The Help to Grow: Management course is a government-backed programme to help business leaders develop their strategic skills, create jobs and boost their business performance.
The 12-week programme is delivered by over 40 leading business schools across the UK and combines a practical curriculum with 1 to1 business mentor support throughout and includes modules on financial management, strategies for growth and innovation, and approaches to digital adoption.
The government has committed to making 30,000 places available on the course over the next 3 years. The cost of the course is 90% subsidised by the government and costs only £750.
UK businesses from any sector that have been operating for more than one year, with between 5 to 249 employees are eligible to enrol. The participant in the course should be the decision-maker or member of the senior management team within the business. Charities are not eligible as the scheme is designed to support commercial enterprises.
The Business Secretary said:
‘Help to Grow: Management is a fantastic scheme to equip ambitious business leaders with the tools to take their business to the next level, helping create an even more high-productivity, the high-wage economy we build back better from the pandemic.’
The government has launched a new scheme – open to anyone in England – with a bike in need of repair. The Fix your Bike Voucher Scheme is a new initiative that has been championed by the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, to help fix old bikes by offering a £50 bike repair voucher towards the total cost of repairs needed. The scheme hopes to provide an alternative to using public transport, reduce short car journeys and keep more people fitter whilst using a socially distanced form of transport.
The scheme opened just before midnight on 28 July when the first batch of 50,000 vouchers were due to be released. It is expected that up to 500,000 bike vouchers will be available in total. However, there have been issues with the website and vouchers are being rolled out in batches in order to reflect the capacity of the bike repairers signed up to the scheme. If you are interested in requesting a voucher, the sign up page is on the Energy Saving Trust website at https://fixyourbikevoucherscheme.est.org.uk/
Vouchers can only be used with authorised bike repairers or mechanics that are registered for the scheme in England. Up to two vouchers can be claimed per household, but only one used per bike. You will need to have the voucher before going to get your bike repaired.
The government is also moving ahead with plans to encourage alternative ways of travelling such as cycling and walking. This includes the provision of pop-up bike lanes with protected space for cycling, wider pavements, safer junctions, and cycle and bus-only corridors in England as part of a £250 million emergency active travel fund.
