The COMPASS Online Summer School is a new opportunity aimed at helping makers to develop a deeper understanding of the financial planning resources on the COMPASS Online Learning Platform. It aims to support peer learning and networking whilst also providing practical skills and knowledge about finances in an easy, accessible and friendly environment.

The Summer School runs over  8 weeks to allow time for independent learning and reflection in between attending four online sessions, enabling makers to engage with the material step by step and fit this course around their other commitments.

The "Finance for Makers" course material was designed by David Crump, Head of Business Incubation at Cockpit Studios London, and it includes 5 recorded webinars, each 10-15 minutes long. Participants on the Summer School will watch these  independently and then have the chance to discuss, ask questions, reflect, and support each other through live online sessions, as a cohort. These sessions include two 2-hour online tutorials with the course instructor David Crump, and two 2-hour online peer-reflection sessions moderated by Craft Scotland Learning Manager, Ilaria Casini.

As part of the course there is also the option to attend an in-person meeting in Edinburgh, to spend some time as a cohort, visit the exhibition Earth Matters at Inverleith House in the Royal Botanic Garden and enjoy a lunch hosted by Craft Scotland.

Benefits and Outcomes

Financial planning is crucial for building a sustainable craft business and helping makers succeed in their ambitions. Participants will be guided by David Crump in building a picture of their current business’ finances, set clear financial goals, make accurate predictions about where they will be in the future and make informed decisions about where to focus their efforts.  Participants will gain confidence in how to mitigate risks, seize opportunities, and build a stable foundation for their craft business to thrive. On the course, they will receive professional advice, tools, resources, and templates.

Attending this course as part of a cohort will improve engagement with the material and create community among makers at similar stages in their careers. Through the collaborative learning setting, participants will make connections with other makers across Scotland and build a network of peer support to last beyond the course.

Course Schedule

• Thursday 18 June – 10am-12pm - Online Introduction Peer-Session 
• w/c 22 June - Watch part 1, 2 and 3 videos independently
• Thursday 2 July – 10am-12pm - First Online Tutorial Session with David Crump
• w/c 6 July - Watch Part 4 video independently
• Thursday 16 July – 10am-3pm - Elective In-person meeting in Edinburgh: Visit to the Earth Matters exhibition at Inverleith House, lunch provided by Craft Scotland.
• w/c 20th July - Watch part 5 video independently
• Thursday 30 July 10am-12pm - Second Tutorial Session with David Crump
• Thursday 13 August – 10am-12pm - Final Peer-session online with ilaria

Please note: the live online sessions are fixed and will not be recorded so please ensure you can attend them all.

Who is the course for? 

You might be:

• A new maker who is considering starting a business or freelance career and has very little knowledge of finance planning.
• An emerging maker operating as a sole trader who is looking to gain more confidence in their financial planning.
• A maker returning to a craft practice after a career break who feels they need a refresher in how to best manage their finances.
• A maker at any stage who finds finance a challenging topic and prefers collaborative learning settings to establish a community and peer support to work through the material together.

This course is aimed at makers living and working in Scotland who produce works of contemporary craft within the disciplines that Craft Scotland support.  

How to book your ticket  

Tickets can be purchased on our Ticket Tailor event page.

The ticket covers attendance to the entire Summer School programme – four live online sessions with tailored support.

For the elective in-person meeting in Edinburgh, Craft Scotland will plan a visit to "Earth Matters" exhibition at Inverleith House and offer lunch.

Participants will be required to cover their own travel to and from Edinburgh and accommodation in the city if required.

Registration for the course is open until Sunday 14th June 2026.

On booking their place on the course participants will receive a short online form about their knowledge and challenges with financial planning.

The information shared on this form will help the course tutor David Crump in shaping the content of the tutorials. The information will remain confidential; it will not be shared with other third parties and will only be retained by Craft Scotland for the purposes of evaluating the course . We will send out a follow up short feedback survey one year from the course completion to evaluate impact of the course on participants’ confidence and business finances.

Inclusion and Access for All 

We welcome participants under-represented in the craft sector.

Craft Scotland believes craft is culturally significant, essential to our economy and meaningful to our communities. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to see, enjoy, learn about and participate in craft. We are committed to equality and opposed to all forms of unfair discrimination.

Course Costs 

The participation fee covers all online sessions of the COMPASS Online Summer School 2026.

Craft Scotland has established a sliding scale for the course tickets. We aim to remove barriers to participation, especially for makers who identify as part of under-represented groups highlighted in our EDI Strategy and Policy 2024-28.

All income generated from ticket sales is reinvested back into our annual programme that supports makers and champions Scottish contemporary craft.

Please feel free to select the ticket you feel applies to you.

• Solidarity Ticket - £95  For makers able to cover the cost of this ticket and support another maker’s participation too 

• Standard Ticket - £70  

• Support Ticket - £45 For makers with less disposable income available

Support with participation 

If you are interested in this opportunity but feel there are some barriers to participation, we have a small Access Support budget. Please get in touch before the application deadline, with ilaria Casini, Craft Scotland Learning Manager via email ilaria@craftscotland.org
 

About COMPASS 

Craft Scotland’s learning and development programme, COMPASS, delivers tailored support for the craft sector. We want to support craft talent and equip individuals with the necessary skills to create a thriving creative and business practice. COMPASS approaches learning and development holistically exploring values and self-development topics alongside business subjects such as finance and marketing.   

Originally launched in 2018 with a focus on makers, COMPASS has since expanded to also provide support for curators and other craft professionals. It is a continuously evolving programme of support responding to the unique needs of the community, informed by industry experts and feedback from the sector.