Specialists in sand extraction, steelwork, and liquid product recovery are among the businesses that have planned their future growth through working with the University of Nottingham.
The second cohort of the Unlocking Growth Potential programme finished this week. 20 local businesses have benefitted from a blend of training and coaching.
Organisational direction and change, and strategic performance management were among the topics explored in workshops. Experienced business coaches helped to embed the learning, and to aid the business owners in planning strategic growth.
Unlocking Growth Potential is a free programme aimed at ambitious owners of small and medium businesses in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire. Two cohorts have now been completed, with one more to come in autumn 2018.
Peter Elgar, Group Marketing Manager of HPS Product Recovery Solutions, was one of the people who completed the programme.
Peter said, “Each session identified a number of positive changes and practical, actionable steps I can take based on the current situation in our business. More importantly, these aren’t just notes that get put away in a drawer and forgotten about after the course. We’ve made, and will continue to make, some tangible business improvements as a result of this programme.”
Also on the programme was Tony Woodward, Practice Manager at Rothera Sharp Solicitors.
Tony said, “The content cannot have been more relevant for our current situation, and the peer group discussions have proved invaluable. I’m a little sad it’s over; I thoroughly enjoyed the course, content and new contacts made.”
The programme is managed by Dave Tuer, who said: “It has been fascinating to see people from such varied businesses learning together, and sharing their experiences. They have been a wonderful group, and I am confident that their efforts on this programme will help them propel their businesses to greater success.”
Unlocking Growth Potential is delivered in collaboration with The Centre for Management and Business Development, who ensure the latest thinking around business growth is made accessible and relevant to the SMEs.
CMBD Director, Mike Epton, said “The programme gives delegates a complete personal and business development experience and acts as the agent for change. It is particularly rewarding to see just how much individuals benefit from working alongside like-minded people from other organisations. They also get the support of specialist business coaches, chosen to suit their particular growth needs, the result being a momentum that allows the businesses to get on track to realising their growth potential.”
Unlocking Growth Potential is part of Enabling Innovation, a three year collaborative programme involving Nottingham Trent University, the University of Derby and the University of Nottingham, which is providing support to over 2,000 local small and medium enterprises (SMEs) over three years. Enabling Innovation is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund.
The last cohort of Unlocking Growth Potential begins in September. If you are interested in applying for a place, or want more information about the programme, visit the Unlocking Growth Potential website.
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Notes to editors:
The University of Nottingham is a research-intensive university with a proud heritage, consistently ranked among the world's top 100. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our 44,000 students - Nottingham was named University of the Year for Graduate Employment in the 2017 Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide, was awarded gold in the TEF 2017 and features in the top 20 of all three major UK rankings. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement. We are ranked eighth for research power in the UK according to REF 2014. We have six beacons of research excellence helping to transform lives and change the world; we are also a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally.
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