Family Business Growth Programme

Context

In August 2012, the government pledged a £2.9million investment into rural Devon and Somerset as part of the Rural Growth Network – set up to help rural areas overcome the barriers to economic growth. The Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership was one of only five regions in the UK to benefit from the funding, which is expected to boost the rural economy by £40 million. 

Project

The Family Business Growth Programme is a year-long pilot scheme which has received funding from the government's Rural Growth Network to support hundreds of rural family businesses that are vital to the regional economy. The initiative has been designed and managed by Clinton Devon Estates, in partnership with the University of Exeter, and gives family businesses from Devon and Somerset access to world-class training from the Institute of Management Development (IMD) in Lausanne, Switzerland – ranked among the world’s top business schools by the Financial Times. Twenty four representatives from professional firms and not-for-profit organisations in Devon and Somerset are among the first to participate in the programme which, if successful, could be rolled-out nationally next year.

Resources