Goldman Sachs Launches National 10,000 Small Businesses UK Program
Goldman Sachs launched the expansion of its 10,000 Small Businesses UK on 25 April 2016, expanding the program’s geographic reach to support high-growth small businesses nationwide by offering a combination of online and in-person learning.
Participants for the second phase were selected from more than 300 applicants following a rigorous interview process. Companies include Rosalind Miller Cakes, a London-based luxury cake maker, and SHINE, a social enterprise events space that seeks to regenerate the UK’s most deprived neighborhoods. The first cohort of 70 small business leaders from across the UK convened in Leeds to learn how to drive growth in their businesses in the first residential session of the new phase.
“Goldman Sachs is committed to strengthening the UK’s entrepreneurial ecosystem to boost productivity and drive economic growth,” said Michelle Pinggera, chief administrative officer for EMEA and international chief of staff at Goldman Sachs. “We are extremely pleased to be expanding our program to encompass businesses from across the UK and creating the most innovative and relevant learning opportunities.”
The first phase of 10,000 Small Businesses UK, which helped more than 930 businesses to grow between 2010 and 2015, was run through four regional hubs in Birmingham, Leeds, London and Manchester. The second phase will provide each national cohort with three residential sessions, rotating across Leeds, Birmingham and Oxford, as well as five weeks of online learning to reach businesses across the country.
A consortium of universities re-developed the program’s curriculum to deliver practically focused business and management education targeted at small businesses. The new online component, conceived by Oxford University, provides participants with access to an innovative technological platform housing the online course. Participants can also use a mobile app that launched on May 4.
The second phase of the program is led by Saïd Business School, Oxford University, with support from Aston University and Leeds University Business School.
Feedback from the residential session was positive, with one participant noting, “The caliber of the team, tutors and materials amazed me – all the more impressive as this is the first cohort of the new national format. I did not speak to one person in the room who was not excited about the future.”
Applications for the second cohort, commencing the four-month program in September, are currently underway.