LJMU's Liverpool Business School Expands Help to Grow Support Across Wirral, Chester And North Wales

CITY OF LIVERPOOL, LIVERPOOL CITY REGION.

LJMU's Liverpool Business School Expands Help to Grow Support Across The Wirral, Chester & North Wales Through Partnership With The Small Business Charter

Elliot Verry, Business Support Services Manager at Wirral Chamber of Commerce and a participant from the first Help to Grow Management cohort, with Christine Walters, Business Liaison at Liverpool Business School (Credit: Supplied/Image was provided to The Liverpudlian with permission to share, courtesy of the Publicist on behalf of their client. We make no claim to this content).

Liverpool Business School, part of Liverpool John Moores University, is encouraging more businesses in the Wirral, Chester and North Wales to access its 'Help to Grow: Management Programme' as applications open for the September 2026 intake.

Delivered in partnership with the Small Business Charter and 90% funded by the UK Government, the 12-week course is aimed at established SMEs looking to strengthen leadership capability, improve performance and plan for long-term growth.

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The programme is open to businesses with between five and 249 employees that have been operating for at least one year.

Liverpool Business School is now extending the reach of the programme beyond the immediate Liverpool City Region, engaging more businesses throughout the wider North West.

“The course is built around the day-to-day pressures facing SME leaders, so people leave with practical ideas, greater confidence and tools they can use immediately within their organisation.” - Fiona Armstrong-Gibbs, who leads on programme delivery.

Senior Client & Project Manager, Jonathan Britten, said: “There are many ambitious businesses throughout the wider region that are performing well day to day but often struggle to find the time and space to step back and think about what comes next.”

Jonathan added: “Many SME leaders are making important decisions under constant pressure, often without the opportunity to think about the wider direction of the business. Help to Grow gives people the chance to think more strategically, learn alongside other business owners and develop practical approaches to areas such as productivity, leadership, staffing and sustainable growth.”

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By delivering part of the programme from the Wirral, Liverpool Business School is aiming to make leadership and business support more accessible to organisations beyond the immediate Liverpool City Region. The September intake marks the second cohort delivered in partnership with Wirral Chamber of Commerce.

In-person sessions will take place at Wirral Chamber of Commerce alongside online learning, with the blended format designed to work around existing business commitments.

“The peer networking was incredibly valuable too. Speaking to other businesses about their challenges helped put our own decisions into perspective and gave us practical ideas we could take back into the workplace.” - Elliot Verry, Business Support Services Manager at Wirral Chamber of Commerce and a participant from the first cohort.

Elliot Verry, Business Support Services Manager at Wirral Chamber of Commerce and a participant from the first cohort, said: “The Help to Grow course is something I would absolutely recommend. For me, the value was the opportunity to step back from the day to day, look at the business differently and ask direct questions about where we wanted to get to.”

Elliot added: “The peer networking was incredibly valuable too. Speaking to other businesses about their challenges helped put our own decisions into perspective and gave us practical ideas we could take back into the workplace.”

The programme covers topics including strategy and innovation, digital transformation, winning new markets, finance, organisational design and leadership, combining expert-led sessions with peer discussion and practical case studies.

Previous cohorts have included organisations from sectors including manufacturing, professional services, hospitality, digital and healthcare.

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Fiona Armstrong-Gibbs, who leads on programme delivery, said: “One of the things participants value most is having dedicated time to think differently about their business away from the immediate pressures of daily operations.”

Fiona added: “The course is built around the day-to-day pressures facing SME leaders, so people leave with practical ideas, greater confidence and tools they can use immediately within their organisation.”

The initiative forms part of Liverpool Business School’s wider work with organisations throughout the North West, supporting leadership and management development through executive education, professional development and SME support initiatives.

Alongside the 'Help to Grow: Management', Liverpool Business School also delivers leadership development activity throughout the year, including its annual Leadership Summer School, which has engaged hundreds of participants from organisations across the region.

Applications for the September 2026 'Help to Grow: Management Programme' are now open, with businesses in Liverpool City Region, the Wirral, Chester and North Wales encouraged to apply through the Small Business Charter website.