New Social Entrepreneur Course for Queensland

SSE Fellow Julian Lee from Food Connect. Photo supplied

A course for social entrepreneurs that is already successful in Sydney and Melbourne is taking applications for its new Brisbane program.

The Accelerator program, offered by the School for Social Entrepreneurs (SSE) Australia, will commence in 2013 and offer up to 14 social entrepreneurs the chance to work collaboratively with a team of facilitators, business experts and seasoned entrepreneurs to either launch or grow an innovative social enterprise.

SSE Australia says that unlike traditional educational and training programs, the intensive 4-month Accelerator program is based on the highly successful “learning by doing” approach.

It says that students gain both practical business and personal skills that can be applied directly to their social or environmental enterprise.

“We are aware of the vibrant and growing social enterprise sector in Brisbane and are really looking forward to working with some of the passionate upcoming social entrepreneurs to give them the skills, confidence and networks to bring their enterprises to life,” SSE Australia chief executive Celia Hodson said.

SSE Australia already runs the program Sydney and Melbourne and has a Fellowship of almost 200 social entrepreneurs since launching in early 2009.

Students’ and fellows’ ventures range from pop-up restaurants which provide hospitality training for marginalised youth to Indigenous arts enterprises and fair trade food and textile businesses.

SSE Australia says the program aims to attract social entrepreneurs like Jamie Green who travelled from his base in Brisbane to take part in the current National SSE Program in Melbourne.

He runs a social enterprise bedding company called One Night Stand which helps fund initiatives to tackle homelessness.

"At SSE, my overall business knowledge has rapidly increased, my personal network has tripled and One Night Stand has gone from a small one product business to a successful multi product company," Green said.

SSE Australia is part of a global network of schools including eight across the UK and one in Toronto, Canada.

For more information on the Accelerator Program and to download the program brochure visit www.sse.org.au.