Download pptx - The Blueprint Collaborative: Increasing Worker Ownership in Low-Income Communities

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Worker Coop Academy Design by Blueprint Collaborative is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Bay Area BlueprintCreating Pathways to Ownership for Low and Moderate Income Workers in the Inner East Bay

Info Session

http://www.theselc.org/worker-cooperative-academy

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/



http://greencollarcommunities.wordpress.com/

http://www.project-equity.org/

http://www.theselc.org/

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Bay Area BlueprintOverviewThis pilot run of the Worker Coop Academy is one component of the Bay Area Blueprint for Increasing Worker Ownership, a year-long effort that started in April 2014. The Blueprint is creating actionable feasibility studies and pilots across three pathways to increase worker ownership for LMI workers:

1. Cooperative start up and growth assistance through education, business coaching, and legal advice (Worker Coop Academy);

2. Incubating or accelerating scalable cooperatives; and 3. Converting existing businesses to worker ownership.

During the pilot year, we are also designing a course at Laney College. After evaluating the Pilot, the Worker Coop Academy may become an ongoing program, potentially housed at Laney or a community organization.





http://www.project-equity.org/bay-area-blueprint/




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Worker Ownership’s benefits to society What does the research say?

All citations available in Worker Cooperatives: Pathways to Scale

Better jobs 158% increase in member incomes at WAGES coops

Lower turnover 15% at Cooperative Home Care Associates vs. 40-60% industry-wide

More efficient Coops in plywood industry were 6-14% more efficient

Higher survival rates 65% of Canadian coops survived 5 years vs. 40-50% of comparable businesses

civic engagement Citizens with employee stock ownership vote more: 73% voted in 2008 vs. 63% of non-owners

Citations available in Worker Cooperatives: Pathways to Scale (download at www.project-equity.org).





http://www.project-equity.org/worker-cooperatives-pathways-to-scale/

http://www.project-equity.org/worker-cooperatives-pathways-to-scale/

http://community-wealth.org/sites/clone.community-wealth.org/files/downloads/WorkerCoops-PathwaysToScale.pdf





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Worker Coop Academy Overview

The Worker Coop Academy aims to assist the formation and expansion of worker-owned businesses that will provide good jobs for Low- to Moderate-Income (LMI) workers.

During Phase 1 (Sept. to Dec. 2014), the Academy will provide a customized educational program tailored to your team’s needs, including workshops on essential topics for starting or growing a successful worker-owned cooperative business. Topic areas include: business fundamentals, people & culture, cooperatives, governance & management, and legal aspects.

During Phase 2, the Academy will provide individualized business coaching and legal counsel, for a subset of Phase 1 participants.








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1. Objectives

2. Participant Profile

4. Curriculum Framework 3. Outreach &

Selection Process

5. Instructor & Mentor

Profile

Worker Coop AcademyDesign Framework








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• Expose low- to moderate-income community members in the Inner East Bay to the cooperative business model

– 120-160 people participate outreach activities

• Help 3-5 worker coops launch or grow

– 5-7 teams of 3 people– 15-20 participants total

Worker Coop Academy 1. Objectives








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Worker Coop Academy 2. Participant Profile

• Individuals directly engaged with creating or growing worker-owned cooperative businesses– Startup: Founders of new worker cooperatives that are already operating or

plan to open in 2014 or 2015.– Expand: Members of existing worker coops that seek to grow. – Convert: Owners and employees looking to transition to worker ownership. – Develop: Staff of nonprofits or other organizations that are developing

worker coops that are already operating or that will open in late 2014 or 2015

• Teams with strong potential for short-term business success & job creation for low- to moderate-income workers – Planned or existing coops committed to growth– Highly likely to transfer Academy training to new job creation (business

launch or growth) in 2014 or 2015








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Worker Coop Academy 3. Outreach & Selection Process

• June 11th – August 1st: Teams submit applications • Teams that get their application in by July 11th will have their

applications reviewed first • Rolling applications accepted through midnight on August 1st

• July 21st – August 8th: Team interviews – If you are invited for an interview, we will contact you in

advance to request additional information about scheduling needs and program interests








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Worker Coop Academy 3. Outreach & Selection Process, continued

• August 15th – August 29th: Participants selected and invited to participate – We will hold follow-up conversations with finalists to

discuss tailored program design for each team.

• August 15th – September 8th: Participants commit to program

• Between September 15th and October 1st: Worker Coop Academy begins








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Worker Coop Academy4. Curriculum Framework

• The curriculum framework is designed to offer both a shared experience for the whole cohort and a customized program for each team.

• We will work with each team to determine its customized program.

• Some workshops may be optional.• Total formal classroom time for each team is estimated at

30 hours over the 3 month period.








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Worker Coop Academy 4. Curriculum Framework

Content Area:Business

Menu of topics, adaptable to participants’ needs

• Business feasibility and planning• Business model and strategy• Marketing • Business financing • Financial planning and management• Growth planning• Surplus, profits and taxation of

cooperatives • Balancing business and social goals








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Content Area:People & Culture


• Constructive communication • Self management • Conflict management • Hiring, firing and evaluating

employees, candidates for membership and worker-owners

• Employee Worker-owner transition• Building a healthy organizational

culture for the long haul








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Content Area:Cooperatives


• Cooperative principles • History of coops in the United

States and around the world• Site visits to Bay Area coops








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Content Area:Governance and Management


• Management models, roles and processes

• Governance options • Leadership issues in coops• Decision making practices• Effective meeting practices








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Content Area:Legal aspects


• Entity formation • Raising capital• Corporate governance• Employment law issues• Taxation of cooperatives








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Content Area:Coop Development


• Development process from feasibility to maturity

• Pro’s and con’s of different development models

• Components of a development process: training, TA, management, governance, etc.

• Roles of developer and coop








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For more information, visit SELC’s website: www.theselc.org/worker-cooperative-academy

A project of the Blueprint Collaborative












http://www.project-equity.org/bay-area-blueprint/
