Communities in Business

CiB runs projects and initiatives specifically supporting enterprising carers, disabled entrepreneurs and Armed Forces service-leavers and veterans.  Members have free access to educational materials derived from an on-line programme of business support and mentoring accredited by a consortium of universities across the UK including Oxford Brookes University.  

The year-long programme assumes no prior business knowledge and explains business concepts in a straightforward manner and includes real-life case studies.  The full programme comprises 64 sets of easy-to-read modules and fact-sheets, many with accompanying templates for documents such as business plans, cash flow forecasts and marketing brochures.  The module sets run in a logical sequence; for example, the first 16 sets lead to starting a business and the following 48 provide essential information about running and growing a business.  The programme is delivered via a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) powered by “Moodle” (used by the Open University), together with e-mentoring, allowing a flexible route to learning and access to networking via e-community forums.