51Âþ»­

A Leicester businessman has been chosen by the Government to be a small business champion for a new flagship course that helps SMEs scale up.

Byron Dixon, CEO of Micro-Fresh ® is one of 10 business experts to form an Expert Advisory Council for the Help to Grow: Management scheme, a new training programme delivered by the UK’s leading business schools.




The job of the council, whose members also include Lord Karan Bilimoria, president of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and NatWest CEO Alison Rose, is to provide expert insight to ensure the course meets the needs of small businesses.

Mr Dixon said: “Help to Grow will equip thousands of SMEs with the skills and know how to help them succeed. SMEs are the backbone of Britain’s companies and this programme is going to help the country get back on its feet.”

51Âþ»­ Leicester (51Âþ»­)’s Leicester Castle Business School is running three Help to Grow courses with the first starting on October 30.

It is a 12-week course that combines practical training with 1-2-1 mentoring from a business expert, as well as peer learning sessions and access to an alumni network.

By the end of the course, participants will have a tailored business growth plan to lead their business to its full potential. The course is 90% funded by the Government with businesses paying just £750 towards it.

Dr Dyneshia Johnson is course leader of 51Âþ»­’s Help to Grow: Management courses. She said: “Byron is an inspiration to business leaders. He’s taken his idea and built it into a global company. We actually use Micro-Fresh ® as a case study in our Help to Grow programme and it is great to have his support for the programme.”

51Âþ»­’s work on the Government’s Small Business Leadership Programme, a forerunner of Help to Grow, has been shortlisted for the finals of this year’s East Midlands Chamber business awards. It has helped more than 80 SMEs through the pandemic by providing insight and training into leadership.

Help to Grow: Management aims to support 30,000 small business leaders to increase productivity, invest and grow their business, while levelling-up productivity across the UK.

By helping firms to adopt modern management techniques and business technologies, the government will unlock their potential and help to level up every part of the country.
 
Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said: “Helping small businesses to learn from the best will be central to building back better from the pandemic. Our new A-Team of experts will ensure 30,000 small and medium sized firms across the UK get the very best advice on how to innovate, reach new customers and boost profits so they can expand operations and create more job opportunities.”