University helps military entrepreneurs move from battlefield to business

Manchester Metropolitan University Centre for Enterprise’s Enterprise Forces Bootcamp starts in March

Manchester Metropolitan University Centre for Enterprise’s Enterprise Forces Bootcamp, starting in March, will put armed service leavers through their paces, covering all the essentials of starting up a business for those wishing to use their forces trade or skill.

The intensive two-day course covers business planning, motivation, idea generation, marketing, sales and financial management.

IN-DEPTH

For others wishing to develop a business idea or apply technical knowledge, the Enterprise Forces Academy provides an in-depth business course over five days.

This combines essential business skills with ideas generation, motivational sessions with successful entrepreneurs, peer-to-peer active learning and individual coaching.

“Following the strategic defence and security review, increasing numbers of people are leaving the armed services and making the transition back into civilian life,” Enterprise Forces programme leader Claire Pattison says.

“This can be a daunting prospect, but they have many transferable skills and qualities that provide a natural fit to business. Enterprise Forces aims to accelerate this transition by inspiring and educating would-be entrepreneurs.”

Manchester Metropolitan University has been working closely with Heropreneurs, a charity that helps military personnel to start up in business.

EXPERTISE

Richard Morris, founder of Heropreneurs, says: “Former armed services members bring with them excellent expertise and skills. They have been trained to the highest of standards. Their integrity, high energy, passion and high productivity makes them ideal candidates for running their own businesses.

“It’s great to see Manchester Metropolitan University provide a tailor-made programme to help them hone their skills.”