which schools are good, which will be worth the investment, and will enable you to get the high-quality training needed to ensure you have a solid start in your business career.


To help, the Association of Business Schools launched the Small Business Charter earlier Charter Awards will be given to this year with backing and support from government. Small Business Charter Awards will be given to business schools that


demonstrate a strong track record in engaging with and supporting local entrepreneurs and businesses, and which provide placements in small businesses and provide other opportunities for their students. It is a quality mark to signpost aspiring students to the business schools that have forged strong and successful relationships with small businesses and who are proactive in providing opportunities for aspiring entrepreneurs. Nearly thirty business schools across the UK have applied for a Small Business Charter Award so far.


Several government-


commissioned reports in recent years have called for business schools to do more to be incubators of invention and agents of innovation and growth in the business community. Business schools with Small Business Charter Awards will do just that, providing the training and tools for students who wish to start up their own business to excel and helping small businesses to grow.


For instance, those business schools in receipt of a Small Business Charter Award will be able to access and disseminate various different government funding initiatives such as Growth


Vouchers, Growth Accelerators and Start Up Loans – all of which will help entrepreneurs with crucial funding.


Business schools can currently be accredited with different award levels: gold, silver or bronze. Those who demonstrate better engagement with local businesses and other stakeholders and who provide the highest levels of support for their students are more likely to gain the higher award and thus have access to more government funding. This is yet another way of demonstrating to potential students which business schools will be best at increasing their chances of employment and entrepreneurial success.


There’s a great tradition in this country of business schools working with small businesses to achieve great things. Surveying examples of entrepreneurial partnerships that already exist shows the growing appetite for small businesses getting greater support from business schools. Five leading business schools are working under the Goldman Sachs 10,000 small business programme, which provides students with greater access to education, capital and business support. Across a range of sectors – biotechnology, retail, pubs and restaurants – businesspeople have been supported to take their ideas to the next stage. For example, Rana Harvey attended Leeds University Business School, which helped her convert her small mannequin retail business called Dazzling Dummies into a business called Monster Group. One of the Group’s subsidiaries, Monster Racking has become one of the UK’s leading suppliers in


the sector, with global distribution. Equally, Manchester Metropolitan University Business School supported a scientist to form his own company, Euprotec, which now provides research services on infectious diseases, respiratory and allergy biology services. These are just some of the ways entrepreneurs are finding the support and formal training in select business schools.


Britain can’t just talk about needing more entrepreneurs. It needs to encourage them, support them and ensure they succeed in the long term. Business schools are a crucial pathway for entrepreneurs, turning a business idea into business implementation. Choosing a business school and the investment you make is key, so it’s important to choose wisely. The Small Business Charter will show our future entrepreneurs the best business schools and give them the tools and resources need to succeed.


Find out more information at: www.associationofbusiness schools.org


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116  |  Page 117  |  Page 118  |  Page 119  |  Page 120  |  Page 121  |  Page 122  |  Page 123  |  Page 124  |  Page 125  |  Page 126