GCU is a leading light in working with Social Enterprises and the Third Sector, developing unique Masters level programmes for people working in these areas. GCU is also home to the Yunus Centre for Social Business and Health, involved in pioneering research examining the relationship between social business and health improvement.

The papers and documents on Community Development, Community Enterprise, Social Enterprise and Social Accounting and Audit were accumulated over the course of John’s 35 year career. They are joined by the Community Business Scotland archive of papers and reports from 1981 onwards.

John Pearce said: “I am very pleased that the university has decided to establish a Social Enterprise Collection and that I have been able to donate my accumulation of papers, books and reports to get it started.”

John Pearce played a pivotal role at the heart of Scotland’s community and social enterprise movements, and his work has had a global impact. Click here for more information about the Collection.

The Social Enterprise Collection (Scotland) builds on GCU’s ongoing commitment to social enterprise, through Scotland’s first MSc in Social Enterprise, developed with the Social Enterprise Academy. This is a result of GCU’s recognition that social enterprises are a growing sector of profitable businesses, and agents for positive change defined by their social and environmental missions.

For more information about how we work with Social Enterprises and the third sector, click here.

GCU’s head of European Programmes, Mark Anderson, brought together colleagues in an open forum session to discuss Social Innovation. “Social Innovation is becoming a watchword for the European Commission,” says Anderson. 

GCU already has many strengths in Social Innovation, including innovative research in Social Business and Health from the Yunus Centre, research in agriculture, socio-economic development and vulneral populations. GCU is also running Scotland’s only MSc programme in Social Enterprise.

Find out more about our work in Social Innovation.

Interesting article on The Guardian’s Social Enterprise Network website.

The SNP candidate signed up to the new Social Enterprise Charter, showing his support for the continued growth of this vibrant sector in Scottish society.

Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) has developed the only MSc in Social Enterprise in Scotland, run in partnership with the Social Enterprise Academy. Find out more about the PgC and MSc Social Enterprise programmes.

Scottish Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill said: “Scotland’s social enterprises make a huge contribution to our society and our economy. It has been a privilege to see the growing success of Scotland’s social enterprises in recent years. That good work must continue and I am pleased to support the Social Enterprise Charter. More

The announcement was made by Health Secretary Andrew Lansley at this year’s Social Enterprise Coalition conference Voice 11.

Lansley said social enterprises deliver a ‘can do’ attitude, which would be a welcome addition to NHS services by offering choice and best quality healthcare.

Lansley said allowing ‘any qualified provider’ to offer health services would end the bureaucratic tendering processes for healthcare.

Glasgow Caledonian University’s Applied Knowledge Exchange was at Voice 11 to hear the announcments and to highlight GCU’s new MSc in Social Enterprise.

The MSc programme is run in partnership with the Social Enterprise Academy and has been developed from the PgC programme – the only postgraduate degree in Scotland designed specifically for the social enterprise sector.

For more information, check out http://www.gcu.ac.uk/business/socialinnovation/ or call the Applied Knowledge Exchange on 0141 331 3189.

Staff within the Prime Minister’s Office voted for the charities and social enterprises they would like to support in 2011. They selected Street League, an organisation that delivers sports and educational programmes to tackle issues including homelessness, substance addiction, crime and unemployment.

The charity is currently working with Glasgow Caledonian University on a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP).

The work is being led by the School of Engineering and Computing and aims to design, develop and implement a range of internal and external communication applications for diverse audiences by integrating user centred design with new technologies.

For more on KTPs or working with Glasgow Caledonian University to unlock the potential of your business, contact the Applied Knowledge Exchange on 0141 331 3189 or visit www.gcu.ac.uk/business/businessfunding

His views on the value of Social Enterprises to the business sector are examined in the article.

Find out more information about the Applied Knowledge Exchange works with Social Enterprises.

Our PgC Social Enterprise course was a hot topic of the day!

Find out more from wwww.gcu.ac.uk/business or give us a ring on 0141 331 3139 for a copy of our promotional DVD, which features Mel Young of the Big Issue and Homeless World Cup.

We joined special guest speakers Karen Gilligan from Kibble, Tony Traynor from the Royal Bank of Scotland, Roana Dickson from GCU’s School of Health and Heather Sim from Space Unlimited.

Our speakers talked with our MBA and fourth year students about the development of Social Enterprises - a hot topic for the Scottish Government. Very interesting stuff! We will be at the S2S fair to get involved in promoting Social Enterprise next month.