Bay area blueprint coop academydesignframework_final
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The Worker Cooperative Academy, part of the Bay Area Blueprint, aims to support low- and moderate-income workers in creating and growing cooperative businesses. The program includes a flexible curriculum designed to meet participant needs and is structured around three main pathways to worker ownership. Outreach and selection processes are established to recruit suitable participants for the academy, ensuring tailored support throughout the program.
Bay area blueprint coop academydesignframework_final
- 1. 1 Worker Coop Academy Design by Blueprint Collabora9ve is licensed under a Crea9ve Commons A;ribu9on-‐NonCommercial-‐ ShareAlike 4.0 Interna9onal License. Bay Area Blueprint Crea9ng Pathways to Ownership for Low and Moderate Income Workers in the Inner East Bay Design Framework
- 2. 2 Worker Coop Academy Design by Blueprint Collabora9ve is licensed under a Crea9ve Commons A;ribu9on-‐NonCommercial-‐ ShareAlike 4.0 Interna9onal License. Coop Academy Overview The Bay Area Coop Academy is one component of the Bay Area Blueprint. A collabora9ve year-‐long effort star9ng in April 2014, the Blueprint looks at three pathways to worker ownership for Low-‐ to Moderate-‐Income (LMI) workers: • Small business coopera9ve entrepreneurship (the focus of the Coop Academy) • Scalable worker coops startups, and • Conversions of exis9ng businesses to worker ownership Depending on the success of the Coop Academy pilot, we may seek ways to make it an ongoing program. As part of the Blueprint, we are also undertaking a related effort to design a course on coopera9ves at Laney College. This document is a design framework for the pilot run of the Coop Academy. The framework is meant to be flexible so that final design of the program can be responsive to par9cipants’ needs.
- 3. 3 Worker Coop Academy Design by Blueprint Collabora9ve is licensed under a Crea9ve Commons A;ribu9on-‐NonCommercial-‐ ShareAlike 4.0 Interna9onal License. Design Framework Par9cipants Curriculum Instructors, Mentors, Coaches Delivery Coop Academy Components
- 4. 4 Worker Coop Academy Design by Blueprint Collabora9ve is licensed under a Crea9ve Commons A;ribu9on-‐NonCommercial-‐ ShareAlike 4.0 Interna9onal License. 1. ObjecBves 2. ParBcipant Profile 4. Curriculum Framework 3. Outreach & SelecBon Process 5. Instructor & Mentor Profile Coop Academy Design Framework
- 5. 5 Worker Coop Academy Design by Blueprint Collabora9ve is licensed under a Crea9ve Commons A;ribu9on-‐NonCommercial-‐ ShareAlike 4.0 Interna9onal License. • Expose LMI community members in the Inner East Bay to the coopera9ve business model – 120-‐160 people par9cipate in phase 1 (outreach and recruitment) • Help 3-‐5 worker coops launch or grow – 5-‐7 teams of 3 par9cipate in phases 2 & 3 (classroom cohort and follow-‐up coaching for advanced graduates) – Aiming for ~15-‐20 par9cipants total Coop Academy 1. ObjecBves
- 6. 6 Worker Coop Academy Design by Blueprint Collabora9ve is licensed under a Crea9ve Commons A;ribu9on-‐NonCommercial-‐ ShareAlike 4.0 Interna9onal License. Coop Academy 2. ParBcipant Profile • Individuals directly engaged with crea9ng or growing worker-‐ owned coopera9ve businesses – Coop founders – Members of growing coops – Coop developers • Teams with strong poten9al for business success & job crea9on for low-‐ to moderate-‐income workers – Planned or exis9ng coopera9ves commi;ed to growth – Highly likely to transfer Academy training to new job crea9on (business launch or growth) in the near future
- 7. 7 Worker Coop Academy Design by Blueprint Collabora9ve is licensed under a Crea9ve Commons A;ribu9on-‐NonCommercial-‐ ShareAlike 4.0 Interna9onal License. Coop Academy 3. Outreach & SelecBon Process • Outreach and networking (April – May) – Generate interest – Learn about universe of poten9al applicants – Get input on design • Invita9on to apply (June) – Learn about prospec9ve par9cipants’ strengths, hopes, ques9ons, and needs; gauge level of interest and fit – Refine design concepts to address needs – Finalize program offering, requirements and applica9on
- 8. 8 Worker Coop Academy Design by Blueprint Collabora9ve is licensed under a Crea9ve Commons A;ribu9on-‐NonCommercial-‐ ShareAlike 4.0 Interna9onal License. Coop Academy 3. Outreach & SelecBon Process, conBnued • Teams submit applica9ons – First applica9on deadline: July 11 – Rolling applica9ons accepted through August 1 • Team interviews – July 21 – August 8 • Par9cipants selected / invited – August 15 – September 1 – Target: 5-‐7 teams commit to program by mid to late August
- 9. 9 Worker Coop Academy Design by Blueprint Collabora9ve is licensed under a Crea9ve Commons A;ribu9on-‐NonCommercial-‐ ShareAlike 4.0 Interna9onal License. Coop Academy 4. Curriculum Framework • The curriculum framework is designed as a menu, to enable the specific curriculum delivery to be tailored to the group of par9cipants. • We may tailor the classroom por9on of the Academy to fit the needs of our cohort and individual par9cipants by making some classes required and others op9onal; in this case, we will work with each team to determine which of the op9onal sessions they will a;end.
- 10. 10 Worker Coop Academy Design by Blueprint Collabora9ve is licensed under a Crea9ve Commons A;ribu9on-‐NonCommercial-‐ ShareAlike 4.0 Interna9onal License. Coop Academy 4. Curriculum Framework Content Area: Business Menu of topics, adaptable to par3cipants’ needs • Business feasibility and planning • Business model and strategy • Marke9ng • Business financing • Financial planning and management • Growth planning • Surplus, profits and taxa9on of coopera9ves • Balancing business and social goals
- 11. 11 Worker Coop Academy Design by Blueprint Collabora9ve is licensed under a Crea9ve Commons A;ribu9on-‐NonCommercial-‐ ShareAlike 4.0 Interna9onal License. Coop Academy 4. Curriculum Framework Content Area: People & Culture Menu of topics, adaptable to par3cipants’ needs • Construc9ve communica9on • Self management • Conflict management • Hiring, firing and evalua9ng employees, candidates for membership and worker-‐owners • Employee à Worker-‐owner transi9on • Building a healthy organiza9onal culture for the long haul
- 12. 12 Worker Coop Academy Design by Blueprint Collabora9ve is licensed under a Crea9ve Commons A;ribu9on-‐NonCommercial-‐ ShareAlike 4.0 Interna9onal License. Coop Academy 4. Curriculum Framework Content Area: CooperaBves Menu of topics, adaptable to par3cipants’ needs • Coopera9ve principles • History of coops in the United States and around the world • Site visits to Bay Area coops
- 13. 13 Worker Coop Academy Design by Blueprint Collabora9ve is licensed under a Crea9ve Commons A;ribu9on-‐NonCommercial-‐ ShareAlike 4.0 Interna9onal License. Coop Academy 4. Curriculum Framework Content Area: Governance and Management Menu of topics, adaptable to par3cipants’ needs • Management models, roles and processes • Governance op9ons • Leadership issues in coops • Decision making prac9ces • Effec9ve mee9ng prac9ces
- 14. 14 Worker Coop Academy Design by Blueprint Collabora9ve is licensed under a Crea9ve Commons A;ribu9on-‐NonCommercial-‐ ShareAlike 4.0 Interna9onal License. Coop Academy 4. Curriculum Framework Content Area: Legal aspects Menu of topics, adaptable to par3cipants’ needs • En9ty forma9on • Raising capital • Corporate governance • Employment law issues • Taxa9on of coopera9ves
- 15. 15 Worker Coop Academy Design by Blueprint Collabora9ve is licensed under a Crea9ve Commons A;ribu9on-‐NonCommercial-‐ ShareAlike 4.0 Interna9onal License. Coop Academy 4. Curriculum Framework Content Area: Coop Development Menu of topics, adaptable to par3cipants’ needs • Coop development cycle from feasibility to maturity • Pros, cons & ethics of different development models • Components of a development process: TA, training, management, governance, other • Defining roles and authority of developer and coop • Resourcing a development process: funding and other resources
- 16. 16 Worker Coop Academy Design by Blueprint Collabora9ve is licensed under a Crea9ve Commons A;ribu9on-‐NonCommercial-‐ ShareAlike 4.0 Interna9onal License. Coop Academy 5. Instructor & Mentor Profile • Instructors – Knowledgeable about content – Able to adapt to help par9cipants apply concepts to their businesses – Skilled in par9cipatory, problem-‐based teaching techniques (popular educa9on) • Mentors – Successful coops or small businesses suppor9ve of coop model – Strong prac99oners in at least one content area – Industry match with Mentees, where possible
- 17. 17 Worker Coop Academy Design by Blueprint Collabora9ve is licensed under a Crea9ve Commons A;ribu9on-‐NonCommercial-‐ ShareAlike 4.0 Interna9onal License. For more informaBon, visit SELC’s website: www.theselc.org/worker-‐cooperaBve-‐academy A project of the Blueprint CollaboraBve