Business support schemes come on stream for Small Business Charter awarded schools
Business schools with a Small Business Charter award will now be able to offer a range Government initiatives to support small businesses. Small Business Charter schools have been asked to express their interest in delivering Growth Vouchers, the Growth Accelerator and Start Up Loans.
The schemes will allow business schools to engage local small businesses with programmes of support. Launched and funded by the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills, the schemes should help schools to strengthen their position as key agents of local economic growth and further develop relationships with their business community.
Growth Vouchers
This bespoke Programme has been created for Small Business Charter Award winners to run alongside the current range of Growth Voucher Programme offers. Business schools will support owner-managers of micro-enterprises (i.e. with less than 10 employees) to grow their business through high-quality leadership and management education and training.
Growth Accelerator
Small Business Charter Award winners can offer this tailored programme to run alongside the existing Growth Accelerator Programmes. A consortium of business schools will support small businesses to grow their business through a 5 day intensive management development programme. The complete workshop series will run over the course of 3 months, commencing in September 2014.
Start Up Loans
Small Business Charter Award winners now have the opportunity to become a delivery partner for the Start Up Loans scheme as part of a Small Business Charter consortium. Participating Business Schools will support Start Up Loan applicants with business plan preparation, and pre and post mentoring. Set to launch in 2015, Small Business Charter schools are invited to express their interest in joining the consortium
For further details of these schemes or to find out more about the Small Business Charter please visit www.smallbusinesscharter.org
For enquiries please contact Marion Gaskell at the Small Business Charter team mgaskell@the-abs.org.uk
