Its support for small businesses, the city’s economy and student entrepreneurship has secured a nationally recognised award for the University of Bath’s School of Management.
The Small Business Charter Award is a national accreditation assessed by small business leaders to recognise business schools that demonstrate excellence in areas such as supporting small businesses, student enterprise and their local economy.
Following its accreditation, the school’s ExCELL (Executive Continuing Education and Life-long Learning) centre will launch a new practical management training programme, accredited by the Small Business Charter, in September to help senior managers of small and medium-sized businesses boost their business’s performance, resilience and long-term growth.
The 12-week programme is designed to be taken alongside full-time work through a combination of online sessions and face-to-face learning.
The cost of the course is 90% funded by the government, through its Help to Grow scheme.
Prof Steve Brammer, dean of Bath School of Management, which will hold the Small Business Charter Award for three years, said: “Working with business, and supporting researchers and students to enable new ideas, innovation and growth is central to the life of the university, and the School is proud to have its role recognised by the Small Business Charter Award.
“From the work of our researchers in sharing their knowledge and expertise with local companies, to the entrepreneurial education and support for students setting out to start their own business, the new award recognises our commitment to supporting business success.”
Small Business Charter executive director Anne Kiem OBE, who is also chief executive of the Chartered Association of Business Schools, said the award recognised Bath School of Management’s innovative approach to enterprise education and involvement with SMEs in the local community.
“We look forward to continuing to develop our relationship with them in the future,” she added.
School of Management head of in-career learning Prof Steve Wyatt said its ExCELL centre was dedicated to up-skilling and re-skilling in-career learners for the challenges of business today and tomorrow.
“Our focus is on helping participants change their behaviours, not just acquire knowledge, to help increase personal performance and raise the competitiveness of organisations,” he added.
For information about the new ExCell course contact client director Tom Brownrigg at tpb40@bath.ac.uk
