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An appropriate tool for entrepreneurial learning in SMEs? The case of the 20Twenty Leadership Programme

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  • Nick Clifton
  • Robert Huggins
  • Brian Morgan
  • Piers Thompson

Abstract

The 20Twenty Leadership Programme was developed by Cardiff Metropolitan University as an executive education programme to be delivered within South Wales to small businesses. It is funded by the European Social Fund, administered by the Welsh European Funding Office and has the key aim of developing small and medium sized enterprises’ growth potential via a range of leadership and management skills, including a focus on ‘soft’ skills. The aim of this paper is to place the 20Twenty Leadership Programme within the wider context of entrepreneurship policy and small and medium sized enterprise training initiatives in particular, and then to examine the rationale and delivery methods of the Programme in relation to these. It also reflects on the Programme’s success (or otherwise) to date where possible. Finally, the paper seeks to suggest fruitful areas of further research both in terms of the 20Twenty Leadership Programme itself and also with regard to evaluation in relation to other parallel programmes and to small and medium sized enterprise training initiatives more generally.

Suggested Citation

  • Nick Clifton & Robert Huggins & Brian Morgan & Piers Thompson, 2015. "An appropriate tool for entrepreneurial learning in SMEs? The case of the 20Twenty Leadership Programme," Local Economy, London South Bank University, vol. 30(5), pages 534-556, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:loceco:v:30:y:2015:i:5:p:534-556
    DOI: 10.1177/0269094215589310
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    2. D'Anghela, Mariapia & Murmura, Federica, 2020. "The Impacts of EU Support Programs on SMEs: A Literature Review," Proceedings of the ENTRENOVA - ENTerprise REsearch InNOVAtion Conference (2020), Virtual Conference, in: Proceedings of the ENTRENOVA - ENTerprise REsearch InNOVAtion Conference, Virtual Conference, 10-12 September 2020, pages 353-364, IRENET - Society for Advancing Innovation and Research in Economy, Zagreb.

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