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Aston Centre for Growth Newsletter
20th October 2022

Congratulations to Emma Heathcote James, founder of Little Soap Company, who recently collected the Queen’s Award for Enterprise for the company's excellence in innovation for the Eco Warrior brand. Emma has completed various programmes with us at the Centre, most recently the Help to Grow: Management Course which delivers its next cohort in November.

Have you considered how innovation could help your business to increase its resilience and operate more efficiently? This week we welcomed business leaders to receive a taster of what to expect from Help to Grow: Management in November at an online information session. Learn how the course could help your company perform at its best in the item below

We officially began our new sustainability short course, Green Advantage, with business leaders and professionals joining us at Aston University for a welcome session. The course helps business professionals to produce a clear Sustainability Roadmap and take positive action in their workplace. Find out more below


Paula Whitehouse
Director
Centre for Growth
 

Aston Business School's Help to Grow: Management Past Participant Receives Queen's Award 

Little Soap Company received the Queen’s Award for Enterprise for its excellence in innovation for the Eco Warrior brand. 

Founder of Little Soap Company Emma Heathcote-James was presented with this esteemed award - a Grant of Appointment - by Vice Lord Lieutenant Brigadier Roger Brunt at a ceremony in Broadway, north Cotswolds, home of Little Soap Company.

Emma completed the Help to Grow: Management Course with Aston Business School in 2021 and credits the course for helping her company to build a 'powerful grip on its business model and strategy to help move to the next level.'

Boost Business Resilience with the Help to Grow: Management Course

Are you a business owner or part of the senior management team? Ready to learn new skills, reach more customers and be prepared for the economic challenges ahead?

This 12-module course, introduced by the Government, is designed to help small and medium sized businesses across the UK learn how to perform at their best. The course combines a practical curriculum, with one-to-one support from a business mentor, peer-learning sessions and an alumni network. The cost to attend the course is also 90% funded by the Government. Participants pay £750. 
 

Find out more
Apply now

Green Advantage Course Begins at Aston University - Sign Up for a January Start

Our new sustainability short course, Green Advantage, is officially underway!

Small business leaders, entrepreneurs and corporate professionals from across the West Midlands were welcomed onto the course by Paula Whitehouse and Aston Centre for Growth colleagues at Aston University earlier this week.

This course will help you to:
  • Grow your awareness and understanding of climate and
    environmental challenges
  • Give you the skills to build sustainability strategies relevant for your sector and role.
Lasting 12 weeks, and designed to be taken alongside a full-time role, the programme is delivered in an online or blended peer learning environment. Participants will also receive five hours of one-to-one business coaching to support with the development of a Sustainability Roadmap which can be implemented to make a positive change in their working environment.

The next opportunity to start the course will be in January 2023. Find out more or apply directly via the links below.  
Find out more about course
Apply now

Towards A New Agenda for Ethnic Minority Entrepreneurship

Centre for Research in Ethnic Minority Entrepreneurship - Annual Ethnic Minority Business Conference

10/11/2022-  10:00 – 16:45 - ONLINE

Entrepreneurial talents from all communities will be needed to tackle the profound challenges facing the UK. Black and ethnic minority entrepreneurship can transform local communities, yet also suffer from long-standing barriers. Action needs to be taken to remove these barriers and develop the potential of the UK's ethnic minority entrepreneurs.

This year's annual Ethnic Minority Business conference brings together leading researchers and examples from the world of business support to highlight how we can work together to promote our dynamic and vibrant entrepreneurial community that is genuinely open to all.

Register for conference

Levelling Up: Managing People in Microbusinesses in a Changing World Workshop

CREME recently co-hosted its final microbusiness workshop of a special series with the PrOPEL Hub: Levelling Up: Managing people in microbusinesses in a changing world.
The online workshop had over 50 attendees with contributions from Centre for Growth Director, Paula Whitehouse, Professor Monder Ram, Mark Hart and Graeme Roy and Aston University Industrial Fellow Damini Sharma. Delegates had the opportunity to hear discussions on understanding the microbusiness experience, mapping the microbusiness support ecosystem and developing a positive action framework.

UK Recession ‘Imminent’ But Inflation and Interest Rates Could Fall Next Year

A recession is “pretty imminent” for the UK economy, resulting in a “painful” year ahead for the country, but there is light at the end of the tunnel for consumers.

That is the view of economist Dr Dean Garratt from Aston University who said the new Liz Truss government got its recent mini-budget wrong and “spooked” financial markets as a result, and, as we go to press, we have all learned that the Prime Minister has just resigned.

Dr Garratt, a senior teaching fellow at Aston Business School, was giving his views in the latest episode of the ‘Aston means business' podcast, presented by journalist Steve Dyson.

Find out more

Gain a Team Coaching Qualification

The Postgraduate Certificate in Team Coaching is a programme that enables you to build your knowledge, skills and attitudes based on established team coaching competences, to enhance you and your organisation’s performance. 

Using a range of critical thinking and creative tools, you will learn how to support your clients in teams to achieve courageous goals and optimise performance.

Find out more

SMEs – Sign Up for Free Recruitment and Upskilling Support

HLSM works with local SMEs to find short-and long-term solutions to their specific business skills requirements, and those of the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership (GBSLEP) Area.

HLSM will help you define, obtain, and retain the skills and talent your business needs to grow by giving you recruitment support and access to fully funded training. 

Sign up for HLSM's upcoming event and upskill you and your colleagues for free:


Fun and Interactive Soft Skills Workshop for SMEs in Birmingham

Date: 24/10/2022 Time: 10:00 – 15:00


This project is part funded by the European Social Fund (ESF). As an eligible SME operating within this area, there is no financial cost to your business.
 
Find out more

Feature Opportunity for Your Business

Does your organisation have a story of resilience, growth or unexpected opportunities you would like us to share in our newsletter or on social media? Do you have any feedback or questions for the Aston Centre for Growth team? Email us:centreforgrowth@aston.ac.uk
 
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Additional updates to follow. 

Kind regards, 
Aston Centre for Growth Team

 
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