Lancashire Business School has been selected as one of the new providers of the Leading Enterprise and Development (LEAD) programme as part of a nine and a half million pound project being offered across the North West. It is an innovative leadership programme specifically designed for businesses with up to 20 employees and focuses on both the development of the owner-manager and the strategy and growth of the business itself.

The programme, piloted by Lancaster University over the last five years, has proven results according to an independent evaluation of the pilot, which showed that 90 percent of the business owners who took part in the pilot reported an average annual sales increase of £200,000.

Lancashire Business School aims to work with 125 owner-managers from across Lancashire over the next three years, taking them through the ten month programme. The intensive course will utilise academic expertise and involves coaching, master classes on business growth and leadership, work shadowing and exchanges and an overnight experiential.

Sally Bate, LEAD Project Director for Lancashire Business School, said: "SME growth is vital to the region and by engaging with the LEAD programme owner-managers will benefit from an extensive support package over a 10 month period. We will be offering the LEAD programme from the Preston campus and also UCLan's new campus which opens shortly in Burnley."

The programme's main focus is to help businesses look at the bigger picture and concentrate on working on the business not just in the business. It aims to tackle real life business issues and challenges head on and provides structured processes and frameworks to develop from.

Dharma Kovvuri, Dean of Lancashire Business School, said UCLan's involvement in the programme will benefit all parties involved and strengthen Lancashire Business School's links with the local business community.

"We have been working with the business community in Lancashire for many years to help them raise their productivity and promoting leadership and business growth. We are thrilled to be able to offer the LEAD programme in Lancashire and look forward to working with businesses from a range of sectors over the next three years. "

Steven Broomhead, Chief Executive of the NWDA, said: "Organisations have recognised leadership and management as a priority to enhance productivity and competitiveness, and over the last 20 years have devoted substantial resources to this. In contrast engagement by small and medium sized enterprises is often limited by time and financial constraints, however better skills at higher levels drive leadership and management, which are the key drivers of growth and profit."

"The NWDA has a major role in ensuring that training, education and skills development is meeting the needs of employers and individuals in the Northwest. By working with partners throughout the region our work can benefit a range of businesses."