Corporate Watch runs ‘Do-It-Yourself’ training for groups, organisations and individuals who want to investigate a company and its actions. We can tailor a session to your group’s particular needs, to make is as useful as possible.

Courses & Workshops

Courses commonly include:

  • How to find out key details about a company
  • How to look into the actions and track records of companies
  • How to find out how much a company is making
  • Finding company owners and directors
  • Finding company links with government and public sector contracts and licences

Bespoke Training

We also run specialised training in particular types of research techniques, including:

  • Understanding company accounts and finances
  • Tracking company ownership
  • Following the money made from public service contracts

Training Costs

We can provide training for free to unfunded grassroots groups and campaigns – though we may have to ask you to cover travel and venue costs.

We charge larger groups, unions, NGOs and other organisations on a sliding scale. Get in touch to find out more.

Testimonials

“So so useful and well planned by people who clearly know what they’re doing. Also, the structure of it – and that it was a logical route starting from the basics – showed that there was the empathy to understand the standpoint of someone who wasn’t an expert. It was also quite fun! Overall impression was that it was great and very useful.”

It was incredible, I felt that I really learnt some concrete skills that will aid in giving me a more scientific approach to my organising.”

“I loved the training. I learnt a lot and found the structure easy to follow. Working in a group was really fun and putting what I learnt into practice was really effective”

Things participants have found particularly useful:

Being shown how to use search engines, databases, tools and websites in ways I didn’t know you could. So much information is just out there, available for us to use, but I don’t know. I can already see how handy these rescources are to social movements and campaigns. Wish I’d known this all 15 years ago!”

“Hard to narrow this down as I got a lot of different things from it – including making my research more efficient in so many ways, finding out new tools and resources, feeling inspired to do more research and particularly knowing that it can be done in ways that have impact/enable activists to have impact….”

“Many new strategies for investigating companies I wish I knew earlier – and which I’d love to pass on.”

“I loved working in teams and found this to be the best way to learn and remember all that I had learnt.”

“I valued the explanations of how to organise your research and also felt an increased sense of economic literacy”

Online Course

As well as in-person and specialised training sessions, you can enrol in our free ‘Know your Enemy’ online course for a more autonomous learning experience. The course takes you through all the elements of investigating companies, including understanding corporate structures, reading company accounts, finding shareholders and locating government contracts. Carry out exercises to apply what you have learnt and learn at your own pace. Find out more here.