- Aston Business School will support 50 microbusinesses to boost their productivity by engaging with technology more effectively
- The project is being funded through the government’s £9 million Business Basics Programme
Aston Business School has been awarded funding to support 50 microbusinesses to engage with technology to boost their productivity.
The school is part of a consortium of similar institutions accredited by the Small Business Charter for their expertise in supporting small businesses and entrepreneurs who will deliver the programme. The Leading to Grow Programme will be offered at no cost to microbusinesses across England.
Businesses that employ up to nine people will be able to apply to take part in workshops around how to utilise existing technologies to improve efficiency and profitability.
The funding has been made available through the government’s £9 million Business Basics Programme run by the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and Innovate UK.
Due to the small size and the dispersed nature of microbusinesses, they have not routinely received planned interventions by government agencies. The government is now targeting this type of business due to their potential and readiness to scale-up, and this is the first time that such a programme has been coordinated across the country.
With so many areas being covered it is hoped that this free programme will help a large number of microbusinesses and support economic growth in a number of regions.
The UK’s 1.1 million microbusinesses employ over four million people and contribute £355 billion to the UK economy. The business schools, the Small Business Charter and the government hope to make a real impact on this important part of the economy.
Paula Whitehouse, Director of the Centre for Growth at Aston Business School, said: “We are delighted to be able to offer this new support for micro-businesses seeking to improve their productivity. The leadership and management training we provide at Aston Centre for Growth leads to improved management practices directly impacting on the bottom line. We look forward to welcoming 50 more businesses to the Centre for Growth network, and working in collaboration with other Small Business Charter holding business schools on this innovative new programme.”
Anne Kiem, Executive Director of the Small Business Charter and Chief Executive of the Chartered Association of Business Schools, said: “We are excited to be working with business schools to help improve the productivity of a range of microbusinesses. The pace of technological advances means that today’s small firms who embrace innovation will be tomorrow’s success stories.”
