SHETECHTALKS

• Project name: SheTechTalks: Breaking barriers in ICT
  

• Project number: 2024-1-NL01-KA220-HED-000252911

• Duration: 01/09/2024 – 31/12/2026

• Project website: shetechtalks.eu

The EU prioritizes gender equality, mirroring the UN’s SDGs. However, disparities persist. Of the EU’s 9 million ICT specialists, under 20% are women. Despite women constituting 57.7% of university graduates (Germany being an exception at 49.6%), their representation in STEM remains a mere 34.1% on average, peaking at 43% in Romania, Poland, Greece, and Estonia. In no case do they exceed 43%. (Eurostat, 2022)

As stated in the latest unemployment figures for the European Union (EU), the Euro area and individual EU Member States, in July 2023, the unemployment rate for women was 6.2% in the EU. The unemployment rate for men was 5.7% in July 2023.

In Spain, despite women being the majority (55%) of university students, ICT specialists (16%), those employed in ICT services (29%), as well as in high and cutting edge technology services (32%). Moreover, even if the Spanish ICT sector

shows better rates of employability, higher salaries for women, less unemployment and less temporality than in other sectors, discrimination against women working in ICT still persists.

Considering the high unemployment and the digital gender divide, based on inherent gender bias in digital education, sociocultural norms or stereotypes and a lack of female role models, SheTechTalks aims at promoting digital skills for young women, providing the possibility to enhance their participation in ICT. Major challenges are proving that women shall step in to embrace new roles, where they can make a difference. Furthermore, our economy and society are impacted in depth by the digital transformation. It becomes evident to address both the gender gap and the need for upskilling women, developing technical skills and critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills that will be more valuable in their future and progress.

The project has the following objectives:

• Train and educate women in topics related to digital technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality, Cybersecurity and Coding
• Assist women to develop the necessary skills and knowledge to be able to occupy themselves in digital projects and thrive in STEAM.
• Engage more women and girls in the so-called “male-dominated” STEM fields such as programming/software developing, etc.
• Set up networking opportunities so that women who are interested in getting into tech can speak with other professionals and share their knowledge and experience with them.
• The professionals engaged in the project to get in touch with newly trained and extremely competent individuals through our networking process, with whom they can collaborate/create a partnership/business relationship or hire them in the future.

To achieve them, the consortium will create:

1. Series of podcasts: monthly podcasts with topics related with women in tech & accompanying digital campaign
2. Training academies digital and business education, empowerment to avoid stereotypical thinking.
3. Dissemination & Exploitation: strategies PR materials, social media, website, leaflets, career days, articles., digital platform with the project’s results and methods, public and private entities to which project’s results are shared in events
4. Group mentorship program.

VR4M project builds on the success of our previous Mobilitimeline project, developed in collaboration with VET centres in France, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, and Spain, all actively engaged in mobility initiatives. The Mobilitimeline project allowed us to create online tools to streamline and enhance the pedagogical and administrative support for European mobility projects, benefiting both learners and mobility coordinators.

However, we recognize the vital role hosting organisations (companies and VET schools) play in the vocational training of learners and the challenges they face. Hosting organisations need adequate tools to support and monitor learners effectively before, during, and after their mobility experiences. Additionally, learners often struggle to adapt to life in a new city or country, facing difficulties with practical aspects such as accommodation and local logistics.

Through our experiences as both sending and hosting organisations, we have identified several key challenges:

• Hosting a learner can be overwhelming for companies or VET schools that lack the resources and tools necessary to integrate them.
• Hosting organisations face difficulties in accessing information and providing quality support across all stages of mobility.
• Learners often receive training on workplace safety rules, which is mandatory in some countries like Italy or Germany, but they lack access to specific safety guidelines tailored to international professional mobility.
• Learners encounter significant challenges in finding practical information, such as accommodation, transportation, and other logistical needs in the host city.
• Former learners with successful mobility experiences are not formally engaged as ambassadors or listed as potential contacts for future mobility participants, missing an opportunity to strengthen networks.

To address these challenges, our project aims to exchange good practices and implement the following solutions:

• Develop an online preparation training program to provide hosting organisations with structured and effective tools for integrating foreign learners.
• Create a digital platform incorporating a comprehensive timeline with relevant resources to support hosting organisations throughout the mobility process—before, during, and after the learner’s stay.
• Establish a digital map that identifies potential hosting organisations, leveraging a network of VET mobility alumni, complete with a contact list.
• Design online training modules to educate VET participants on essential rules and safety measures required during international mobility.
• Develop a digital installation kit to assist VET learners with practical information about host cities, covering accommodation, transport, and other logistical needs.

By addressing these gaps, the project aims to strengthen the support for hosting organisations, improve the mobility experience for learners, and foster a more connected and sustainable VET mobility ecosystem.