Entrepreneurship for People with Disabilities Programme, Ireland
GENERIC
Launched in 2021, the TU Dublin Entrepreneurship for People with Disabilities Programme through its Continuing Professional Development programme. The 12-week programme is an online course for people with disabilities interested in pursuing entrepreneurship and is offered free of charge for accepted participants. The programme was co-founded by the Open Doors Initiative and receives funding from the Allied Irish Banks (AIB). The programme includes an entrepreneurship training course, grants and support and mentorship opportunities.
A recent OECD report Disability, Work and Inclusion in Ireland: Engaging and Supporting Employers reported only one in three persons with disabilities in Ireland have a job, among the lowest share across EU Member States and OECD Countries. Following the recommendation to increase access to training programmes for people with disabilities, the Government of Ireland in collaboration with non-governmental organisations introduced and supported initiatives with the aim to support and empower people with disabilities to pursue entrepreneurship. The TU Dublin programme is the only tailored support available in Ireland to assist people with disabilities who wish to start their own business.
The course includes twelve modules (i.e. one per week) designed to develop a range of entrepreneurship skills, including customer segmentation, developing financial projections, understanding legal matters and preparing a business plan. Each 2-hour lecture includes guest speakers who have relevant expertise and experience to share with participants and who can act as role models for participants. Additionally, participants develop their business idea on a weekly basis through an online tool, allowing for a customised experimental learning approach. Each participant is allocated a business mentor through the Local Enterprise Offices, whom they meet once a month to get feedback on the development of their business plan. The course is offered at the Level 6 of the Irish National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ) and successful participants are awarded 5 ECTS credits.
The programme offers 20 places per cycle with one cycle per year. TU Dublin receives approximately 40 applications each year, and selection is based on the information provided relating to the applicant’s business idea. The nature of applicants’ disabilities and their business ideas widely varies. On average, there are about 3 start-ups emanating from the course each year. Additionally, evidence suggests that the course significantly enhances participants’ sense of economic and personal emancipation and more than 90% of participants report higher confidence in becoming employed in the future.
To increase the reach of the course throughout the year and to make it available to a wider number of people with disabilities, an e-learning version of the course was created and is available to use for free. There has also been significant interest for the course to be delivered in other countries (which will begin in 2025), and TU Dublin is currently developing an advanced version of the course using AI technology.
TU Dublin (2024), AIB and TU Dublin Entrepreneurship for People with Disabilities Programme 2024, News, https://www.tudublin.ie/explore/news/aib-and-tu-dublin-entrepreneurship-for-people-with-disabilities-programme-2024-.html (accessed on 5 November 2024).