An accredited entrepreneurship course to train and empower people with disabilities has successfully completed its first cohort, setting a new standard in inclusive and accessible business training in Malta.
The Entrepreneurship Training Programme for People with Disabilities, organised by the Foundation for the Promotion of Entrepreneurial Initiatives (FPEI), offered practical guidance for people with disabilities considering self-employment or who want to start their own business.
Sponsored by Malta Enterprise and delivered through The Edward de Bono Institute for Creative Thinking and Innovation at the University of Malta, in collaboration with Technological University Dublin, the course officially launched at the Malta Enterprise Startup Festival in late 2024. The selected participants, all aspiring entrepreneurs who identify as having a disability, attended weekly online training sessions for 12 weeks between February and May 2025.
Each session explored the building blocks of business – from idea generation and evaluation to value proposition, customer segmentation, marketing strategy and financial projections – while addressing the specific challenges often faced by disabled entrepreneurs.
Accessibility was at the heart of the initiative, with the course’s lectures recorded and available to view on-demand, alongside a wealth of online resources such as the startup planning software, SimVenture Validate. Each participant also had the opportunity to work with a business mentor throughout the course, giving them a supportive foundation to develop, refine and test their ideas.
In recognition of the course’s Universal Design for Learning principles – a customised approach that allows each individual to maximise their learning potential – all those who successfully complete the course are awarded five ECTS credits at MQF Level 5, accredited by the University of Malta.
“This initiative provided a practical, accessible route into business for people who are too often overlooked in mainstream entrepreneurship training,” says FPEI Foundation Manager, Giselle Borg Olivier. “We’re proud of the determination shown by each participant and hugely grateful to everyone who made the course possible – from the mentors who so generously gave their time to helping the participants, to the exceptional guest speakers who enriched the course with their practical insights and real-world experience. We’re very much looking forward to repeating this success once again with another cohort and partnering again with the entities that were also responsible for the success of this initiative.”
For more information regarding upcoming FPEI initiatives, visit www.fpei.mt or email [email protected]. For details on the courses offered by The Edward de Bono Institute for Creative Thinking and Innovation, visit www.um.edu.mt/create or email [email protected].
