Gloucestershire-based businesses are being given the chance to work with some of the biggest companies in the world thanks to a new initiative launched by the Growth Hub.

Mentoring for Growth is a flagship programme run by Be The Business, designed to give SMEs access to experienced business leaders from large, multinational organisations with FTSE500 listings.

By connecting with business behemoths, SMEs will be able to take advantage of knowledge, ideas, expertise and experiences from established firms and help the future direction of the SMEs.

Mentors available include senior figures from the UK's leading businesses including GSK, Amazon and the John Lewis Partnership.

Almost 200 successful matches have already been made elsewhere in the country, a figure set to increase to 1,000 by March 2020.

The Growth Hub will be responsible for identifying SMEs which could benefit from the programme and then matching them with mentors - selected by Be the Business - from the nation's most productive companies.

Should an SME not qualify for Be the Business programme it can still benefit from The Growth Hub's own mentoring services, meaning a mentoring service is available to all small businesses.

Be the Business, which oversees Mentoring for Growth programme, is the business-led organisation created to drive up UK productivity and competitiveness.

Led by Sir Charlie Mayfield, chairman of the John Lewis Partnership, Be the Business is spearheading a business-led drive to help companies across the UK improve their performance.

If your business would benefit from mentoring, or you would like further information, please contact The Growth Hub at mentors@thegrowthhub.biz  or @thegrowthhubbiz  on twitter for more information.