Is social entrepreneurship the same as social enterprise?
They're certainly related, but they're not the same thing. Social enterprises are typically businesses that measure their success both by how much profit they earn and how much they benefit some part of their community. Some are committed to employing people marginalised by the mainstream job market (such as people with mental health difficulties or criminal records); others are ethical businesses trying to benefit society in general.
Social entrepreneurs were certainly behind the creation of many of these projects; however, they can also be found in the not-for-profit, private and public sectors.
How can our organisation become part of the SSE Network?
The SSE Network works as a social franchise: local independent, community-led agencies are licensed to create and run programmes with SSE’s help on design, learning and quality. The same characteristics that we seek in our students (engaged with community, entrepreneurial, experienced, committed etc.) are those that we seek in our local and regional partners.
The core services provided to the Network include a quality system, best practice guide, branding (literature + materials), extranet/web, policy work, media and PR, and internal/external evaluation.
Action learning is an approach to learning which is based on learning-by-doing. It is also often called practical learning. SSE's experience is that entrepreneurs are much more suited to this type of learning, rather than traditional, theoretical learning (taught content in the classroom). You can find more detail, and explanation, on our Approach to Learning page.
Often people confuse it with action learning sets which are a particular method group learning and interaction. Such sets are small groups of individuals who support one another in learning and development in an area where they have an interest and wish to increase their expertise. The SSE uses these as one of the elements of its programme.
Not yet, but it's certainly a possibility, as we believe the methodology and approach is able to be tailored not only to different areas in the UK but also different countries. Do get in touch if you're interested in exploring this further.
We have several other schools in development around the UK, so please do get in touch if you are in an area not yet covered. In addition, we may be able to refer you to other organisations providing related services.
Currently we are working on developing SSEs in
- Cornwall
- the Black Country (West Midlands)
- Cumbria
- Yorkshire
- South East
For more information about the status of these and other developments, please get in touch.
How much does it cost to come on the SSE programme?
SSE seeks to ensure that fees present no barrier to participation and works to involve all people in its learning programme. The specific fee structure varies depending on location, but in general places on the programme are funded by grants or bursaries, or students are helped to generate sufficient income to meet their expenses and to contribute to the cost of the programme.
Generally, no, as we believe there is much to be gained from mixing people operating in different fields and sectors. We do have some specific focus from time-to-time, as with the Cultural Leadership opportunities on one of the London programmes.
