Impact School, Portugal

Impact School offers four training programmes ranging from capacity-building to women’s entrepreneurship empowerment. Each programme has specific entry requirements, and a defined duration based on the target audience and desired outcomes: 

• The Inspira-te programme focuses on personal development and setting employability objectives, as well as preparing participants for reintegration into the world of work or entrepreneurship. Participants engage in workshops covering professional goal setting, technical skills, and business fundamentals such as accounting, marketing and finances. They also share ideas and network with partners. These activities are further supported by mentoring and community support to ensure project success. The programme is targeted at individuals in vulnerable situations, such as long-term unemployment or precarious employment, being over 30 years old, having at least a basic education and five years of work experience, or being supported by social solidarity institutions.
• The Relança-te programme is designed for impact micro-entrepreneurs with projects targeting the Portuguese market. Participants are required to have fluency in Portuguese, at least a 9th-grade education, basic computer literacy, and availability of around 14 hours per week. It emphasises practical learning in business management, financial literacy, and digital tools. The top 10 finalists receive a EUR 1 500 incubation grant and participate in demo days, where they will pitch their projects to experts and receive feedback on their ideas.
• The Descodifica-te programme focuses on women in career transition, including mothers and carers, who are aged 18 or over, reside in Portugal and have basic digital/user-level skills. The programme aims to reintegrate women into the digital economy. Participants build a digital portfolio (websites, apps, databases and online stores) using no-code tools through three phases: visual/no-code programming, real-world digital project development and career relaunch planning. They also receive mentoring and peer community support to prepare for employment or self-employment.
• The Multiplica-te programme is a 10-week, hands-on plumbing training course held at the CICCOPN facilities in Maia, Porto. It is aimed at adults (aged over 18, residing in the Porto area) who are seeking a career in construction. Participants learn plumbing installation and assembly techniques and customer communication skills, and receive a participation grant of EUR 400 per month (conditional on attendance) to help them enter the labour market.