Record breaking cohort secures best ever results for leading Welsh business programme

AN ACCLAIMED business and management qualification is celebrating its most successful cohort ever.

More than 1,000 senior managers, owners, and directors from across Wales – and 10% of its 300 top firms – have graduated from the 20Twenty Business Growth Programme over the years.

The latest group to complete the course – all based in Flintshire, Wrexham and north Powys – have the best results in its history; 14 delegates on the CMI (Chartered Management Institute) Level 7 received the highest average results in Wales, including seven distinctions.

Among them was Ian Danby, Head of Biodiversity at the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC), who scored the best overall marks in the country.

He said the programme – delivered by Bangor University in collaboration with Cardiff Metropolitan University – gave him a real confident boost.
“20Twenty was a wholly worthwhile experience,” Ian added.

“I went into it wanting to both confirm the skills I had and to develop new ones in areas of business management where my career to date has had less emphasis. The lecturers on the course were a diverse group of seasoned professionals and I really enjoyed it.”

Those studying for the qualification – which has been held online due to the Coronavirus pandemic – attend masterclasses and workshops with some of the leading names in myriad industries, including former BBC Business Doctor, Dr Paul Thomas, Director and Founder of DNA Definitive.

Various themes and topics are covered, and delegates are focused on developing a Strategic Growth Plan (SGP).

With the programme 80% funded by the European Social Fund (ESF) through Welsh Government, it has been lauded by alumni for the long-term impact it has had on their businesses, and the relationships forged among representatives from different sectors.

Learning and Evaluation Manager Greg Parry praised the record-breaking group for their achievement and encouraged other company and social enterprise leaders to sign up for the next cohort, which begins in February.

“I took over this role halfway through this latest programme and had the pleasure of reading the delegates’ Strategic Growth Projects,” he said.
“While their grades are brilliant, the biggest impact will hopefully be developing aspects such as leadership, marketing or change management in their organisations.”

Dr Paul Thomas added: “The programme will connect you to a real sense of self and that of human leadership. It will inspire and challenge you to grow, to become a future-fit leader who can take on the complexities of driving modern organisations – well done to those who have achieved such brilliant results.”