Social Economic Development

The Impact Academy Social Economic Development program is designed to support those wanting to fast-track their career in community economic development. Whether it’s as a social development analyst, an economic development consultant, a social entrepreneur or the head of a social impact in an organization, this program will equip participants with what they need to make their career goals a reality. Reducing poverty may seem daunting to many. However, there are possible solutions such as equal opportunities, fair wages, safe environments and social protection. With the correct guidance, knowledge, experience, connections and understanding of today’s most pressing issues, you can make a contribution.

An online-only program is also available. To find out more, visit the Impact Academy Online page.

Program Details

This program can be divided into two components. The first component takes place online within the participant’s choice of 2, 8 or 16 weeks. Throughout these eight online courses, participants engage with a number of frameworks, toolkits, video lectures and interviews. They also complete assessments. During the program, participants are able to connect with classmates online via forums and webinars.

The online component can be completed in a standalone capacity, or in combination with a second optional component: fieldwork. The fieldwork component involves participants traveling to a location of their choice and putting into practice what they’ve learned. While in the field for a duration of their choice of 2 or 4 weeks, participants participate in a series of immersive masterclasses, site visits and fieldwork, producing one final project prior to completion of this component.

This program pushes participants to develop a thorough understanding of the key issues in social economic development, expand their skill set, refine their analytical abilities, learn best practices and discover the value of context. This is the result of Impact Academy programs having been designed to meet the largest current need of purpose-driven organizations: employees with a solid knowledge of context and exactly how to adapt an impact-focused project to this context.

Career opportunities that contribute to social economic development are evolving rapidly. Impact Academy participants gain access to our jobs board, featuring thousands of vacancies that involve contributing to social economic development.

Who Is This Program For?

This program is perfect for those hoping to launch their career in social economic development. This includes students who are pursuing, or have completed, a tertiary level education within the fields of international development, business administration, political science or related fields.

This program is also designed to meet the needs of “career switchers” — those hoping to move from their current career into a career that allows them to contribute to social economic development. Specifically, this course would be most relevant to social entrepreneurs and sustainable development practitioners wanting to understand their role within the broader context of community economic development.

Finally, the Impact Academy Social Economic Development program serves to help those already working as development professionals, in municipalities, government, development banks or other related industries to advance their current careers.

Find Out More

Visit the Impact Academy Social Economic Development program online to start your impact career journey today.