Newcastle Business School first in North East receives Small Business Charter

The Small Business Charter, which brings leading Business Schools and SME communities across the UK together, has awarded Northumbria University’s Newcastle Business School the Small Business Charter Award in recognition of its active participation in supporting start-ups, students and small businesses.

This makes Northumbria University the first university in the North East of England to be awarded the Charter. The Small Business Charter aims to bring business schools, businesses and entrepreneurs together to ensure small businesses are supported to drive local economic growth.

University business schools holding Small Business Charter awards have already directly helped over 8000 small businesses – providing a range of support including on-site incubators with dedicated space for students and small businesses to start- up and grow.

The Small Business Charter originated following Lord Young’s report ‘Growing Your Business’, which was aimed at bringing business schools, business and entrepreneurs closer together to deliver support for small businesses and drive local economic growth. Awards are delivered in partnership with the Association of Business Schools, and with the support of Lord Young and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. They offer a springboard to unlocking support and investment for students, start-ups and small businesses.

Professor Kevin Kerrigan, Executive Dean for Newcastle Business School, said: “We are delighted to be the first university in the North East to achieve this accreditation, celebrating and recognising how we support both the local business community and the development of our students – especially their employability and career prospects”.

Newcastle Business School prides itself in offering students the highest calibre of business education, providing an opportunity to work on real business issues while gaining relevant industry experience. Collaborating with academics undertaking world-leading research and bright, energy-charged students is also incredibly beneficial for SMEs looking to develop and grow their businesses.

To achieve the accreditation, the Small Business Charter assessors undertook an intensive review of the Newcastle Business School’s facilities, including inspection of its Northern Design Centre, which offers dedicated help for students to develop their enterprise skills, work with entrepreneurs and local SMEs and gain support in developing their own businesses.

The assessors also met with staff, current students, alumni, intermediaries and small business owners to appraise the scope and depth of engagement.

Northumbria University offers a range of courses and additional resources to support students and SMEs, including the Entrepreneurial Business Management course, which encourages students to take a hands-on approach to learning while building up business skills. Newcastle Business School also runs an Undergraduate Consultancy programme, where as part of their degree students offer a range of consultancy services and resources to small businesses. The course is currently working with 28 SMEs, with the number expected to double next year.

Newcastle Business School is also the only business school in Europe to achieve a double accreditation in both its business and accounting programmes from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). The achievement puts it in the top 1% of business schools in the world.

Northumbria is currently the number one university in the UK for graduate start-ups based on estimated turnover according to the latest Higher Education Business Community Interaction Survey. It is also 4th among UK universities based on the number of jobs created by its graduate start-ups, according to the same data.