As presented earlier, 40 percent of managers and directors stated they would find co-op specific education or training helpful. This only presents part of the picture as 25% stated they did not think it was necessary. A more nuanced look at these answers presents, especially for managers, a struggle between wanting higher education that was co-op specific but also transferable to other sectors as well as the notion that the daily operations of a co-op are not really that different to warrant co-op specific training. About 60% of interviewees expressed the need for co-op specific content to be inserted into the business school curriculum more effectively.

The interviewees were asked whether they encounter any challenges that co-op specific education or training would help with. The array of challenges discussed represents the life cycle of co-operatives, the changing economic and social context co-ops work in, and the particular operations, planning and leadership issues for co-ops.

In particular, both managers and directors reported that governance was one of the biggest challenges for their co-op. Interviewees felt that governance required co-op specific education or training. Some directors acknowledged that they have taken generic director training or programs to fill in their knowledge gaps. The other big challenge voiced was co-op values and benefits, which speaks to daily operations, governance, employee management, and member engagement. Not to go unrecognized, five people did state that they did not encounter any challenges they could not tackle.

Given these challenges, it is not a huge leap to understand why managers and directors have identified the educative needs for the medium and long term. Governance training from how to run a meeting to responsibilities of a director to how to work with management to co-op specific boards are all needed. How to invest in the culture of a co-op, which includes such topics as creating an identity, marketing the difference, promoting great workplaces, living the mission and vision, values, and imparting the big picture was also identified. Managers and directors are also concerned about how to best foster responsible co-op employees and directors; having knowledgeable and skilled people in the co-op. They also isolated good training or education as a need, which leads to supporting sound management skills and increasing awareness about co-operatives within employees, members and the general public. Importantly managers and directors spoke about the need for better sharing between co-operatives and co-op peers. As one manager stated, "A community of practice is not in existence for co-ops. This would help to create lateral or peer to peer connections".

Thus far a context has been presented including what co-op specific education and training managers and directors have taken, their awareness of co-op specific education, and the challenges they currently encounter. What do managers and directors reveal when asked about what they need in terms of co-op specific education or training?

As identified by managers and directors, there is no silver bullet for good co‐op specific education or training. Instead what emerges is a set of characteristics that should be taken into account when designing or implementing co-op specific education. The content, target audience and delivery mechanism needs to be taken into account. The delivery mechanism (i.e., webinar, in person, classroom, online) does not matter so long as it is appropriate for the content. Managers and Directors want meaningful training, do not want to waste their time, and for the most part want to have a deeper connection with their peer group in the co-op or co-operative sector. They want it to be quickly operational, to be gender equal, available and accessible to all ages, a mix of theory and practice, and for the content to be current and vital. They want "co-op specific education to produce professional business people for co-operatives". They do not for the most part want to go to university, even virtually, but want in-house education or training by seasoned, knowledgeable content experts with co-op experience and adult education facilitation skills. Many are looking for some form of non-formal or informal learning plan for co-op specific education, which focuses on the knowledge and/or skills they need to do their job. One interviewee called this a "tracked learning journey". As an individual they are willing to pay as is their co-op if they can see the value in doing it. Co-op specific training can be a one-off on a particular needful topic (i.e., governance, member engagement, co-op difference, finances, innovation, values, co-ops working with co-ops, or communications) or a program of sorts over a couple of years. Managers and directors want to make meaningful connections with their peers across the co-operative sector as a part of co-op specific education and training.

When asked about outcomes of co-op specific education, managers and directors were dedicated to a particular co-operative aesthetic. At the individual level, it should be working towards making better individuals by increasing technical knowledge and skills, developing better citizens, and strengthening their belief in the co-operative advantage. As one interviewee stated, "if employees are informed then they will be inspired".

At the co‐operative level, co-op specific education or training is working on a number of fronts. First and foremost, it should help to make better businesses (i.e., enhance social and economic value, promote local jobs and better workplaces, and advance the co-op difference through being a successful business). In other words, the "recognition of the potential of collective enterprises". Hand in hand with this, co-op specific education should also be developing better communities through promoting local economies, high social and economic value, peace building and just workplaces. As one interviewee stated, "Co-ops are good economics."

Also at the co-op level, education and training should expand and enhance better partnerships and collaboration. For example, managers and directors talked about improving co-op to co-op trade and connection, co-operative to university/ college/high school partnerships, co-op employee to co-op employee mentoring and peer networking, and deeper relationship building between big and small co-ops. There should be better awareness of co-operatives for the membership, employees, and general public. Co-op specific education would also promote better succession planning for co-ops, businesses, the board, and employees of all types. And finally, co-op specific education should fill in the gaps around training and education needs for co-ops. It should be in the mainstream curriculum of universities and colleges and specifically in the business schools' curriculum. And while outside the scope of this research, it was apparent that participants felt co-op specific education should start earlier in high school and even elementary school. There should also be central services for co-op training and education offered by co-op content experts.