Developing the Role and Capability of the Small Business Adviser

There has been an enormous growth in assistance to small firms over the past three or four years, albeit from a very small initial base. Much of this assistance has been geared to “software”, namely the provision of advice, counselling, consulting and training/education services. The Small Firms Information Centre Service has expanded its capability substantially as has the associated Department of Industry Counselling Service. The latter, for example, has not only increased numerically (with over 200 counsellors throughout the UK) but has begun to differentiate its service in favour of particular groups, for example, in offering a technical counselling service. In addition, as local interest in small firms has developed, a wide range of other sources of assistance have emerged including: large companies providing secondees to “counsel” small business; local authorities providing their own counselling and advice centres; semi‐autonomous “voluntary” organisations such as the Citizens Advice Bureau; other representatives of local authorities, including community services organisations and industrial development officers; the banks and some accountants, and more recently the Enterprise Agencies themselves. In addition many colleges and polytechnics have established counselling/consultancy services often linked with small business training and education programmes.