WorkforClimate Academy
A three-month course for employees motivated to accelerate their company's climate action from the inside.
Learn to create change from the inside.
The WorkforClimate Academy isn't just a climate education course, it's a toolkit for action.
Do you work for a for-profit business? Are you curious about - or already active in - using your job to address the climate crisis?
Regardless of your role and seniority, this course could be for you – you don’t need to be a sustainability pro, or an executive to drive change.
Most corporate sustainability courses cover the basics of climate knowledge - the what and the why. But the Academy goes beyond that. It gives you the blueprint for corporate climate action, and shows you how to inspire and influence stakeholders at every level to get buy-in for the most meaningful initiatives that can drive real change.
Next cohort date: February 24th to May 23rd 2025
The Academy is designed specifically for corporate sector employees who are committed to influencing their organisation to do more on climate. To ensure the course is the right fit for you we require you to complete a quick two minute application.
We'll take your credit card details when you apply, but you won't be charged until we approve your application.
Who this course is for
You're deeply concerned about climate change. You work in a business with more than 50 employees. Your company has an opportunity to be part of the solution but needs to do more. You want to be part of making that happen.
Climate curious
You don't work in sustainability, but you are curious to see how your job can be used as a climate tool. You want to build your influencing, leadership and change management skills and apply them to climate.
Climate champions
Sustainability isn't part of your job description, but you are already recognised at work for your dedication to the cause. You are looking for a community of peers and to multiply your impact.
Sustainability pros
You already live and breathe sustainability, so the technical concepts are no secret for you. Recruiting allies, getting buy-in, influencing decision makers, and embedding sustainability across the business are your main priorities.
What you’ll get from this course
An understanding of key concepts and skills to feel more confident advocating on climate at work.
Practical tools to apply your learning in real time to create actual change.
A community of likeminded peers to lean on for support and ideas (and to feel less alone).
The Curriculum
This Academy will teach you the key concepts and skills to kickstart your climate leadership, and help you drive focused and effective change in your company. The course consists of two key pillars: the Knowledge pillar that gives you a technical foundation in corporate climate action, and the Leadership pillar that gives you the core skills you need to drive change inside a large organisation. Inside each of these pillars are power-packed video lessons, accompanied by practical tools for taking what you've learned and putting it into action.
Knowledge
Leadership
Welcome & Course Orientation
Fri 28 Feb, 10:30am - 12pm AEDT
Session 1
Fri 7 Mar, 10.30am - 12pm AEDT
Session 2
Fri 21 Mar, 10.30am - 12pm AEDT
Session 3
Fri 4 Apr, 10.30am - 12pm AEDT
Session 4
Fri 18 Apr, 10.30am - 12pm AEST
Session 5
Fri 2 May, 10.30am - 12pm AEST
Session 6
Fri 16 May, 10.30am - 12pm AEST
Graduation & Closing
Fri 23 May, 10.30am - 12pm AEST
Live sessions
Each module culminates in a 90-minute live session. These are currently scheduled for every second Friday from 10.30am - 12.00pm AEST/AEDT. The course also begins with a 90 minute orientation session during the first week.
We expect participants to attend the majority of live sessions. If you can’t attend some sessions, selected parts will be recorded and made available afterwards. Live session times may be altered slightly to meet the needs and timezones of the cohort.
Next cohort date: February 24th to May 23rd 2025
The Academy is designed specifically for corporate sector employees who are committed to influencing their organisation to do more on climate. To ensure the course is the right fit for you we require you to complete a quick two minute application.
We'll take your credit card details when you apply, but you won't be charged until we approve your application.
Pricing
We offer two different price points, depending on your context:
$599
$199
The value of the Academy course is $2,000. We are able to offer reduced prices thanks to the generous support of our philanthropic donors. If your company is able to pay for your participation in the Academy, please pay the company-funded price. This enables us to offer the further subsidised price to those who are self-funding their learning journey.
Group discounts are available for participants employed by the same company. Please contact us for further information. If price is a barrier to your participation please contact us for support with obtaining employer funding or to enquire about our limited number of bursary places.
The WorkforClimate course was empowering and eye opening. I got to connect with a bunch of great people in my cohort and the tutors for the sessions were so helpful. If you’re looking for a flexible but hands on learning experience to practically upskill in areas of climate and sustainability action, I’d highly recommend it.
The Work for Climate course is proving to be an invaluable resource, not only for educating myself on the climate issue we are ALL facing but also giving me real skills to help me to implement change within my organisation. I highly recommend this course to EVERYONE, no matter what field you work in, the lessons I am learning are essential for all of us if we are going to turn the tide on the climate crisis. Thank you to all involved!
Speaking with Laure & Lucy really gave me confidence that I do know a thing or two and I am having an impact even though it always feels like it's not enough. Hearing from other climate intrapreneurs from some big companies was very reassuring. It enables me to feel comfortable reaching out and sharing/asking questions. The people in this space are truly the best teammates even if we are far and wide. The course content helped me identify high impact areas and key levers to accelerate our transition.
This course left me with three invaluable gifts: a humbling wake up call on the science and logistics of renewable energy, an insight into how many people are dedicated to climate action and the tools needed to influence lasting change. If you're looking for a way to maximise your climate action, this is it!
I'd love to do this all day every day. The discussion forums feel very welcoming and the team are responsive and encouraging. I wish everyone could do the course because it empowers and arms you for action. As a minimum, the Energy Awareness module is a must for everyone in every business. Thank you WorkForClimate - what an inspiring course.
Not quite ready to register?
Register your interest and we'll send a sneak peek of the course content to help you see if the program is for you, and keep you up to date on when applications for future cohorts become available.
Frequently asked questions
What is a cohort-based course?
A cohort-based course (CBC) is an interactive course where a group of leaners advance through the material together — in “cohorts” — with hands-on, peer-based learning at the core. Students participate, learn and collaborate together to achieve a specific outcome - in this case, the outcome would be advancing the climate agenda of their organisation, which can look very different from one learner to another.
How much time do I have to commit?
Each module includes approximately 1.5 hours of video content and reading material, plus application tools which take anywhere from half an hour to a couple of hours to complete. Allowing extra time for reflection and note-taking means you may spend around 4-6 hours over a fortnight engaging with the materials for each module. How deep you go is your choice. Once a fortnight, you are expected to attend a 90min live workshop with the rest of the cohort. And finally, there are guided conversations with two other learning partners, which are designed to be 45 minutes every fortnight.
What’s the schedule for the live sessions?
Live sessions are currently scheduled every second Friday at 10.30am AEST / AEDT, and they are are 90 minutes long. The course also begins with a 90 minute orientation session during the first week. If you can’t attend some sessions, selected parts will be recorded and made available afterwards. Live session times may be altered slightly to meet the needs and timezones of the cohort.
Can I take the course if I don't work for a for-profit business?
The Academy and our Learning Community exist to support employees to drive climate action inside for-profit businesses. If that does not fit your situation, we are not able to accept your registration. But don’t worry, there are other ways you can support us and the movement for corporate climate action.
Will this course help me transition into a climate job?
The Academy is a great first step towards making your job your most powerful climate tool. Previous participants have credited the Academy for helping land their dream job in sustainability/climate (see here or here).
While pivoting into a sustainability/climate role is a great career and impact pathway, this isn't your only option. At WorkforClimate, we exist to support the large majority of employees who don't work in dedicated sustainability roles to use their current day jobs for climate action at work.
If your intention is to move out of your current role into a dedicated sustainability/climate role you will likely require additional technical knowledge beyond what we provide in this course. In this case we would recommend complementing the Academy with other learning opportunities.
Do you offer scholarships?
Academy fees are significantly discounted for all participants thanks to the support of our philanthropic donors. We also offer a lower price for self-funded participants who cannot access funding from their organisation. We are also able to offer need-based discounts and scholarship places. If this is you, please get in touch with us and let’s chat.
My company is not very progressive when it comes to climate issues. Can I still participate?
Absolutely! We encourage you to apply, even if - especially if - your company is early in its climate journey. If that’s the case, you may not feel comfortable asking your company for funding and we get it. That’s why we created the self-funded price for individuals.
Can you run this course for a group of employees of the same company?
Multiple employees of the same company can take part in the Academy, and form their own sub-group within the cohort. We can provide a discount if 5 or more employees are signing-up for the same cohort, just get in touch with us. If you’d like us to run a dedicated cohort for your organisation, please contact us to discuss.
I’m not sure if I’m a changemaker; should I apply?
As Engineers Without Borders founder and inspiring changemaker George Roter says, “Everyone has changemaking in their DNA; it's just a matter of unlocking it.” We encourage everyone working in the private sector who are passionate about the climate issue and are committed to taking action to apply.
I’m not located in Australia. Can I take this course?
There are two elements to this: content and timezones. The majority of the course content is applicable no matter where in the world you work, with the exception of some technical content and examples applied to the Australian context. In these few cases, we encourage you to research what the relevant example would be in your context. The live sessions are currently scheduled to run across timezones ranging from morning in Australia to evening in East Coast USA / Canada. With enough interest from other timezones we will make alternative times available in future.
For more details, see the the FAQ above - “What’s the schedule for the live sessions?”
Will you be running more cohort programs?
Yes. We intend to run multiple cohorts each year. If you cannot make the next one, you can register your interest for future cohorts here.
What if I’m not satisfied with the value of the course?
We offer a money-back guarantee with questions asked: If the Academy does not meet your expectations, and you are genuinely unhappy with the value you receive from the course, you may claim 100% money back within 2 weeks of starting the course. For your request for a refund to be granted, you will need to constructively fill out an Academy Feedback Form, explaining why the Academy was not what you expected or provide feedback on how to improve the course.
I have more questions. Who should I talk to?
Contact us and we’ll get back to you asap.
Join our Learning Community
When you join the Academy, you'll also gain access to our free Learning Community, where you can connect with like-minded change-makers, join community events, access our resource library and more.
If you're not yet ready to join the Academy, you can still join our online Learning Community by signing up for free.
Join the WorkforClimate Academy
Learn the blueprint for corporate climate action and become an expert in leading positive change at work.