Small businesses hit by the pandemic to access support through government partnership with Coventry University Business School
Dr Paul Noon OBE, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Enterprise & Innovation)
Wednesday 16 December 2020
Press contact
Coventry University Business School is launching a scheme to help leaders of small businesses in the West Midlands and beyond survive and thrive as they deal with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The world health crisis has put untold pressure on the global economy and directors and CEOs of small companies, with a recent McKinsey online survey of UK small or medium sized enterprises (SMEs) revealing that 80 per cent of small businesses reported their revenues were declining in June in 2020.
Due to that economic and financial climate, the Business School has stepped up to help businesses in the region and join business schools across the UK by working with the International Centre for Transformational Entrepreneurship and the Small Business Charter (SBC) to deliver a free specialised Small Business Leadership Programme (SBLP) that will support senior business leaders to enhance their business’s resilience and recovery from the impact of COVID-19.
The SBLP is accredited by the SBC and is funded by the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) as part of a £20million package that the UK government is providing to help small businesses in the long term.
The practical syllabus will be available online and will provide business leaders with access to small business and management experts from Coventry University Business School. It will also give businesses the opportunity to strengthen their business network.
There are many SMEs that have been heavily affected by the pandemic.
This new programme fits with our mission to support SMEs. It will help senior leaders to enhance their business’s resilience and recovery from the impact of COVID-19 and we are looking forward to sharing our skills to help SME leaders further develop their management and business skills and to help them to innovate and grow their businesses – which will in turn help support our local and national economy.
Professor Yanguo Jing, Associate Dean, Faculty of Business and Law
The short and focused programme will be delivered online through a structured course of eight 90-minute webinars over the course of 10 weeks and will provide the knowledge needed for businesses to tackle crisis situations.
As a university and as a business school, we are proud to be working with Chartered Associated of Business Schools on the Small Business Leadership Programme. 2020 has been an extremely challenging year for all small businesses and we are looking forward to delivering the programme to support the recovery of businesses within the West Midlands.
Dr Paul Noon OBE, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Enterprise & Innovation)
As we continue to grapple with the Coronavirus crisis it is also essential we look long term to ensure small businesses are supported to build resilience, survival and growth. Business schools can provide the expertise and knowledge all business owners and directors need to continue to thrive in uncertain times.
Anne Kiem, OBE, CEO of Chartered Association of Business Schools and Executive Director of the Small Business Charter
To apply for the free 10 week Small Business leadership Programme please register your interest.
Cohorts are available online starting the 14th and 15th January 2021.
