Courses

Whether you are an aspiring entrepreneur, in business or own an established business CWE has workshops and webinars to help you on your journey. Our roadmap includes courses that will help you at each stage of your business.

Our Community Expectations

Welcome to the Center for Women & Enterprise community! We are excited to work with you! CWE programming is delivered in alignment with our company’s core values: respect, equity, collaboration, innovation, diversity, and joy. We are committed to providing a safe space for learning and connecting for everyone. We celebrate all humans, irrespective of gender identity, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity or other identifiers. We do our best to approach our programming from a feminist perspective that is secular and non-partisan, and are committed to doing better. We are committed to guaranteeing a safe, enjoyable, and meaningful experience for our clients, facilitators, counselors and staff. By participating in our programs, you agree to these principles. We reserve the right to remove participants from any session in the event of violation of these principles.

Your Commitments:

  • You will keep information from your peers in your CWE experience confidential.
  • You will not repurpose material provided by CWE and your classmates for your own commercial endeavors.
  • You will not actively solicit your peers or instructors
 
 
 

Workshops Currently Offered

Recurring Workshops

PVD Self-Employment Program/CEP Business Planning Class [4-Week Virtual Class]-English

This course will help you to take the necessary steps to becoming an independent business owner, while gaining confidence in yourself and your knowledge of small business management.

New classes start regularly and meet Thursdays from 5:30 to 7:30pm.

Cost: $495. Providence residents can apply here to take the class for free. Non-Providence residents, please email info.RhodeIsland@CWEonline.org to ask about scholarship opportunities and to apply for the class.

Programa de Auto-Empleo de PVD/Planificación de su Negocio [Curso virtual de 4 semanas]-Español

Este curso lo ayudará a tomar los pasos necesarios para convertirse en propietario de un negocio independiente, mientras gana confianza en usted mismo y en su conocimiento de la administración de pequeñas empresas.

Cuando: Las clases comienzan regularmente y se reúnen los jueves de 5:30 a 7:30 pm.

Costo: $495. Residentes de Providence se pueden aplicar aquí para tomar la clase gratis. Los que viven fuera de Providence, pueden enviar un correo electrónico a info.rhodeisland@cweonline.org para preguntar sobre oportunidades de becas y para aplicar al programa.

 

WBENC: Why & How to Certify Your Business as Women-Owned

[Recommended for businesses with $50k+ in revenues looking to grow]

The Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) certification offered through the Center for Women & Enterprise is the nation’s leading independent certification of women-owned businesses. Over 12,000 businesses are certified nationwide, and over 600 corporate supplier diversity and procurement professionals recognize the WBENC certification.

Certification enables you to grow your business through contracts with large companies, colleges & universities, and some government entities; it also provides an opportunity to partner and/or conduct business with other certified women-owned businesses.

If your business is at least 51% owned, and 100% operated, managed, and controlled by a woman or women, you may qualify for this national certification.

Join us for this complimentary, informative Webinar and learn:

  • Why WBENC certification is good for business
  • How WBENC certification can help you expand your business network and ultimately grow your business through contracts with corporations, colleges and universities, and government entities
  • Whether your business is a good candidate for certification
  • What the certification process entails and how to get started

Note: This is a free Online Webinar; you must register to attend.

Register now!
Fee: Free

WBENC: I'm Certified, Now What?

You’ve gotten through all the paperwork, site visits, and committee reviews and now you’re WBENC certified as a Women Business Enterprise. Congratulations! Now comes the real work, understanding how certification can be used to grow your business and network. This webinar will go over the key aspects of WBENC certification, what resources are at your fingertips as a certified business, how you fit into the ecosystem of CWE & Women Business Enterprise National Council, and recommendations of steps to take to get started with utilizing your certification. Webinar recurring monthly unless otherwise listed. Ideal for NEW WBENC certified business, open to all.

Register now!

Fee: Free

WBENC: Are you interested in supporting Women Business Owners?

Volunteer your time to assist the Center for Women & Enterprise in evaluating applications for WBENC Women-Owned Business Certification.  No prior experience required.  It is helpful to have a general understanding of business/finance and legal expertise.

Join our committee to review applications for certification and/or become a site visitor (currently done virtually). This is a great opportunity to meet and help women entrepreneurs running businesses of all shapes and sizes.

The time commitment varies based on the role; estimate 3 hours per month.

Interested in volunteering? Join us for a webinar to find out more.

Register now!

Cancellation and Refund Policy

Sessions with low enrollment may be cancelled.  CWE will notify you of class cancellations and changes.

If you can no longer join us for a session you register for, please notify us of your cancellation at least 24 hours before the start of the session for a full refund.  If your cancellation is less than 24 hours in advance of the start of the session, we will be unable to issue refunds or payment transfers.

Free Program - Cancellations and Participant Notification Policy

If you can no longer attend a no-cost session for which you registered, please notify us at least 24 hours in advance.  These classes are offered at no cost as a benefit to you, but there are per-registration costs to CWE associated with them.  We reserve the right to request a $25 contribution to defray our costs for no shows, so that we may continue to offer free classes in the future.