Climate Leadership & Action Programme

Is your organisation ready to meet new sustainability expectations from clients, suppliers and tenders? Join our fully-funded Climate Leadership & Action Programme and leave with a tailored, UK Government-aligned sustainability action plan.

What is it?
This six-week programme is designed to accelerate your progress embedding sustainability across your business. It combines expert-led learning, practical tools, and 3 hours of 1:1 support to help you develop a tailored Sustainability Action Plan you can begin implementing straight away.

Whether you're creating a government aligned carbon reduction plan, preparing for Net Zero, or wanting to future-proof your organisation — this hands-on course gives you everything you need, fast.

Time commitment: 20 hours total
Cost: FREE (valued at £2,000)
Location: Online and at the University of Leicester's Brookfield Campus

Who is it for?
This course is ideal for:

• Small - medium-sized Leicestershire organisations including charities, CICs and social enterprises
• Senior staff responsible for sustainability, compliance, operations or business planning
• Organisations without a dedicated sustainability team who need to respond to increasing client and supply chain demands
• Those preparing to meet public sector procurement or ESG reporting requirements

You might be:

• A compliance lead navigating carbon reduction plans
• A general manager being asked for sustainability commitments
• A director hearing more about Net Zero but needing practical support
• A business owner aiming to meet future expectations confidently

Key benefits
By the end of the course, your business will have:

• A tailored, UK Government-aligned Sustainability Action Plan
• Carbon Literacy Accreditation
• A CPD Certificate from the University of Leicester
• Eligibility for the SME Climate Commitment

You will also gain:

• Access to 1:1 consultancy and academic expertise
• Practical tools and templates
• Peer learning and networking
• Confidence to implement your carbon reduction plan

Course content and schedule
The programme includes:

• Carbon Literacy Training – full-day in-person workshop
• Expert-led learning – weekly online sessions covering sustainability strategy, operations, communications and funding
• 1:1 consultancy – individual support from sustainability experts
• Capstone project – a tailored action plan aligned with UK standards
• Showcase and CPD celebration – present your work and receive your certificate

Course outline by week:

• Week 1: Onboarding + Carbon Literacy (in person)
• Week 2: Strategy for Net Zero growth (online)
• Week 3: Responsible sustainability communications (online)
• Week 4: Operational and supply chain emissions (online)
• Week 5: Funding and support (online)
• Week 6: Action planning workshop + Final showcase (in person)

Testimonials from our course participants:

"This was such an insightful experience! I learnt so much about how I can encourage positive change in my own carbon footprint… I would 100% recommend it." — Sophia, Complete Detection Systems

"I feel much more informed about climate impacts, policy positions, and practical actions we can implement." — June, Community Enterprise Engine

"A great course — I left with a huge list of actions for our caravan park business." — Katie, The Grange Caravan Park

Eligibility:
To join, your organisation must:

• Be based in Leicestershire
• Be a small or medium sized organisation (including charities and social enterprises)
• Commit one staff member to complete the course (others may attend select sessions)

Session dates (currently subject to change):

• Onboarding: Monday 19th January 10 - 11
• In person Carbon Literacy Training: Friday 23rd January 9 - 5
• Strategy for Net Zero growth: Thursday 29th January 10 - 11.30
• Engaging customers: Wednesday 4th February 10 - 11.30
• Reducing emissions: Tuesday 10th February 10 - 11.30
• Funding and support: Thursday 19th February 10 - 11.30
• Action plan workshop & In person celebration: Friday 27th February 1 - 5

Ready to take the next step? APPLY NOW below

👉 Learn more from our brochure
📩 Questions? Contact us at greenerfuture@le.ac.uk

Delivered by the University of Leicester School of Business:
The course is run by expert trainers from the University's School of Business, a Small Business Charter award-holder with a track record of helping SMEs embed sustainability and drive growth.