The ABM has welcomed the Government’s Small Business Plan, with mentoring at the heart of its plan to give small businesses the leadership and management skills needed to help them grow and thrive. The measures include a new government endorsed National Business Mentoring Council, co-chaired by the ABM and ScaleUp Institute.
The plan, launched by the Department for Business and Trade, outlines how the Government will empower small and medium-sized businesses as part of efforts to build a stronger, more resilient economy.
It includes specific measures for business mentoring support, led by the Association of Business Mentors, to inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs and small business owners, helping them to develop their leadership and management skills.
Government endorsement of an industry-led National Business Mentoring Council
The new National Business Mentoring Council, is a major new partnership aimed at enhancing the quality and accessibility of business mentoring to help drive growth of businesses across the United Kingdom. The Association of Business Mentors is delighted to be invited to co-chair the council with the ScaleUp Institute.
The Council brings together senior representatives from across regions and nations involved in business mentoring, finance, entrepreneurship and academia. Its mission is to reduce sector fragmentation, strengthen professional pathways for mentors, share data and industry trends, and promote the benefits of and access to mentoring for SMEs, startups, and scaling firms. The Council will also support government strategies that foster business growth and resilience. On launch of the Council, Gareth Thomas MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Business and Trade, said:
“Having a mentor can be a game-changer for small businesses, so I welcome the creation of this new council who will make it easier for business leaders to find a high-quality mentor they can trust.
ABM CEO Georgina Waite said:
“Mentoring plays a pivotal role in empowering business leaders, helping them to navigate challenges and unlock growth opportunities. By uniting the sector’s collective expertise through the Council, we can make high quality mentorship more accessible to businesses nationwide, helping ensure that they get the support they need to start, scale and thrive.”
See full press release on the Council here
Launch of the new Business Growth Service
This new government website signposts small businesses to support and advice, including signposting to the government’s skills offer to business. The Skills and Mentoring page directs people to professional business mentors at the ABM.
Help to Grow Management
The Government outlines in its plan continued support of business owners through the Help to Grow Management scheme.
Help to Grow has supported more than 10,000 business leaders and vetted, trained and supported more than 3,000 professional business mentors – the largest professional business mentoring programme in the world. ABM is proud to be one of the delivery partners in a consortium with Newable and Enterprise Nation. We look forward to supporting the Government’s plans for the scheme over the coming months.
The plan also outlines policies around late payment, digital adoption and access to finance.
The Association of Business Mentors looks forward to continuing to support the Government in its drive to expand mentoring to businesses to help them grow and thrive.
The full Small Business Plan can be found here.
