Help to Grow: Management Evaluation Participant Information Sheet

Who is carrying out this research?

Ipsos, in partnership with the Institute for Employment Studies (IES), has been commissioned by the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) to evaluate the Help to Grow: Management programme. This evaluation will help DBT understand the successes and challenges facing the scheme, and support future developments.

Ipsos is one of the largest independent market research companies in the UK. We conduct social research on behalf of the government, charities, the voluntary sector and commercial organisations [1]. Ipsos is bound by the rules of the Market Research Society Code of Conduct, which is the governing body for market research organisations [2].

DBT have securely shared your details with Ipsos so that we can invite you to take part in the interview.

Why are we carrying out this research?

As you will be aware, the Help to Grow Management programme is an intensive national training programme to help improve SME leadership and management skills and address firm level productivity challenges. Our evaluation seeks to understand delivery of the programme to date. This will be informed by primary research with business schools, mentors and SME leaders.

Your knowledge, informed views and experiences of the programme will provide Ipsos with the critical insight needed to provide an overview of the programme’s delivery and make recommendations for the programme moving forward.

What does taking part involve?

Taking part will involve a Microsoft Teams/telephone interview, lasting up to 60 minutes with other SME leaders who have participated in the programme. The broad areas we will cover in the focus group are:
• How, if at all, did the programme impact you?
• How, if at all, has your participation in the programme led to benefits for your business?
• What role did the different elements of the programme play (curriculum, case study, mentoring, peer groups and alumni network) in any benefits experienced?
• What other factors, external to the programme, influenced these benefits? (e.g., changes in your business, wider economic factors, other business support)
• Is there any other support you would have valued from the programme in order to realise more benefits for you and/or your business?

The interview will be recorded in order to capture data correctly. Consent will be gained before proceeding to record.

If you agree to take part in a focus group, other participants in the focus group will be able to see your email address in the calendar invite to the Teams meeting that we send you.

Do I have to take part?

No, it is your choice but this is an opportunity for you to share your knowledge of the project, contribute to evaluation design, and shape future policy decisions. You will be asked to confirm your consent to take part immediately before the interview starts and will be free to withdraw from the study at any time without having to give a reason.

Who will know what I have said?

No one other than the research team and selected parties will have access to audio recordings or transcripts of your interview. Your personal data will not be passed onto anyone without your permission. The selected parties are:
Recordings shared with Take Note Ltd, a transcription service.

The information you provide during your interview will be reported to DBT and may be used in published reports. The information you give to us will be anonymised unless you agree to have quotes attributed to you and/ or your organisation. However, given the small number of consultees participating in these interviews, some of the things you say may indicate your identity to DBT or another informed reader.

During the interview, we will check if:
• You consent to us recording the interview.
• You are aware that we may share an anonymised version of your interview transcript with the DBT project team for quality assurance purposes.

Data protection

Ipsos and selected parties will handle data in accordance with data protection legislation. For further information and details on data protection, please refer to our Privacy Notice (alongside this document).

What should I do if I would like to receive more information?
For more information about the evaluation, or if you have any comments or queries, please contact Madeleine Thornton at Ipsos at Madeleine.Thornton@ipsos.com or Anastasia Aniwa at DBT at Anastasia.Aniwa@Businessandtrade.gov.uk.

You can confirm Ipsos is a verified research agency by checking the Market Research Society’s online register of research agencies: https://www.mrs.org.uk/standards/online-register or by calling 0800 975 9596.

Ipsos privacy policy

We have included a copy of the privacy policy for this research in our email to you (alongside this document). If you would like a copy to be resent or posted to you please contact Madeleine Thornton at Ipsos at Madeleine.Thornton@ipsos.com.

Take Note privacy policy

You can access Take Note Ltd.’s privacy policy here.

Thank you for considering taking part in this research

[1] You can find more information about Ipsos on our website https://www.ipsos.com/en-uk

[2] You can confirm Ipsos is a Company Partner with the Market Research Society by calling the MRS freephone verification service on 0800 975 9596 or visiting https://www.mrs.org.uk/standards/online-register