The University of Worcester has announced it will be delivering the Help to Grow Management Course for a further 3 years.
The part-government-funded initiative is designed for senior leaders to boost business performance and leadership skills.
Run by Worcester Business School at the University of Worcester, the 12-week course gives participants tools to strengthen areas such as brand development, high-performance workplace culture, and strategic growth planning.
One standout success story is Richard Sadler, Managing Director of CJC Aggregates & Landscaping Supplies in Upton Snodsbury.
“We started our business during Covid, and it grew very quickly,” said Richard. “I’d spent my life selling to big businesses but never run my own business and that’s why Help to Grow appealed to me.”
Richard said: “The course enabled me to identify a weakness in the business, which was that we’ve got great data on our customers, but we had no customer relationship management systems in place.”
He continued: “We’ve now addressed that, and coupled with other changes we’ve made, our retail business is up 50% in the last quarter on the same time last year, and our B2B (Business to Business) is up 20%, which is brilliant. I’m really pleased at how we continue to grow.”
Based on the outskirts of Worcester, CJC is fast becoming a big name in selling hard landscaping products to trade and non-trade customers.
Richard said: “Someone who was on the course at the same time as me has now actually become a really great customer, we’ve been able to put a load of work each other’s way and we’ve got a great trading relationship.”
Dr Scott Andrews, Head of Worcester Business School, said: “This is the only Help to Grow Management Programme in the Herefordshire and Worcestershire area, and it has already helped businesspeople across the region take a fresh look at their day-to-day operations and ask ‘what could we do better’?”
Dr Andrews added: “I’m delighted to hear that the Help to Grow course has had such a positive impact on Richard and the team at CJC Aggregates & Landscaping Supplies, and as with all our participants on the course we look forward to seeing them continue to grow.”
An introductory networking event will be held on the 4th September at the University’s City Campus, offering the chance to meet other business leaders and find out more about the programme.
The University is currently recruiting small business leaders and managers to its next Help to Grow cohort, which begins on the 2nd October 2025.
If you’d like to book onto the introductory event, please follow this link
For more information on the Help to Grow course, visit the University of Worcester website.