By Sponsored
Copyright timesofmalta
For many adults in Malta, the idea of returning to study feels out of reach. Between traffic, long commutes, rigid schedules and steep fees, higher education quickly turns into a struggle rather than an opportunity. Three Maltese friends who wanted to keep learning knew that frustration all too well, so they decided to do something about it. That’s how Elephant & Cross was born: built to make learning flexible, affordable and genuinely accessible. One of the founders still recalls applying for a part-time master’s degree with a traditional school. “It was supposed to be twice a week at 6pm,” he explains. “But how are you meant to leave work, drive across the island and be onsite at 6pm? Twice a week! For anyone with a job or a family, it just doesn’t work.” Elephant & Cross takes a very different approach. Its courses are 100% online, UK-accredited, fully recognised around the world, and designed for real life. Students can start from a Level 4 Diploma and work their way up through to a master’s degree online, without ever needing to sit in a classroom. There are no fixed timetables and most of their courses are assignment based. Lectures are recorded, learning is self-paced, and students get one-to-one support whenever they need it. For people already working full time or raising children, that flexibility makes all the difference. But what really drives the team are the stories of individual students. One that stands out is a young mother who had put her own ambitions on hold to raise her children. For years, she felt stuck in the same role at work, watching colleagues move ahead while she stayed in place. She decided to take a chance on herself and enrolled in a Level 4 Diploma in Human Resources online. Within months, her confidence grew. She was applying what she learned directly at work, impressing her managers, and before long she earned a promotion. Today, she’s balancing family life with her studies as she works through her Level 5 Diploma and has recently stepped into a management role. “Seeing her progression really made us proud,” the founders say. “She was one of our first students, she’s proof of what’s possible when education fits around your life, not the other way around. We love helping our students win. That’s the whole point.” The brand’s philosophy is straightforward: education shouldn’t stop when you’re 22, and it shouldn’t feel like a punishment. Or, as the founders put it, Elephant & Cross is about making education “not suck.” From its beginnings in Malta to a growing international community, Elephant & Cross is proving that flexible higher education can be affordable, supportive, and designed around real people. For anyone looking to study in Malta or online while balancing work and family, it offers something different: a chance to learn, and win, on your own terms.
