Solent relaunches fully funded Help to Grow: Management programme for SME leaders

Southampton Solent University has relaunched its Help to Grow: Management programme, a fully funded course for eligible participants designed to help small and medium sized business leaders increase productivity, seize investment opportunities and grow their organisations.

The relaunch supports the University's wider mission to become the UK's leading practice-led university, delivering real-world education and working closely with industry and the region it serves.

The programme is delivered by Solent Business School as part of the UK government-backed Help to Grow scheme.

Akash Puranik, Deputy Dean for Research and Knowledge Exchange at the School of Business, Law and Society said:

"SME leaders are balancing the demands of running a business with the need to think about what comes next. Giving them the opportunity to do that, learn from others and explore new ideas is particularly important as the business environment continues to change. At Solent, we see this as an important part of working with the businesses around us, and the bursary means eligible SMEs can take part without cost being a barrier."

The twelve-week programme combines online and face-to-face sessions with opportunities to learn and network alongside other business leaders. Participants develop a business growth plan through sessions covering strategy and innovation, digital adoption, marketing, finance and organisational design.

This is supported by ten hours of one-to-one mentoring from a business expert, giving them practical, tailored advice and tools they can put into practice in their organisation.

The programme is fully funded for eligible applicants, with 90% of the cost covered by the government and the remaining 10% covered by Solent's School of Business, Law and Society through a bursary. This means the usual £750 participant contribution is also covered, giving eligible SMEs access to a programme worth £7,500 at no cost to them.

Solent Business School is Small Business Charter accredited and a PRME signatory, recognising its work with SMEs and its focus on responsible and sustainable leadership.

The University holds a TEF Triple Gold rating, recognising excellence in teaching, student experience and outcomes. Its Business and Management Studies courses also rank in the UK top 10 for student satisfaction in the Complete University Guide 2027.

Help to Grow: Management is open to leaders and senior managers from businesses that have been operating for more than a year and have between five and 249 employees. Businesses with 10 to 249 employees can send up to two participants, while previous attendees of the Small Business Leadership Programme are also eligible to join.

Registration is now open, with onboarding taking place on 17 November and the first module beginning on 24 November. Businesses interested can find out more and register here.