Help to Grow training programme for SMEs

ARU's Help to Grow management programme offers support for businesses across the East of England, offering a structured space for small and medium-sized enterprises to develop strategic, people-centred and future-focused management capabilities.

Funded by the UK Government and led by the Small Business Charter – part of the Chartered Association of Business Schools – Help to Grow is a keystone in ARU’s strategy for sustainable growth in our region. Led by the CBS's Dr Frank Nyame-Asiamah, the programme anchors our Skills, Training and Pedagogic Practice cluster in close, collaborative work with local businesses.

Delivered as part of a national initiative and grounded in evidence from management research and adult learning, Help to Grow combines expert-led workshops with peer learning and one-to-one mentoring to support reflective leadership, organisational resilience and sustainable business practice. Rather than focusing solely on growth metrics, the programme emphasises how managers learn, adapt and make decisions in complex and uncertain environments, linking skills development to real-world organisational challenges.

Delivered across ARU’s Cambridge, Chelmsford, and Peterborough campuses, the programme acts as a living laboratory for applied research on management education, professional learning and inclusive economic development. Insights generated through Help to Grow inform the Centre’s wider work on skills, training and pedagogic practice, strengthening the connection between research, education and regional impact, and supporting businesses as critical social and economic actors within their communities.

See also

Celebrating small business success: Help to Grow: Management programme

Small Business Charter: Our Help to Grow: Management Mission