The Growth Company has been announced as the new delivery partner for Be the Business’s Mentoring for Growth scheme.
The programme matches ambitious small and medium-sized businesses with experienced mentors from some of the UK’s leading businesses including GSK, Amazon and the John Lewis Partnership. Some 180 successful matches have already been made across Greater Manchester, Birmingham, the North East of England and London. This figure is set to increase to 1,000 by March 2020.
The Growth Company is responsible for identifying SMEs which could benefit from the programme and then matching them with mentors – selected by Be the Business – from some of England’s leading and most productive companies.
The Growth Company drives forward business, economic, personal and professional development within communities by boosting employment, skills, investment and enterprise.
Mark Hughes, CEO of The Growth Company, commented: “Following a successful pilot, we’re delighted to have been appointed to roll out the Be the Business Mentoring for Growth programme across England.
“We’re looking forward to further strengthening our existing SME and LEP relationships in each of the regions in which we’ll be working.”
Jane Howells, programme lead for Mentoring for Growth, said: “Mentoring for Growth has already helped 180 SMEs across the UK. Feedback from mentors and mentees alike has been incredibly positive. A fresh perspective from an external expert allows SME owners take a step back and work on their business rather than in their business.
“Partnering with The Growth Company will allow us to connect with more SME leaders, who can be mentored to begin making small, manageable and achievable improvements across their businesses. This will have a positive impact on their bottom lines, and ultimately, increase wages.”
