MEMBER NEWS


Small Business Charter status will enable university to support SMEs


Professor Kamil Omoteso


The University of Derby’s Business School has become the latest business school to be awarded the Small Business Charter. This national accolade is in recognition of the business school’s high standard of support for small businesses and the local economy, as well as the work it does in developing entrepreneurial skills in students. Derby Business School offers


internships and placements as part of its career and employability service.


The Derby Internship


Programme, funded by the ERDF, is a significant programme with over 1,400 students engaged (between 2016-2019). Over half of the small businesses involved gave students a part-time or full-time role after the internship. The school has excellent facilities


for teaching and community business links with Banks Mill innovation and digital studios, Kedleston Road’s central location and the Careers and Employability


‘To show that our business school has Small Business Charter status sends a clear message to the SME community that we are here to support them in their growth’


Service all providing a hub of networking activity. The business school has strong


connections with stakeholders in Derby, resulting in offering events and workshops in the local area and supporting small businesses and entrepreneurship in the region. Some of these include FSB, the Chamber, CBI, Princes Trust, D2N2 LEP, Erewash Partnership, and Destination Chesterfield. The Small Business Charter


(SBC) award is a national kitemark awarded by the Chartered Association of Business Schools to recognise business schools which demonstrate excellence in supporting student enterprise, small businesses and the local economy. There are 34 business


The University of Derby’s Kedleston Road campus


schools across the UK that hold the award. Professor Kamil Omoteso, Pro


Vice-Chancellor and Dean of the College of Business, Law and Social Sciences at the University of Derby, said: “The confirmation of our Small Business Charter accreditation is fantastic news. There are more than 25,000 small businesses in Derby and Derbyshire, which is 88% of all businesses in the city and county. “To show that our business


school, with the full support of the whole university, has Small Business Charter status sends a clear message to the SME community that we are here to support them in their growth, to promote their activity as a vital part of our local and national economy, and to drive their sustainability. We recognise that at the heart of our university we have a body of students that are their future talent.” Anne Kiem, Executive Director of


the Small Business Charter and Chief Executive of the Chartered Association of Business Schools, said: “We congratulate Derby Business School on achieving the Small Business Charter award. Its commitment to offering a diversity of services to local businesses is impressive, and its team does excellent work to bring together business, enterprising students and other stakeholders across the East Midlands region. Its work in supporting student employability locally further speaks to this business-orientated mindset.”


4 business network February 2020


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