Image supplied
All businesses begin with an idea, someone thinking “what if?” or “why not?” But just having an idea is very different from having the skills, confidence, and discipline to launch and manage a successful business. How do you turn today’s dream into tomorrow’s start-up with an eye on the prize?
Acknowledge Creativity’s Diploma of Creative Enterprise is designed to help aspiring entrepreneurs live the dream by translating their vision into something practical and workable. It also prepares students for an exciting range of careers in the creative industries.
‘It’s all good to have a creative idea, but you have to be disciplined and plan things to achieve success. This is a business skills program developed by arts people for arts people, giving you the skills vital to succeed in our ever-changing global economy of ideas,’ said Suzanne Jackson, Managing Director of Acknowledge Creativity, a division of Acknowledge Education.
Participants studying for their Diploma of Creative Enterprise work with leading accountants and business mentors who can help turn their dreams into reality. There is even a $10,000 award on offer to participants for the best business proposal developed during the Diploma.
‘This kind of education is not only necessary, it’s your competitive edge,’ said Eddie Zammit, a leading figure in the unique arena of T-shirt culture. Zammit, the publisher and founder of T-world, the world’s first dedicated T-shirt journal, helps facilitate the Diploma with the team at Acknowledge Creativity.
The Diploma is not just for people working in the creative industries. Increasingly, organisations in other sectors, from finance and major corporates to sports and the public sector, are recognising the need for a greater emphasis on creativity and creative intelligence. They want to adopt a more creative approach to problem-solving, utilising a collaborative approach to workplace culture and organisational communication, and embracing a more humanistic management style.
Studying for the Diploma fosters flexibility and creative thinking, enabling participants to adapt, create, innovate, and thrive in the fast-changing economy. It is underpinned by a tangible understanding of the importance of the creative sector and the important role creative thinkers play in communicating to a wide and diverse audience.
As Jackson puts it: ‘Business is a creative process at every level and successful businesses acknowledge creativity.’
The Diploma focuses on interactive collaboration and experience-based learning to prepare participants for real-world scenarios and constantly changing workplaces, equipping them for the rapid rate of change in technology and the societal influences that are shaping our world. It’s a future-orientated course that effectively merges the key attributes of commerce, creativity, and culture.
The eight study units include idea generation and innovation; leading with vision, purpose and values; understanding finance; negotiating pricing and contracts; collaborative sales, marketing and public relations; managing the budget and business information; cultural communication and behaviour; and managing the growth process. All the units share an emphasis on flexible thinking and creativity, demonstrating how professionalism can be enhanced with spontaneity to achieve optimum results. Together they offer an opportunity to examine the production and application of original and inspired knowledge, and be exposed to new ways of thinking.
‘We see learning as an experience and believe it should be a fluid process taking into consideration your inherent skills, your aspirations and your lifestyle,’ Jackson explained.
Learn more about Acknowledge Creativity’s Diploma of Creative Enterprise
The Diploma is delivered across 3-week blocks over nine months with four contact hours each week. Learning is structured around face-to-face sessions in small group settings of just six to eight students with session stream options of weekday mornings, evenings or Saturdays to suit busy lifestyles. It is very much a hands-on, collaborative process with everyone encouraged to share and learn from each other and facilitate new ways of thinking and learning. The sessions are facilitated by industry leaders whose real-world experience complements the latest in teaching and learning methodology.
Chris Hewson, one of the course facilitators at Acknowledge Creativity, said: ‘With business being in a period of disruption, responding to the challenges of tomorrow’s workplace requires students to develop creative, innovative, enterprising and adaptable skills.’
Matt Jackson is a communications strategist with the Collective Intelligence Group and was part of the team that developed the Diploma in Creative Enterprise. He believes creativity is a vital life skill.
‘Creative thinking and embracing emotion are the only ways we can really reconnect with each other in the current age. Our values are simple but powerful. If you’re not making memories, you’re wasting time. If you’re not standing up for what you believe in, you’re pretending. If you’re not asking how you can help, you don’t care,’ he said.
The Diploma in Creative Enterprise from Acknowledge Creativity is an accredited Higher Education qualification, not a Vocational Education Training (VET) Diploma. This is important as the employment market looks at these qualifications quite differently. A VET Diploma generally assesses technical competence and employment opportunities are based on technical knowledge and practical skills. In a higher education qualification such as this, the focus is on critical enquiry and in-depth scholarly discussion. This enables graduates to move into other higher education qualifications or pursue positions in management that require analytical thinking, decision-making and problem-solving capabilities. These opportunities are not limited by technical restraints, so there may be more opportunities available, especially in new and emerging fields.
Acknowledge Creativity offers the Diploma in Sydney and Melbourne. The Sydney campus is based at an expansive, heritage-listed building in Barrangaroo in the heart of the city. In Melbourne, students will enjoy the prestige location nestled in the city’s theatre district. Both locations offer students a blend of quiet study spaces, comprehensive learning facilities and resources, and professional hubs for networking and socialising.
If you are an entrepreneur, a business-minded individual, someone who wishes to embrace the creative industries, or simply looking to acquire new knowledge to enhance your current career, this course is for you. Applicants should hold their Year 12 Certificate or have completed previous Certificate IV level studies. Age is no barrier to study and entry is available without those qualifications if you have relevant work experience. All applicants must demonstrate a reasonable prospect of success and an enthusiasm and genuine interest in the course. Fee-Help is available for eligible local students.
Applications are now open for the next Diploma of Creative Enterprise beginning on 29 January. For more information, go to www.acknowledgecreativity.com or contact Acknowledge Education at hello@ae.edu.au or 1300 858 180.
