About EO Academy Core

EO Academy Core equips business owners, employees, and advisers with the knowledge and tools to build successful employee ownership programs. Our platform offers a comprehensive range of materials to help you understand and implement employee ownership strategies effectively.

What You'll Learn

  • Assessing Your Business for Employee Ownership

    Discover if employee ownership is the right fit for your business and learn how to attract, retain, and motivate key employees.

  • Introduction to Employee Share Ownership Plans

    Explore different types of employee ownership plans and find the perfect structure for your business.

  • Communicating the Value of Employee Ownership

    Learn how to educate employees on ownership benefits, foster engagement, and build a strong ownership culture.

  • Creating Incentive Programs

    Design effective incentive plans that reward improvements in behaviour and performance.

  • Setting Performance Metrics

    Allocate equity within the employee share plan and focus on enhancing performance

  • Designing the ESOP Trust Structure

    Understand the mechanics of trust structures and calculating ownership ratios.

Course Curriculum

    1. Module 1: Introduction to Employee Ownership

    2. Welcome and Course Overview

    3. What is Employee Ownership

    4. Benefits of Employee Ownership

    5. Real-World Examples of Employee Ownership in Action

    6. Employee Ownership Files

    7. How Office Solutions IT Built a Thriving Ownership Culture with an ESOP

    8. BRS: Building Growth and Culture Through Employee Ownership

    9. Fostering Ownership Thinking at Umwelt through an ESOP

    10. Umwelt: A Long-Term Succession Vision Through Employee Ownership

    11. Umwelt: Moving Toward Structured Employee Ownership

    12. Umwelt: Valuing the People Behind the Business

    1. Module 2: Understanding The Peak Performance Trust

    2. Introduction to Peak Performance Trust

    3. Benefits of a Peak Performance Trust

    4. Legal and Regulatory Considerations

    5. Understanding the Trust Structure

    1. Module 3: Planning for Employee Ownership

    2. Assessing Your Business for Employee Ownership

    3. Setting Goals and Objectives

    4. Engaging Stakeholders

    1. Module 4: Implementing Employee Ownership

    2. Choosing the Right Employee Ownership Model

    3. Developing a Transition Plan

    4. Funding Employee Ownership

    1. Module 5: Establishing a Peak Performance Trust

    2. Designing the Trust Structure

    3. Setting Performance Metrics

    4. Creating Incentive Plans

    1. Module 6: Managing Employee Ownership

    2. Governance and Leadership

    3. Communication and Transparency

    4. Training and Development

About this course

  • Free
  • 64 lessons
  • 6 hours of video content

Course Instructor

Dr Craig West

Founder & Chairman, Succession Plus

Dr. Craig West is a recognised authority on employee ownership and business succession, with particular expertise in the design and implementation of ESOPs (Employee Share Ownership Plans). As Founder and Chairman of Succession Plus since 2009, Craig has led the firm to become Australia's leading specialist in succession planning and employee ownership. Craig holds a Doctor of Business Administration, a Master of Tax Law, and a Master of Business in Accounting and Finance. His doctoral research focused on the key drivers of successful business exits. He has developed an award-winning ESOP structure — named ESOP of the Year twice in four years — and was inducted into the Exit Planning Institute’s Circle of Excellence in 2024.