Leading Digital Transformation Programme

• Become a digitally informed, empowered leader. 
• Gain real perspectives, from your team, about their readiness for digital transformation. 
• Develop a digital strategy to help you to identify the priority right digital opportunities for your business.   
• Learn how to prepare and help your business to make the most of the opportunities that digital transformation offers. 
• See technology in action through case studies from other businesses. 
• Gain actionable insights and avoid pitfalls from SME leaders who have adopted technology.   
• Join a community of like-minded individuals where you can share challenges and opportunities.  
• Learn how to engage and inspire employees and develop digital champions within your business.  
• Access opportunities for digital technology adoption funding.   

• Business Diagnostic Survey (all staff) online survey tool to understand opportunity and readiness for implementation of new technology within the business and a 121 session to share the results of the survey with you.

• Reviewing your strategic objectives. Getting to know each other and building cohort trust, Business SWOT, PESTLE analysis, and setting initial priorities. 

• Peer Learning Forums. Action Learning Forums - facilitated peer learning groups to help drive action within the programme. There are four sessions in the programme 

• Leading Change. Introduction to the concept of managing change within an organisation and the impact of change to staff within the business.  

• Opportunity Mapping. Introduction to process mapping and how to identify opportunity for change in your key processes 

• Case studies from other businesses that have adopted digital technologies 

• Managing Change and Measuring Value. Introduction to project management tools including SPRINTS and outlining success factors of cost, quality, time and impact using project scoping  

• Visits to technology demonstrators: 
  NERIC (North of England Robotics Innovation Centre), a facility for robotics and automation specialisms including robotics for intelligent infrastructure, digital automation, and supply chain improvement based at the University of Salford
  PrintCity, a 3D additive and digital manufacturing centre, home to manufacturing experts, designers, engineers and students based at Manchester Metropolitan University. 

• Engaging Stakeholders. Who can help and who can hinder? Explore internal and external resources to support your projects. 

• Making it Happen. How to effectively manage implementation by establishing project management tools for governance and decision-making (Project Forum) 

• Showcase. Each delegate will present their project goals and showcase 1 initiative with their peers in an environment to help deliver success by encouraging challenge 

• Delivered across 14 weeks through a blend of face-to-face workshops, online webinars and case studies from SME manufacturers who are already on the journey of adopting digital technology 
• You will also join a community of like-minded individuals in sessions where you learn together and help each other test new ideas 
• Time commitment is 3 hours a week after the induction day  (Total of 32 learning hours)
• The online sessions will be recorded.

Dates for the April 2026 Cohort

This funded programme is for you if you are a senior leader of a North West based, SME* manufacturing business.     

*An SME is any organisation that has fewer than 250 employees and a turnover of less than €50 million or a balance sheet total of less than €43 million