculum that features:

eight facilitated online 2-hour sessions
four practical and interactive case study workshops
one-to-one support from a mentor, providing you with personalised support to develop your business growth plan
peer networking, including eight facilitated peer group calls (in addition to the sessions) that give you the opportunity to share experiences with a small group of other small business leaders
access to the Alumni Programme featuring events with inspirational speakers, business clinics and networking events.

The programme will cover key areas of leadership including:

strategy and innovation
growing national and international markets
leading for high performance
building vision and brand
engaging and inspiring teams
creating customer value
adopting digital technology
adopting responsible business practices
financial management.

Additional benefits

Help to Grow participants will have access to our new Enterprise Centre located on Headington Campus. Flexible and innovative coworking spaces are available for booking.

Businesses will have the opportunity to develop deeper links with Oxford Brookes’ academic expertise as well as have access to our student and graduate talent pool.

Available to our Help to Grow alumni network, a 6-month membership to the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) will be offered upon successful completion. Read about the benefits of CMI membership.

Frequently asked questions

What is the expected time commitment besides the sessions and peer calls?

The total contact time commitment is 50 hours over 12 weeks. Aside from the sessions (32 hours) and the peer calls (8 hours), 10 hours of mentoring support is included. To maximise the benefits of the programme, participants may wish to set aside additional time for action planning and personal reflection.

What happens if there's an emergency and I can't make a session?

Whilst participants are expected to make themselves available to attend all sessions, we do appreciate that emergencies happen. Online sessions are recorded and so can be viewed afterwards (but would not include small group discussions). Face to face sessions are not recorded.

Are the sessions recorded and made available to watch later?

Online sessions are recorded, but the face to face ones are not.

Is there flexibility in how often I meet my mentor and for how long?

The outline model for meeting your mentor is for 10 one hour sessions. Any variation to that should be by mutual agreement between you and your mentor. For example, you may decide to meet for 5 two hour sessions.

What if I don't get on with my mentor?

We carefully match mentors to mentees. All our mentors have extensive experience across different sectors and of helping SMEs and so we are confident you will be able to build a fruitful working relationship. However, if for any reason, once having been introduced, you feel that a different mentor may meet your needs more appropriately then this can be addressed.

Is there an assessment?

There is no assessment. However, it is a condition of the subsidised funding for the programme that individuals complete a business growth plan, supported by their mentor.

Do I get a certificate at the end?

Participants will receive a Help to Grow certificate of completion where appropriate. A Credly badge will be awarded to participants who have successfully completed at least 75% of the programme.