The Women4IT project participated 6-7 February in Brussels in the Good Practices Showcases workshop and the final conference of the #Eskills4Diversity project by empirica, JP Morgan, All Digital and CEPIS, sharing experiences from 6 European countries about how ICT training progs can help achieve more diversity in the labour market.
The YOUNG-ICT WOMEN – Innovative Solutions to Increase the Numbers of EU Vulnerable Girls and Young Women into the Digital Agenda” (Project Nr. 2017-1-094), in short Women4IT project, participated 6-7 Febr in Brussels in the Good Practices Showcases workshop and the final conference of the #Eskills4Diversity project by empirica, JP Morgan, All Digital and CEPIS, sharing experiences from 6 European countries (DE, ES, FR, IR, PL, UK and South Africa) about how ICT training prog’s can help achieve more diversity in the labour market.
The project is part of the JPMorgan Chase New Skills at Work program, a $250 million five-year global initiative that aims to identify strategies and support solutions that help improve labour market infrastructure and develop the skilled workforce globally.
KEY FINDINGS: Continuously widening ICT skills gap acts as an opportunity for the creation of a diverse workforce. Good practices exist but sustainability and scaling remain a challenge.
Research has focused on NEET-Group. The project identified 400+ ICT training programs of which 22 were selected as Good Practice Showcases.
Upon invitation Project Mara Jakobsone presented the Women4IT project in the workshop and the JP Morgan leadership present in the conference confirmed the day after their interest to follow the progress of the project.
SOME INTERESTING REMARKS: Bruno Lavin, Executive Director INSEAD pointed out that the worst what can happen is gender mainstreaming. What we need is gender awareness on every level!
The European Commission, represented by Fabrizia Benini, Head of Unit, Digital Economy and Skills, DG CONNECT emphasized the importance of the present Commissions strategy for Women in Digital, urged companies to join the pledge initiated by Commissioner Maria Gabriel and stressed the importance of monitoring.
RECOMMENDATIONS of the project: to improve diversity in the ICT workforce focused on: flexibility in education, new digital degrees, VET & apprenticeships together with industry, promoting the value of diversity & inclusion, long-term sustainability through connectivity to local educational system.
TAKEAWAYS
In his conference summary Bruno Lavin, Executive Director INSEAD stressed the importance of ABCDE:
Awareness raising: We need to convince that diversity in the field of e-skills is important. Some of the obstacles (unconscious biases, the data, immigrants, dangers of mainstreaming) have still not been addressed, but must be!
Borders: Getting rid of borders and bringing all stakeholders together, making them accept their new roles (especially in countries where apprenticeships are not so well established as e.g. in Germany, Austria, Switzerland)
Counting: Measuring performance, monitoring of the projects, facts to convince!
Creating skills is not an end in itself – do the people get a job, are they happy.
Diversity needs to be defined and complemented with change of the mindset!
A more diverse workforce, will lead to more competitiveness and more innovation.
Experience: real changes will come from real projects!
To learn more about the event, please visit the website of the event.
Follow Women4IT on social media:
Twitter @WomenForIT
Facebook www.facebook.com/WomenForIT/
LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/company/women4ict/
