Study at an SBC award-winning Business School in Bedfordshire

With a vast assortment of business schools in the UK awaiting applications, what makes the University of Bedfordshire Business School (UBBS) stand out from competition?

Perhaps it’s the school’s high rating from Times Higher Education (THE) for the second consecutive year, or maybe its impressive silver attainment in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF), an accolade that helps this school to attract extraordinary international talent, year after year.

Or it could be the fact that this business school in Bedfordshire is one of only 35 in the UK to hold the Small Business Charter (SBC) award.

What is the SBC Award?

Globally-known as a mark of excellence for the UK’s world-class business schools, the SBC award celebrates academic institutions that demonstrate proactive support towards local economies, student entrepreneurship and small businesses.

As stated on the Small Business Charter website, “SMEs, start-ups and students can receive expert advice, training and courses from business schools based right across the UK. The SBC award will help them find the business school that can help them.

“In order to achieve the Small Business Charter award, business schools undergo a rigorous assessment to determine the effectiveness of their business support, entrepreneurship education and engagement with their local economy”, the website adds.

To showcase the positive impact of the SBC award, a recent survey was distributed and award holders were asked to explain how effective the accreditation was.

As the report exhibits, business schools with SBC accreditation provide facilities that are designed to support the growth of early-stage businesses, including accelerators and start-up spaces. SBC schools also successfully stimulated engagement with SMEs and enabled prime knowledge-transfer experiences.

The survey also found that the “SBC award is effective in acting as a catalyst for collaboration with other stakeholders within the business support ecosystem, including representative bodies, government support agencies and fellow award holders.”

Additionally, “Over two-thirds of respondents to the recent survey said that their engagement with SME representative bodies or public sector support agencies had increased since achieving the award and none reported a decrease.”

UBBS in action

With such an incredible award tied to its reputation, the University of Bedfordshire Business School ensures that the needs of both students and local companies are met.

As a school with a proud tradition of triggering entrepreneurial spirit among international student communities, this is a great place to kick-start your business studies and perhaps a start-up of your own.

Upon receiving the award, Campus Director Dr Gordon Mellor stated that “With this award, students who choose to study business at the University of Bedfordshire know that they will have the opportunity to work on real business issues. They will get industry experience and real-world skills to put on their CV’s.”

By enhancing your professional portfolio with essential employability skills, also connecting to international companies in areas that complement your chosen subject through the school’s industry network, you’ll be ready to thrive in the fields of business and innovation.

UBBS wants graduates to be ‘EmployAble’, helping them follow through with their career ambitions instead of doubting their skills. With an engaging Careers and Employability Service and a Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) system, it’s clear to see how this business school in Bedfordshire secured SBC status.

With areas of expertise in accounting, business development, international business and legal studies, there’s so much to learn from this school. You’ll discover exactly what makes a successful investment, the dynamics of growth and succession planning and pinpoint the most commonly neglected aspect of launching a new business.

You’ll never be short of knowledge or opportunities at UBBS!

What do UBBS students say?

So what’s it like to study at an SBC-accredited business school? Here’s what students who have studied at UBBS have to say about their experience:

“My course at UBBS has helped me to gain the knowledge in the Accounting and Finance field. It has helped me build up my understanding and I learnt how to work in a group, presentation skills and I have been improving my communication skills. The Business Pods and the Learning Resources area are great facilities for students,” says Han Nguyen, BSc Accounting and Finance student.

“The best aspects of the course are meeting and working with others from various industries and sectors and sharing different experiences. I think that this is a great course for business managers. It offers a good step forward for people who are developing in management roles. The course also offers an excellent opportunity to consolidate knowledge for more experienced business managers,” says Rachel Taylor of the Executive MBA.

So, if you want to make the most of your business career and reap the benefits of an SBC-accredited institution, the University of Bedfordshire Business School promises to deliver an unrivalled student experience for all. 

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