On Thursday, 18th July, participants from the second Help to Grow: Management Course, delivered by Christ Church Business School, gathered to celebrate their achievements. Over 12 weeks, starting in April, founders, directors, and senior leaders from SMEs across Kent & Medway engaged in both in-person and online sessions. They completed unit modules including; Vision, Mission and Values, Winning New Markets, Employee Engagement and Leading Change, and Developing a Marketing Strategy.

Representing a diverse range of industries, including construction, manufacturing, leisure, marketing, and horticulture, the graduates enjoyed a celebratory glass of fizz along with a buffet. Certificates were presented by Professor Richard McManus from Canterbury Christ Church University.

Kate Keane, Help to Grow Course Director at the university, remarked, “What an inspirational evening which provided not only the opportunity to celebrate the completion of the course by this extraordinary group of business leaders, but also to spend time looking forward to future successes fuelled by the strength of new connections made between the participants as a group, and between these key small and medium sized enterprises and our university.”

Help to Grow: Management course participants giving a round of applause

Following the graduation, participants from Christ Church Business Schools, Help to Grow programme cohort one, joined our graduates for an alumni event to discuss the implementation of their growth plans. David Barrington, an independent Business Coach, Mentor, and Board Advisor with extensive knowledge of marketing, finance, sales and operations, delivered an insightful presentation on Growth Mindset and the practical steps needed to put plans into action. Alumni Miranda Richards and Lucy Eason (cohort one) also shared how they have applied their learning and growth plans, since graduating from the Help to Grow course six months ago.

Charlotte Goode, Knowledge Exchange & Engagement Manager at Canterbury Christ Church University, also spoke about Knowledge Transfer Partnerships and how SMEs can unlock funding for these initiatives.

Phil Gray, HTG Course Facilitator, explained, “Participants join the programme for many different reasons, and they range from start-ups to businesses that have been trading for many years. But they share a desire for change. For some, they are looking for reassurance that they are doing the right things to develop their businesses. For others, there is a feeling that they don’t know what they don’t know, so they are looking for approaches and perspectives and the tools to develop how they think about their business. Others feel the need to develop themselves as leaders and are looking to adopt a more strategic mindset, so that they can broaden their view and develop their teams so that they can spend more time working ‘on’ the business and less time working ‘in’ the business. So, when the programme starts, there is usually a mixture of excitement, perhaps some anxiety, and anticipation about what is to come over the next 12 weeks. But by the end of the programme, more than anything, there is a real appreciation of the new bond and network that has formed between diverse businesses who have shared their challenges with one another and gained (and given) valuable advice and insights from like-minded individuals.”

The Help to Grow: Management Course is 90% government funded. To find out more visit Our Help to Grow: Management Mission | Small Business Charter or contact b2b@canterbury.ac.uk