TWO employees from businesses based on Malvern Hills Science Park have beaten off stiff competition to win places on a ground-breaking new business administration programme.

Tristan Mitchell from DeltaXML and Dibble Clark from 3SDL will join the two-year, post-graduate Momentum project at the University of Worcester, which has been tailored to equip participants with high-level strategic leadership and business management skills.

Momentum has been created by the University, Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce and the Leadership Trust to improve take up of postgraduate qualifications in the region and beyond by making it more accessible, especially to those already in full-time work.

Mr Mitchell, solutions architect for independent software vendor DeltaXML said, “I am delighted to have been selected to take part. Momentum has been structured to reflect the needs of those, like me, in full time work so I’ll be able to grow my leadership and management skills whilst still focusing on the day job.”

Stephen Wright, business development manager at Malvern Hills Science Park, added: "I’m delighted the park has two people on this exciting programme and believe it is testament to the brilliant minds we have here in Malvern as competition for the 40 spaces was very strong. Programmes such as Momentum are exactly what small, hi-tech companies need to support their growth. Very often such companies are packed with brilliantly innovative people with great ideas and support in management and leadership is what’s needed for these companies to reach their full potential and achieve the kind of size that creates real employment opportunities.”

The programme, which has just started, runs until July 2016.