Fostering green business growth
Introduction to the course
Environmental challenges, including climate change, are changing the way businesses work - either because they are forced to or because they proactively seek to. Green businesses tend to be more profitable and future-proof. They save scarce resources, help maintain healthy ecosystems, minimize pollution and waste, limit greenhouse emissions, and provide green goods and services that enable more responsible consumption patterns.
Green businesses are vital for a development model that delivers a triple bottom-line of prosperity, planet and people. The benefits from flourishing green businesses are twofold. The business community becomes more competitive while at the same time the jobs produced are supporting a societal change towards greener and healthier lives for people.
However, sustainability as a business driver remains novel for many. Companies therefore need support in the process of going green. Governments and private sector support agencies have a clear role in creating an enabling environment for green business growth and promoting the greening of business practices.
This course will provide policy makers and practitioners with insights and tools to support businesses in the green economy. How to support businesses in their efforts to go green? What works and what does not work in supporting green business development?
Join this course to find out more on green business growth strategies and become one of the movers and shakers in a greener future.
Who attends this course?
This course targets decision-makers and business service providers involved in the design and implementation of national or local strategies and instruments to support the greening of businesses:
- Employers' and business membership organizations
- SME agencies, business development service providers and business incubators
- Development practitioners responsible for green business finance and/or green business development
- Development agencies sponsoring green SMEs and entrepreneurship
- Members from civil society organizations supporting green business growth
Course objectives and topics
This course provides participants with a conceptual and practical overview of how business service providers and business membership organizations support SMEs going green.
The objective of this course is to increase participants’ understanding of the key concepts, approaches and tools be able to accompany existing of future green businesses to grow. It will also enable them to advocate for, initiate and implement change processes at business and policy level. The main contents of the course include:
- The business case for greening transitions: Market failures and the rationale for supporting green business growth
- Opportunities and challenges at firm level: the internal and external drivers to going green
- The role of SME agencies and business service providers in the green transition
- How to design an appropriate mix of policies and support programmes to make green business growth happen
- Tested tools and approaches to support green entrepreneurship
- Policy advocacy tools and approaches to greening of businesses
Participants will inter alia learn about:
- Green business development services, green business competitions, green business training, marketing
- Green innovation models, certification, eco-labelling
- Greening business operations and value chains
- Green finance: Green loans, green bonds and green investments
- Approaches for assessing and building a conducive environment for green businesses
Course structure and methodology
The e-learning course will run over a period of 2 weeks. Throughout the entire course duration participants will have access to the ITCILO’s eCampus and self-guided e-learning modules with interactive learning activities and case studies, background reading material and key information on the course.
Throughout these 2 weeks several participatory, live online sessions will be delivered by ITCILO trainers. These online sessions offer the opportunity to learn and exchange with sector experts and professionals from international organisations, business support institutions as well as governmental agencies and non-governmental organisations on the various course topics.
During the sessions, participants will also have the possibility to further develop their skills by applying the acquired knowledge in group learning exercises. The course will close with a final assignment that will enable participants to showcase their newly acquired knowledge and put it into action.
The total time investment for the completion of the course will be 30 hours.
Why should I join?
This course will enable participants to:
- Review state-of-the-art tools, policies and instruments for supporting greening businesses
- Reflect and innovate upon their own service offering towards greening businesses
- Share experiences on the challenges and opportunities for supporting green business development in different contexts
- Exchange knowledge with a community of green champions, practitioners and high-level experts
Participants will thus be prepared to be an active part of the transition to a greener, job-rich and socially just economy by supporting green businesses in their respective countries and communities to strive.
The course will allow participants to become leaders on harnessing the emerging opportunities in a green economy and will enhance their professional profile by acquiring new skills with increasing demand in the future.
Practical information
The course will be delivered in English and it will be held fully online.
After successfully completing all required activities, participants obtain an official ITCILO Certificate of Participation in Digital Credentials Format.
The tuition fee for this course is 1.055 Euros.
How to apply
If you wish to participate in this course, please fill in the online application form available here: https://oarf2.itcilo.org/DST/A9717203/en
Applications must be received no later than 8 November 2024.
If the participation is sponsored by an institution, the application should be accompanied by a letter from the sponsoring organization.
