Bristol's small and medium-sized firms are being asked to help develop a business management qualification that directly meets their needs.
The West of England Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) is in discussions with UWE Bristol and other groups to create an academic course that teaches a range of business skills alongside vocational experience. 
To ensure the MBA-type qualification meets the needs of local SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises), the LEP skills team is asking for companies to tell them what skills they need for their current and future workforce.
LEP skills director Adam Powell said: “Our role is to bring business and education closer together in the West of England to ensure our skills provision matches the business requirements.
“We are working in partnership with our LEP SME sector chair and the SME community and in regular discussion with both.
“We’ve had a number of local SME businesses raise with us the need for their staff to develop their general business skills in addition to the on-the-job experience they’re already getting with that employer.
“Early discussions with the local universities show they are keen to pursue this idea further. We are hoping this new employer-led proposal could become open for business across the West of England as early as November this year.”
Businesses can get involved by completing a short survey about their skills needs at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/SMESkills.
A workshop on June 18 will flesh out the curriculum and the logistics of how it could work. The business-led event, at the LEP’s headquarters at the Engine Shed at Temple Meads, will be supported by university and LEP representatives.
Businesses can sign up for the workshop at http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/sme-business-management-qualification-tickets-11680240915.
UWE Bristol pro vice chancellor and executive dean in its Faculty of Business & Law, Prof Jane Harrington, from said: “There are just under 37,000 SME businesses in the West of England, so it’s important we understand their business needs in order to support them. A new business certificate targeting this sector could be a great way of doing this and we’re excited to be involved in driving it forwards.”
Griff Holland, co-founder of Bristol café chain Friska, who is already working with the LEP on the proposed course, added: “We have been talking to the LEP skills team about developing a local business qualification to ensure our own employees have the opportunity to gain valid business skills that they can use both with us and in any future jobs.
“It’s vital we support our staff in this way and being able to have actual input into an academic qualification is great.”
