Northern Ireland’s manufacturing and wider business community continues to push through rising costs, skills pressures and constant demands on leadership time. Against that backdrop, Ulster University Business School is offering a valuable opportunity for SMEs through its Help to Grow: Management programme.
Designed to strengthen leadership capability, improve productivity and support long-term growth, the programme provides senior managers with structured, practical learning that fits alongside day-to-day commitments.
What the Programme Offers
Help to Grow: Management is a 12-week leadership and management development course, combining online learning with face-to-face sessions, mentoring, and peer group support. Participants will explore core areas essential to building a resilient and competitive business, including:
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Strategic planning and innovation
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Adopting and optimising digital technologies
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Marketing and market expansion
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Leading and developing high-performance teams
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Financial management and operational improvement
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Embedding responsible and sustainable business practices
A key outcome is the development of a Growth Action Plan, tailored to each participating business to ensure that learning translates into practical, measurable improvements.
Who Is Eligible
The programme is open to UK SMEs, including businesses in Northern Ireland, that meet the following criteria:
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Between 5 and 249 employees
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Trading for at least one year
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A senior decision-maker participating (owner, founder, CEO or member of the senior management team with direct reports)
Cost and Support
The programme is 90 percent funded by Government, bringing the fee down to £750 per participant. For many SMEs, this represents accessible, high-impact professional development that would otherwise be out of reach.
Why This Matters for NI Businesses
Strong leadership is consistently linked to improved productivity, better staff retention and healthier growth trajectories. Many Northern Ireland firms are innovating, exporting, and scaling despite difficult trading conditions. Help to Grow: Management offers structured support to continue building that momentum.
With a blend of academic expertise, peer learning, and dedicated mentoring, the programme gives business leaders time and space to think strategically, refine their approach, and strengthen resilience.
Find Out More
Full details are available through Ulster University Business School:
https://www.ulster.ac.uk/faculties/ulster-university-business-school/help-to-grow-management