Charter award for Business School

The Small Business Charter Award scheme has already helped 4,700 students to find work placements in Britain’s exciting micro-business and start-up sector.

Small Business Charter business schools have directly helped more than 8,000 small businesses – working with them through workshops, mentoring and other business support. Over 800 new businesses have already been started as a result of Small Business Charter schools.

By receiving the award, the University of Wolverhampton Business School, along with the Business Solutions Centre and Careers & Enterprise Department, has demonstrated exceptional dedication to helping improve links with and support the small business community in the local area as well as supporting their enterprising graduates into successfully starting their own businesses.

The award brings significant benefits – it means that the Business School will have the ability to play an active role in schemes such as Growth Vouchers, Growth Accelerators and Start-Up Loans provided by the Government so it can directly invest in new start-ups and entrepreneurs.

The Small Business Charter Award ceremony took place earlier this month at 10 Downing Street. The awards were presented by Lord Young, an adviser to the Prime Minister on small business and enterprise and Sir Peter Bonfield, chair of The Small Business Charter Management Board and former chairman of BT.

Dr Anthea Gregory, Head of the University of Wolverhampton Business School and Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, said: “It’s wonderful to receive this accolade and reflects the work undertaken in the school to develop entrepreneurial business students as well as the work with do with small and medium sized enterprises and graduate start-ups.”

Lord Young said: “The recipients of these awards have all demonstrated exceptional dedication to improving links with and supporting small businesses in their local area, already creating over 800 jobs.

“Our world-class universities and business schools are a key part of the UK economy – even more so as a result of this initiative.

“I hope that these awards will be the first of many and build on the outstanding work our business schools do to boost enterprise locally.”

The Small Business Charter originated following Lord Young’s report ‘Growing Your Business’, which was aimed at bringing business schools, business and entrepreneurs closer together to deliver real change.

Supported by the Association of Business Schools, Lord Young and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills the Small Business Charter Awards offers a springboard to unlocking support and investment for students, start-ups and small businesses. The Charter also follows the Association of Business Schools’ Innovation Taskforce report.

ENDS

For more information please contact James Allen in the Media Relations Office on
01902 322003.

Date Issued: Wednesday 25 June 2014