Fundamentals of Co-Design
KEY INFORMATION
Dates: 7 September 2026
Format & Duration: Full-day training session in Brisbane
Delivery Mode: In person
Co-Design Maturity Model Level: Explore/Understand.
About this training
Dive deep into the foundations of co-design. This course is designed for both beginners and those looking to refine their understanding of this powerful approach to public and social innovation.
Through a series of interactive activities and real-world case studies, you'll explore the mindsets, principles and practices that make co-design unique. Experience what co-design looks and feels like, while gaining a solid theoretical grounding in its core concepts.
Why do this course?
This course offers a practical understanding of how to effectively engage people with lived and professional experience using co-design methods. You'll learn how to apply co-design at various scales, from individual workshops to organisation-wide initiatives.
You'll gain concrete tools, ideas and frameworks for applying co-design to your own work, as well as a deeper appreciation of the benefits and considerations of taking a more creative and participatory approach to shared challenges.
How is it delivered?
The course can be taken either as a one-day in-person workshop (next date: 7 September 2026) or via a series of short online training sessions (next date TBC).
You'll engage in a mix of:
Interactive activities that bring co-design principles to life
Real-world case studies from various sectors
Reflective discussions and peer learning opportunities
Practical exercises to apply concepts to your own work context.
Key topics covered:
Co-design mindsets and principles
Inclusive workshop facilitation
Engagement methods beyond workshops
Co-design process models and key decision points
Organisational conditions for successful co-design.
Who is leading this?
This program has been developed and is delivered by Dr Emma Blomkamp, who brings extensive experience in co-design facilitation and capability building, creating safe and engaging spaces for practitioner development. In Brisbane, we are supported by co-facilitator Ruth Toomey, who combines government and social sector experience with skills in coaching and leading complex collaborations.
This course is grounded in extensive experience delivering engaging and educational sessions to participants from around the world. It incorporates best practices in experiential learning and the latest thinking on ‘shades of co-design’ to provide a nuanced understanding of how creative and participatory methods can be applied in different contexts.
Is this course for me?
This learning experience is ideal for:
people new to co-design who want a comprehensive introduction.
practitioners with some co-design experience who are looking to revisit and clarify foundational principles and approaches.
professionals from government, education, health, social and community sectors who are interested in applying co-design in their work.
It is not for you if you:
aren’t in or familiar with a relevant context in which to apply learnings —- some activities won’t work well if you can’t imagine a professional, voluntary or community setting in which to apply them.
expect to learn everything you need to know about co-design from this course alone. This is foundational training, which pairs well with our other courses such as Leading Co-Design in Complex Systems and Designing and Facilitating Workshops.
already have ample experience leading co-design projects — you may wish to check out Co-Design Practitioners orcoaching/mentoring instead.
2026 schedule
The next in-person course will be held in Brisbane, Queensland:
Monday 7 September, 9.30am-4.30pm
👉 Plus every participant gets the option of a discounted individual coaching session with Emma or Ruth, to be scheduled at a time of your choice within three months of completing the training.
Keen to learn online or at another date?
Our next virtual series will likely consist of five x 90-minute online training sessions at a time to suit participants in Australia, NZ and the Americas, in 2027.
Register your interest below to be informed when the next course is scheduled.
Investment & pricing
We use tiered pricing to support individuals who self-fund, encourage early registrations, and to reflect the additional admin involved in organisational invoicing.
In-person training prices are in AUD and include GST.
Individual — early-bird, until 6 July: $990
Individual — standard: $1,150
Organisations — per person, on invoice: $1,210
We offer a 10% discount when three or more participants from one organisation register together. Contact us to request an invoice or the discount code.
Your place is confirmed on receipt of full payment.
In-person registration includes:
Catering (lunch and snacks)
All materials including a workbook and digital resources.
Preparation and follow-up activities via email.
Certificate of completion.
Optional add-on:
Individual follow-up coaching session with Emma or Ruth to discuss how to implement what you have learned into your work: $290 AUD incl. GST
We highly recommend registering early to avoid missing out.
To provide a great learning experience, participant numbers are capped.
Registrations close on 2 September 2026 or when we reach capacity.
Access and payment options
Payment options
Register directly via Humanitix to pay via credit card. International participants can contact the team to request an invoice free of GST if based outside of Australia. Learn more about our payment options.
Scholarships
We offer two scholarship places for First Nations practitioners for each of our courses, and a discount for participants with an income under $70,000 AUD per year. Please see our scholarships page for more information and to apply.
Access
When you register, we will ask if you have any access needs or learning preferences. You can view a summary of how we learn, what platforms we use and what accessible features we provide by default here.
Get course updates
Keen to join us for a future session of Fundamentals of Co-Design?
Register your interest in Fundamentals of Co-Design and we’ll email you when the next session opens.
Want to hear about our other courses too? Tick as many as you like — we’ll keep you in the loop.
