The three-day course, operated by the Institute of Directors (IoD), is due to start in early July and is targeted at existing directors of SMEs (including family businesses or owner-managed firms) and at newly-appointed directors or those who are shortly to take up the role of director.

Speaking about the course, John Weston, Director of Director Development at the IoD, said “It aims to provide an introduction to the role and responsibilities of a director; how your role as director differs from being a manager and how you have to think differently. [The course will] provide an insight into the role of the board, how it should be structured, and its responsibilities.”

After three days, attendees will hopefully gain an understanding of how complex a board’s task actually is and understand its role as a leader. Those who attend will also hopefully appreciate the board’s relationship with, and responsibility to, those within the company.

Weston added that there will be an examination of the legal implications of being a director, with a focus on where a director’s personal liabilities lie and what the limits are to their responsibilities as set out by the company or the law.

The benefits to SMEs and the individuals involved could be considerable, as according to Weston, ‘”Many company directors do not realise fully the personal liabilities involved until after they have got into the role.”

Following the course, participants should be able to identify the primary laws and regulations which UK companies and directors need to comply with as well as the legal liabilities and duties to which individual directors and boards are subject to.

The course runs from 09.00 to 17.30 each day, is non-residential, and costs £1,029.00 plus VAT for IoD members, and £1,338.00 plus VAT for non-members.

For further details, visit the IoD website at www.iod.com .