Social Entrepreneurship and Community Impact in Adult Education

Change your community. Build your organisation. Inspire your learners.

Inclusion and DiversityParticipation in Democratic LifeErasmus+ KA1 ADU

About This Course

Social entrepreneurship is reshaping how adult education organisations think about their purpose, sustainability and impact. Across Europe, adult education organisations are developing income-generating activities, building social enterprises alongside their educational missions and positioning themselves as drivers of local social and economic development.

At the same time, adult learners are increasingly interested in social entrepreneurship as a pathway to meaningful work and community contribution: for migrants building new lives, for older adults seeking a second career with purpose, for community members frustrated by the lack of local services.

This course gives adult education professionals a thorough, inspiring and practically grounded engagement with social entrepreneurship in adult education contexts, aligned with EntreComp, the European Agenda for Adult Learning and the Union of Skills.

Social Entrepreneurship And Community Impact

Who Should Attend

  • Adult educators and facilitators wanting to develop social entrepreneurship approaches
  • Adult education managers exploring social enterprise models
  • Community learning professionals working on economic empowerment
  • Career guidance counsellors supporting adult learners towards social entrepreneurship
  • Erasmus+ coordinators with KA2 social enterprise projects

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course participants will be able to:

  • Apply the EntreComp framework to social entrepreneurship education for adults.

    EntreComp's fifteen competences across three areas are directly applicable to social entrepreneurship education for adults. You will use it as a curriculum planning tool to design genuine entrepreneurial competence development.

  • Facilitate social entrepreneurship learning processes with diverse adult learner groups.

    Social entrepreneurship education for adults requires facilitation that combines challenge and support precisely. You will have facilitation strategies for working with adult learners who are excited but risk-averse, motivated but resource-poor.

  • Design a social enterprise learning programme appropriate for your adult learner community.

    You will design a social enterprise learning programme specifically for the adult learners you work with: their backgrounds, assets, constraints and community context.

  • Develop your organisation's social entrepreneurship capacity and funding sustainability.

    Adult education organisations developing social enterprise activities alongside their educational mission are more financially sustainable, more embedded in communities and more attractive to Erasmus+ and other EU funders.

    EntreComp - Into ActionEuropean Agenda for Adult Learning 2021 to 2030

A 7-Day Professional Development Experience

Five days of intensive training with a structured arrival day and cultural excursion. We tailor every programme to your organisation's needs.

Day 1
Sunday - Arrival and Welcome

Welcome dinner. Introduction to the social enterprise ecosystem of the host city.

Day 2
Monday - Social Entrepreneurship and Adult Education
MorningWhat social entrepreneurship is and why it matters. The EntreComp framework applied to social change contexts.
AfternoonParticipants experience social entrepreneurial learning: a structured social innovation challenge.
Day 3
Tuesday - Ideas, Opportunities and Community Needs
MorningIdentifying community needs and social entrepreneurship opportunities. Helping adult learners spot and develop ideas worth pursuing.
AfternoonDesign thinking for social impact: applying the design process to community challenges.
Day 4
Wednesday - Learning from Social Enterprises
MorningVisits to local social enterprises and community organisations in the host city.
AfternoonCase study analysis: outstanding adult education social enterprise examples from across Europe.
Day 5
Thursday - Designing Your Social Enterprise Programme
MorningParticipants design a social entrepreneurship learning programme for their adult learner community.
AfternoonDeveloping your organisation's social enterprise strategy. Peer review and feedback.
Day 6
Friday - Action Planning
MorningMulti-year strategy for social enterprise development. Connecting to Erasmus+ KA2, ESF Plus and other funding.
AfternoonPresentations, certificates and farewell dinner.
Day 7
Saturday - Cultural Excursion and Departure

Guided cultural excursion. Departure at convenience.

This outline is a starting point. Contact us to discuss how we can tailor this programme for your organisation.

EU Policy Alignment

EU Policy Initiatives

European Agenda for Adult Learning 2021 to 2030Union of Skills 2025European Social Fund PlusErasmus+ 2026
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Available Locations and Dates

Check the dates page for current availability.

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