Ready to RISE

A programme for women and non-binary people who want to explore social entrepreneurship to earn a living, create their ideal workplace and make a positive impact.

Who's it for?

Women and non-binary people who want to explore social entrepreneurship to earn a living.

What do I get?

A free programme of support and training designed for women and non-binary people returning to work or changing careers.

Where do I apply?

Applications for the first cohort are now open.

Apply now

Ready to RISE (Readiness and Incubation for the Social Economy) is a free training programme, supported by the ScottishPower Foundation.

Graphic with three fire symbols alongside the text 'We're being supported by the ScottishPower Foundation in 2026'.

It is designed to support women and non-binary people across Scotland learn about social enterprise and discover their potential to use entrepreneurship to make a living, work flexibly, and positively impact their communities. 

The training is designed to help you build confidence, develop your skills, and explore your ideas. It covers creating a work/life blend that suits you, managing yourself and others, building your network, and includes an ideation session plus practical guidance on starting a social enterprise.

Ready to RISE is 8-weeks long, delivered via Zoom on Wednesdays from 10:00 AM to 12:30 PM.

The programme runs across three training cohorts

  • Cohort 1: Wednesday 2 September-Wednesday 21 October
  • Cohort 2: Wednesday 28 October-Wednesday 16 December
  • Cohort 3: Wednesday 13 January-Wednesday 3 March 2027

Each round offers 15-20 places. Once a round is fully booked, applications will automatically roll over to the next available training cohort.

Participants may also be eligible to apply for up to £1,000 in grant funding to help develop and progress their idea.

We have three in-person information sessions coming up alongside an online session, where you can learn more about what Ready to RISE looks like, hear from inspiring social entrepreneurs and ask your important questions:

Each session will feature different speakers and you are welcome to attend as many information sessions as you’d like.

There will be other in-person events in Edinburgh and Fife later this year – sign up to our newsletter for the latest on these.

A woman with glasses smiles and looks at the camera. The image has Ready to RISE written on it and an orange arrow pointing upwards.

Ready to apply?


Applications are now open for the first cohort.


A Ready to RISE social entrepreneur panel in January 2025


For any questions, please contact us.

Get inspired by others already using social entrepreneurship to create flexible and fulfilling jobs that meet their needs by reading our case studies

Success stories