Co-op Education
At the Rocky Mountain Employee Ownership Center (RMEOC), we provide educational programs to help individuals and organizations understand, explore, and implement cooperative and employee ownership models. Whether you’re just curious about Employee Ownership (EO) or want a deep dive into cooperative structures, we have resources to support your learning journey.
Why cooperative education?
Cooperative education is fundamental to upholding the core principles of cooperatives. It requires dedicated and ongoing efforts to guide prospective cooperative members through the stages of launching and sustaining a successful cooperative enterprise.
As Roy Morrison emphasized in We Build the Road As We Travel: Mondragon’s Cooperative Society, "Education is essential for fulfilling the basic cooperative principles. It is fundamentally important to devote sufficient human and economic resources to cooperative education, professional training, and general education of young people for the future."
Our Cooperative Education Initiatives
At the Rocky Mountain Employee Ownership Center (RMEOC), we are committed to providing comprehensive cooperative education through various programs designed to foster understanding and implementation of cooperative principles:
Monthly EO Workshops: Is Employee Ownership Right For You?
Our monthly Employee Ownership workshops are designed for anyone interested in learning about EO and exploring whether it could be a good fit for them. These sessions provide an accessible introduction to the basics of employee ownership, its benefits, and real-world examples of successful implementations.
This monthly session is perfect for:
- Entrepreneurs and business owners curious about EO
- Employees exploring ownership opportunities
- Anyone looking to learn more about the basis of EO models, how they, and get access to resources
Cooperative Academy
The Cooperative Academy is a more in-depth program that explores the ins and outs of cooperatives. Participants learn about:
- The cooperative model and its history and trends
- Governance and legal structures
- Financing and how to raise capital
- How to set up and manage a coop.
These academies are not offered on a regular basis, but we plan to provide them occasionally in the future.
These academies are perfect for:
- Individuals wanting a deeper understanding of cooperative models
- Leaders and organizers interested in starting or managing a cooperative
- Community members looking to strengthen local cooperative networks
- Business owners and employees wanting to learn more about the model
What public policies do we need?
What policy changes would make this work most effective and efficient? Should we start at the local, state, or federal level—or perhaps all three?
Legal and Corporate Formation Challenges
In this session, Jerome Hughes presents legal considerations with this hybrid model (a blend of non-profit and for-profit), including issues of governance, membership categories.
The Promise of Social franchising
What can a social franchising platform offer our work in terms of scalability? Our speakers draw on the experiences of the Center for Family Life (Sunset Park NYC) and the Driver’s Coop (NYC, Denver).
Social Cooperative Academy
To support our Social Cooperative program (add link), we host social cooperative academies to share more about the power of social coops, cooperatives designed and built to support marginalized communities by members of such communities.
Learn more about social cooperatives: send them to our program page, list the promise and practice of social cooperatives report, list our Canvas link for resources,
Our Social Cooperative Academy focused on social cooperatives is currently completed, but the recordings are available on our YouTube channel. The Community of Practice for social cooperatives remains active and continues to offer learning and networking opportunities for those interested.
Perfect for:
- Community organizers and leaders from marginalized communities
- Individuals interested in social impact and equitable economic models
- Those looking to start, join, or strengthen social cooperatives
- Cooperative enthusiasts devoted to social change
Ready to Get Started?
Embarking on the journey to employee ownership begins with education. We invite you to subscribe to our newsletter to receive updates on our programs, workshops, and webinars. Stay informed and take the first step toward empowering your business and community through cooperative education.
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