Momentum, a new and innovative enterprise learning programme developed and run by London South Bank University’s School of Business is giving SMEs the knowledge and learning required to push businesses further.

London South Bank University’s (LSBU) School of Business is an IOEE Centre of Excellence. This means that it has gained recognition as an institution that strives to put enterprise at the very heart of the UK’s learning culture. The Business School’s most recent project, Momentum, is an exciting and innovative endeavor that marries enterprise and education in the best possible way, reaching out to SMEs and boosting their way to growth and sustainable success. Best of all, Momentum is entirely free to participants and the Business School is currently recruiting for a fresh cohort. A relatively intimate group of some 30 small business owner / managers will be given the opportunity to explore core subjects including identifying sources of funding, navigating new markets, business planning and forecasting, and effective relationship building. In essence, over a 12-week period, Momentum breaks down the most valuable business skills in three key areas: the business leader and honing decision-making, networking and influencing capabilities, building a business that is strong internally, and fine-tuning all those areas of a company that interface with the external world of clients, suppliers and competitors.

Momentum isn’t the first enterprise support programme run by LSBU’s Business School. Its predecessor was Investment Escalator. Of those SMEs who took part in this earlier programe, an impressive 64.4% said completing the programme had increased their confidence in the future of their business. Meanwhile, 23.9% said that they consider Investment Escalator to have been key to their business’s survival. Katie Bracher is Creative Director at Beitak, a video and photography service. She secured a place on Investor Escalator and benefited from the one-to-one advice provided by LSBU Business School academics, as well as workshops covering areas such as digital marketing, sales development, and business effectiveness. Having completed the programme, Katie said:

“It has helped me to see a new future, one which is full of opportunity and I now continue the journey with the skills and confidence to make it a success.”

Some elements of Momentum are optional, allowing participants to pick and mix those that best match their business needs and plans for the future. For example, there are a number of fantastic masterclasses that take entrepreneurs through an array of topics including leadership development, preparing to secure investment, branding, PR and key account management. However, there are eight core workshops (each lasting around four hours) which comprise the main thrust of Momentum and it is obligatory to attend all of these.

Richard Howarth is part of the Business School’s Enterprise department, and a member of the team responsible for creating Momentum. He explains that the institution is keen to share the benefit of its resources as widely as possible with the enterprise community:

“Part of our remit is to identify ways that we can use the Business School’s existing skills base in new ways, outside of the teaching delivered on undergraduate degrees. We look for opportunities for consultancy or one-to-one advice sessions and direct SME support. Although these aren’t areas you’d traditionally expect universities to work in, they’re a brilliant way to share our academic enterprise expertise with a wider and more diverse set of individuals.”

At present, Momentum participants don’t achieve specific accreditation, although there is an evaluation process associated with the programme. In the future, as the initiative develops, it may be that those who take part will receive formal recognition or qualifications. Right now, it’s enough that for some participants, Momentum and its predecessor Investment Escalator have been the catalyst for avoiding redundancies in their organisations. Richard explains:

“68 jobs have been safeguarded as part of the support we’ve delivered so far. Those are jobs that were at risk due to the tightening financial situations SMEs have found themselves enduring over recent years. Additionally, 44 new jobs have been created. In the future we’d love to have certification as part of Momentum but, for us, the real results are the jobs within SMEs which have been saved and created.”

So, what are you waiting for? Find out more here.