LEAD Wales

The LEAD Wales programme is designed to develop and enhance the leadership skills of owners of small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) located across the Convergence region of West Wales and the Valleys.

The strategically significant £8 million initiative is backed by the Welsh Assembly Government and £5 million from the European Social Fund (ESF).

The programme concentrates on two areas of the business: the business itself and the personal development of the owner-manager; providing a framework to increase profitability, to enable diversification and support business growth.

The programme - which is designed to meet the specific needs of owner-managers -  integrates active teaching with action learning; encouraging participants to share knowledge and experience with their peers and to apply what they learn to their own business situation.

Each 10-month work programme comprises a cohort of up to twenty five owner-managers. Throughout the programme, each participant is supported by a mix of expertise from academics, experienced mentors and external coaching professionals. In addition, participants are supported, on an ongoing basis, by members of their cohort.

Further information is available on the project's website: www.leadwales.co.uk