Business Skills for World Heritage

INTRODUCTION TO THE PROGRAMME

The Business Skills for World Heritage Programme is an exciting initiative which will build the business management and planning skills of you and your staff. The Programme has been developed collaboratively by the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, the international environmental charity Earthwatch, and the global energy company Royal Dutch Shell. Employees from Shell will use their expertise and experience to support your organisation as you work through a specially designed Business Planning Toolkit, enabling you to devise or improve a business plan for the effective management of your World Heritage Site agency. The focus of the training is on administrative, financial and strategic aspects of organisational management. The Programme, including associated travel, accommodation and subsistence, is fully funded.

Should your application be successful up to three of your staff members (which can include yourself) will undertake 11 days of intensive residential training at the Earthwatch field research centre in Sabah, Eastern Malaysia. Here you will be assigned a Shell business advisor to act as a mentor for your organisation. As well as working with your colleagues and Shell mentor on business planning you will also be introduced to the climate and landuse change research project run by international Earthwatch scientists. The project is investigating the possible effects of climate change on rainforest ecosystems in the Southeast Asia region. By being introduced to the work your staff will be able to increase their understanding of this crucial and highly relevant topic, which is likely to affect all habitats in the region within the next century.

After the 11 day course, you and your staff will return to your World Heritage Site agency to fully develop and implement the business plan. Shell mentors will continue to support your organisation remotely over the course of the following year as the plan is implemented. As well as regular contact by email and telephone, mentors will be encouraged to visit your World Heritage Site to assist with the further refinement of the business plan.

Is my organisation eligible to apply?
Why should my organisation apply?
Information about the training
What happens next?
Application form (for a word version click here)
Business Skills Transfer Toolkit and case studies