24 November – 5 December, 2008
(Two week course only)

Learn from leaders in the field, build your networks and develop essential skills to start your enterprise and help it thrive.

At this time of great change, how do we create organisations and businesses that engage with sustainability and ethics? This is a unique opportunity to explore these questions and develop your business plan or strategy. During the 2 week course, tutors will provide a dynamic range of theoretical and practical sessions to compliment your skills, build motivation and add to your understanding of what works. Through hearing stories, Q+A, mentoring, skills workshops and other diverse case studies on offer, you will gain insights and build capacity to support your vision for a sustainable future.

You will be able to:

• Strengthen your skills and passion to be a leader for change
• Consider the challenges and opportunities of your venture
• Learn from existing examples covering mainstream and alternative models and practices
• Examine what worked and what didn’t work from those who’ve done it
• Understand opportunities, challenges and barriers around funding
• Explore ideas and network in this inspiring learning environment

This course is designed for existing and aspiring ethical entrepreneurs who are developing a project and want to move their vision forward. You may be experienced in mainstream business and wish to move into the world of sustainability, or your experience may lie in the world of activism or education and wish to set up a successful new enterprise. Projects may include small to medium sized businesses; educational establishments; charities, organisations and networks.

Participants will have the opportunity to refine their plans with immediate feedback, to develop practical skills and networks, to build the capacity and motivation that can help them achieve their vision. This is a highly interactive course with a diverse range of teachers experienced in the field.

Read more about how this course, and the related Certificate in Education, were developed.

Contributors to the 2007 course

Chris Nichols is a coach, facilitator and workshop leader with 25 years experience in global business development in both the commercial and non-profit sectors.
Guy Watson is founder of Riverford Farm, one of the largest organic vegetable farms in the UK.
Antony Turner is founder and Managing Director of CarbonSense, a consultancy which works with businesses.
Ian Sharp is an account manager at Triodos Bank.
Tim ‘Mac’ Macartney is the CEO of Embercombe, a social enterprise that seeks to ‘inspire committed action towards a truly sustainable world’.
Jonathan Robinson is a founder and director of The Hub. The Hub has borrowed from the best of a members club, a business incubator, an innovation agency and a think-tank to create a very different kind of institution.
Galahad JD Clark A seventh generation shoe maker runs Terra Plana at the cutting edge of ethical fashion and retail with projects such as Worn Again 99% recycled shoes and accessories.
Emma Jackson works with Catalyst Collective (a workers co-op that helps new worker and housing co-ops register and set up, and runs the legal registration process for housing co-ops on behalf of Radical Routes.
Karen Blincoe is a designer, environmentalist and educationalist and the Founder and Creator of ICIS.

Course Fees

Fees are £1,400 including accommodation, food, field trips and all teaching sessions. (Fees for this course are TBC)

How to make an application – click here

For further information about Schumacher College please see About the College

New feature – reserve your place now

To provisionally reserve a place for 5 days, email us your contact details and the name of the course admin@schumachercollege.org.uk

We will hold the place for five working days for reservations – three weeks before a course or earlier. After five days we will automatically offer your place to someone else if we have not received your application.