Skills for Social Entrepreneurs (SfSE) is a global programme operated by the British Council and its partners that supports organisations known as social enterprises which employ business approaches to meet social and environmental needs and make a positive impact in their communities.

Launched in 2009, the programme is currently run in China, Croatia, Georgia, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Philippines, Serbia, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine and Vietnam.

Training

In China, the programme has provided over 600 aspiring and practising social entrepreneurs with skills training and professional mentoring along with access to UK expertise, global peer networks and funding opportunities that enable them to build successful social enterprises.

Training sessions have been held in Beijing, Changsha, Chengdu, Kunming, Nanjing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Tianjin and Xi’an.

A separate strand of the programme called the Young Changemakers Project which was jointly developed with the China Youth Development Foundation trains university students to undertake volunteer public service.

Partners and award scheme

The programme forms partnerships with national and international organisations and social investors that fund, mentor and support social enterprises.

Our national partners include YouChange China Social Entrepreneur Foundation and Narada Foundation as well Shanghai More Love Foundation, Xinhu Venture Philanthropy Fund and The Amity Foundation. These organisations have collectively provided RMB 6.48 million in funding to Chinese social enterprises through the programme’s award scheme. Other partners include China Youth Development Foundation, the Tencent Foundation and The Social Resource Institute (SRI).

Our international partners include EMC Corporation, Diageo and The ArcelorMittal Foundation who, respectively, provide videoconferencing services, professional mentoring and UK study tours for award-winning programme participants.  

Policy dialogues and public engagement

The programme invites UK experts to hold policy dialogues with senior Chinese leaders and deliver presentations to the general public on social innovation, corporate social responsibility and sustainable economic development.

Building UK-China links

Widely regarded as a global leader in the field of social innovation, the UK is home to some 68,000 social enterprises. The SfSE programme builds links between social entrepreneurs in the UK and China so that they can learn from each other and share replicable entrepreneurial ideas that create jobs and wealth while delivering social and environmental benefits. This will help build trust between the UK and China and create a more sustainable future for all.

For more information about Skills for Social Entrepreneurs project please go to (http://dsi.britishcouncil.org.cn).