Business and Enterprise
Business and Enterprise: SFEDI Programme
The University of the West of Scotland is the only university in Scotland approved by SFEDI (Small Firms
Enterprise Development Initiative) to deliver its Diploma in Business and Enterprise Support.
While the Diploma is designed to enhance the capacity of organisations operating in an increasingly
complex business-support landscape, it is also relevant to organisations with a wider economic development
remit. The programme of study is designed to be flexible, relevant and current; and sets business support
within a framework of theory, policy and practice. Business support is contextualised within issues such as:
local economic development; the importance of productivity to a region’s welfare and the rationale for public
sector support.
For staff the Diploma provides the opportunity to broaden their knowledge regarding the bigger picture
of business support services on a local, regional and national scale. It also equips them with the skills
to operate more autonomously and pro-actively, enabling their organisation to better manage the increasingly
complex interface between delivery organisation and client demand.
The successor to the ‘Premier Advisor’ programme, the Diploma in Business and Enterprise Support qualification
attracts SCQF Level 8 recognition enabling possible direct entry (through accredited prior learning) to year
three of our degree in Applied Enterprise and thence to post-graduate study at Certificate, Diploma and MSc level.
Thus, the Diploma provides a first CPD rung on the Higher education ladder.
During the Programme, participants become UWS students with full access to all library and online support services,
including email address and Moodle. All material (printed and online) is provided.
The Diploma is ideal for organisations that:
- Are engaged in business support or economic development
- Require staff to operate autonomously, identifying and solving the needs of clients
- Have cross-departmental functions involving wider issues of economic development
- Provide high-level CPD for key staff that helps to build organisational capacity
The Diploma is ideal for staff that:
- Wish to achieve a formal recognition of their skills set
- Want to work towards a higher-level qualification as part of their CPD
- Need to contextualise their knowledge of business support within a framework of economic development
- Are required to develop a more pro-active approach to client support consistent with national and EU policy initiatives
- Look to Identify and deliver client-focused solutions
Testimonials:
"The Diploma has joined everything up for me. I mean that I can now see where what I am doing in my job is not only linked to the local
authority’s vision and objectives but closely to the Scottish Government’s economic policy and frameworks." Diploma participant.
"I found the diploma really widened my knowledge about economic development and economic growth. Although I have been a business advisor
for 10 years this is not an area I have studied before and thus it was very reassuring to be able to put the work that I do into a wider economic
context. Quite often priorities and targeted areas in terms of support don’t always make sense at an advisory level and thus it was useful to see
the wider context from which these strategies and targets have been developed." Diploma participant.
The Diploma Programme:
The Programme is designed to be flexible, relevant and current. Delivery of the programme involves 5 full-day
sessions over a five month period followed by two individual work-based assessment visits. Assessment is designed
around the workplace, enabling Diploma participants to contextualise and apply their learning to live cases. To
achieve the Diploma in Business and Enterprise Support at SCQF Level 8 participants will be required to successfully
complete the 5 mandatory units listed below. Evidence for this qualification is gathered and mapped against the
SFEDI Business Gateway Assessment Strategy.
Ref No. |
Mandatory Unit Title |
UC01 04 |
Personal Professional Development |
UC02 04 |
Building Business Support Relationships |
UC03 04 |
Delivering Business Support |
UC04 04 |
Understand Economic and Enterprise Development |
UC05 04 |
Understand Business and Enterprise Support |
Delivery
To complete the Diploma's 5 units requires the Learner to complete 96 'guided learning'
hours for accreditation of 9 SCQF Level 8 credits. The 96 guided learning hours consist of
a blend of class-based delivery, on-site monitoring activity and on-site assessment and self-study.
Schedule |
Length of Programme (months) |
|
Delivery mode |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
Assessment |
Class-based delivery |
UC04 04 Understand Economic and Enterprise Development |
|
|
|
Project |
Class-based delivery |
UC05 04 Understand Business and Enterprise Support |
|
|
|
Project |
Client-based study |
|
|
UC02 04 Building Business Support Relationships |
|
Observation |
Client-based study |
|
|
UC03 04 Delivering Business Support |
|
Observation |
Self-study |
|
|
UC01 04 Personal Professional Development |
Log |
Activity |
When? |
Time? |
Commitment? |
Class-based delivery |
Months 1 to 5 |
1 day per month |
5 days total |
Client-based-study |
Months 4 to 7 |
Average 1 day per month |
5 days total (including one/two days assessment) |
Self-study |
Months 4 to 8 |
Average 1 day per month |
6 days total (including CPD record keeping) |
Total days |
16 days (96 hours) |
Entry Requirements
While there is no formal entry requirement, it is likely that participants will be working in business support or a related area.
For more information about future courses please contact the School of Business & Enterprise.