Frame Kennedy

Shott Scale Up Accelerator: Leadership programme opportunities available

Talk to an expert

Making the leap from a technical expert to a business leader can be challenging. The Shott Scale Up Accelerator is a 12-month programme that aims to help senior decision-makers in high-growth engineering and tech SMEs develop the skills needed to scale their business to the next level.


The programme is funded by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and Ian Shott, who is a highly successful entrepreneur looking to support a new generation of entrepreneurial engineers.


Successful participants pay no costs for the programme.


The programme includes leadership coaching and business mentoring, as well as access to an investor network. A £10,000 grant is also available to pay for leadership courses.


The growth training programme will focus on people and culture, good governance, customer acquisition, product and service development, securing growth capital, and access to new markets. Each module will be led by experts in their subject and seasoned entrepreneurs.


To be eligible for the programme you need to be a senior leader in a UK-based engineering or technology SME that has a turnover or equity investment of at least £1m in the last financial year.


Applications are currently open, with a deadline of 4pm on 28 May 2024.


See: https://enterprisehub.raeng.org.uk/shott-scale-up

August 27, 2026
Cost of business crisis for British SMEs

UK businesses are facing a “cost of business crisis”, according to the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC). Its new cost-stack calculator shows government policy alone has pushed up an average firm's expenses by 70% over the past decade, adding roughly £827,000 a year in costs for a typical mid-sized business. About a quarter of the rise stems from the increase in employer National Insurance contributions, with the higher minimum wage and mandatory pension auto-enrolment also major contributors.

Read article
August 26, 2026
Making Tax Digital for Income Tax first quarter statistics published

Under Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax, sole traders and landlords with income of more than £50,000 have been required to keep digital records and send quarterly updates to HMRC since 6 April 2026.

Read article