Leadership and Management Grants of £1,000

Is your business eligible for a grant of £1,000?

SME Academy is a recognised training provider with the Leadership and Management Service (LMAS) which is funded by the Skills
Funding Agency (in England only) to support senior leaders to enhance their businessbuilding and leadership skills with the aim of fostering business growth.

Assuming you are eligible for the grant and would like to use our company for your leadership and management development – which can include training, coaching or mentoring – we can help you access it.

Successful businesses will be able to claim up to £1,000 on a match-funded basis towards the fees for our training, coaching or mentoring services.

Here is how is works:

Eligibility
Businesses must be able to demonstrate the potential for high or fast growth. This is defined as either:

• An existing private sector business that can be expected to increase turnover or employment by 20% or more for each of the next 3 years
• A new business (trading, but for less than 1 year) that can be expected to reach a turnover of £500,000 or more in three year’s time
• An existing Social Enterprise that can be expected to increase turnover oremployment by 10% or more for each of the next 3 years

The Government estimates that around 10% of all businesses can meet these criteria.

• The beneficiaries of the Service should be businesses/organisations employing between 2 and 249 full-time equivalent employees in the Greater London region (i.e.the 33 London boroughs). Businesses from outside the region will be referred to the appropriate regional contractor.
• For organisations employing less than 50 staff, only the owner, CEO or equivalent can access the funding. For organisations employing 50-249 staff, key directors/key managers who report directly to the most senior person and have strategic responsibility for the business are also eligible.

Ineligible

• Businesses/organisations that have previously been supported through LMAS since 1st April 2011
• Public Sector organisations (including Local Authority controlled schools)
• Individuals from outside the EU who have not lived in the EU for the last 3 years
• Businesses employing less than 2 or more than 250 people
• Businesses that cannot demonstrate high or fast growth potential

Grant funding
Successful applicants can claim up to a maximum of £1,000 from the LMAS. This must be fully matched £ for £. Organisations will not be able to reclaim VAT from the LMAS.

For example:

• If the training programme costs £1,000 + VAT, the client may claim back £500
• If the training programme costs £2,500 + VAT, the client may claim back £1,000

How it Works

• You complete an application form which sets out the measures the LMAS uses to assess high or fast growth potential. If this self-assessment suggests the employer is likely to be eligible, they will e-mail you with the contact details of our specialist adviser. The adviser will attempt to make contact within 5 working days. If we have made three unsuccessful attempts we will send an email asking the employer to contact us directly if still interested.
• The adviser will visit potentially eligible clients and, once eligibility is confirmed, help them to identify their development needs around leadership and management, which forms the basis of the Personal Development Plan (PDP). The adviser then suggestsproviders who can help meet the needs of the client. If the client has a particular training provider they wish to work with, this will always be one of the suggestions shown on the PDP, and the client’s choice of provider is final.
• Having agreed areas of interest the Adviser uses their expertise to suggest approaches and solutions designed to suit the client’s personal learning style, time and financial constraints, and any other relevant circumstances. The proposed solutions could include training consultancies, coaches, networking organisations, professional organisations and colleges. When a client has been visited and their eligibility confirmed, the chosen provider is copied into the email sent to the client.
• The applicant is sent an Agreement Letter confirming the course (or courses) and grant payment. Training must commence and claim paperwork be completed within 90 days of the date on the PDP, or by 15/03/2012, whichever is the earliest. LMAS cannot guarantee payment for any training started/paid for by the applicant before the Agreement Letter is sent.
• Having chosen training activities the client books and pays the chosen training provider in full.
• The client invoices the L&M Service with proof of payment and a completed template to request reimbursement of costs up to a maximum of £1000.

Eligible Training
Any leadership or management training recorded as a need on the PDP is eligible. This can include formal training (e.g. qualification based) or informal training (e.g. coaching or mentoring). Only the person named on the PDP can benefit from the grant funding. All
training/development should aim to optimise the contribution of the client’s staff to the growth of the business.

Ineligible Training

• Training that commences before the client has completed and signed a PDP with a LMAS advisers cannot be funded through the service.
• The Service cannot support mandatory or technical training (e.g. IT software training) or training with little or no leadership/management content.
• The Service cannot support marketing training of any sort (this includes Search Engine Optimisation/Management)
• The Service cannot support incidental costs e.g. accommodation, travel, exam fees, membership fees.
• The Service will not pay for training, coaching or mentoring activities unless they are identified on the PDP.

Training provision identified by the Adviser can be provided by a Skills Funding Agency quality assured provider, but the final choice of provider always rests with the employer. Should the client choose a non Skills Funding Agency accredited provider the Adviser can
undertake to obtain references, but the Service cannot accept liability if the quality of training delivered is unsatisfactory.

TV opportunity for small businesses

One of my contacts is a TV producer and she is looking for small businesses (8-30 staff) to take part in a series about business performance.  Filming starts in the next couple of months, so they are actively looking now.

Here are the details:

‘The Naked Office’ is a prime time series for Virgin 1. ‘The Naked Office’ will see a radical and unique approach to both business and individual development. The series will follow companies from across the country as they are transformed by the expertise of our host. By focusing on improving internal relationships and achieving the aims, aspirations and ambitions of the company our expert will facilitate permanent and positive changes.  By formatting a bespoke model for change and by undertaking radical steps we will see increased positivity and productivity in the workplace. Through the help and expertise of our mentor, each company will be transformed in the most unexpected way – going to work naked!

Rather than it being rude to go nude, our expert will reveal whether shedding clothes and flashing the flesh is the ultimate office equaliser. By inviting staff to come to work naked, our expert demonstrates that the removal of physical barriers also removes emotional barriers and promotes a feeling of unity and solidarity between employees. The result, a more positive and productive place to work.

You can apply by going to:  office@shine.tv or call 0844 6780 157

Could tele-seminars boost your business?

Small business coach Hannah McNamara from SME Academy (http://www.smeacademy.co.uk) in London talks about an innovative way to reach more customers than you ever could through one-to-one sales meetings or telephone meetings.

Read more

When and how to ask for a Testimonial

Small business coach Hannah McNamara from SME Academy (http://www.smeacademy.co.uk) explains how to go about gathering testimonials and references about your business.

Read more

Up-selling: The key to increased profits

Small business coach Hannah McNamara from SME Academy (http://www.smeacademy.co.uk) in London talks about ways that you can increase sales amongst your existing customers and clients.

Read more

[Video Tip] Outsourcing to freelancers

Small business coach Hannah McNamara from SME Academy (http://www.smeacademy.co.uk) in London talks about ways that you can use freelancers to do specialist work for you or take on some of the burden of your every day work.

Read more

[Video Tip] Networking Corporate Style

Hannah McNamara from SME Academy (http://www.smeacademy.co.uk) talks about ways that you can network your way into corporate contracts.

Read more

Small Business Coach or Mentor?

Do I need a small business coach, a mentor or a life coach?

SME Academy in London offers all three services which are explained below.

The terms small business coach or business mentor are often used interchangeably within the business world, but what do people really mean when they talk about small business coaching or business mentoring? And how are they different from executive coaching or life coaching?
Read more

[Video Tip] Automating your Marketing activities

Hannah McNamara from SME Academy (http://www.smeacademy.co.uk) explains how to take the time and effort out of small business marketing by automating and systemising marketing activities. This includes the use of autoresponders, YouTube and other techniques.

Read more

[Video Tip] Using Twitter to get your business in the public eye

Hannah McNamara from SME Academy (http://www.smeacademy.co.uk) gives an overview of how social networking tool and microblogging site Twitter can be used to network and build your business. Read more

Next Page »