The final event of Women4IT, titled “Shaping the future of digital,” marked the conclusion of our four-year project trajectory on November 23. We were pleased to host several experienced professionals from the European Commission, the industry, and civil society during our panels and keynote speeches, who shared their thoughts on what’s next for #WomenInTech.
Their focus on making the digital sector more gender-inclusive included several key points:
- Providing more opportunities for girls and women to develop their skills and confidence in an environment that fosters curiosity and drive
- Addressing traditional gender role division perpetuated by the media and promoting a collective social message to show women that they belong in STEM fields
- Changing the narrative to put women, rather than the economy, at the centre of attention and encourage more women to pursue careers in IT
- Increasing visibility for women in STEM careers as role models
- Embedding inclusive digital skills training in educational systems across Europe through a self-sustaining structure
- Investing significantly in women-led start-ups, digital, and entrepreneurship to drive real change in the tech sector
We also had the pleasure of hosting two of our trainees, who shared their experiences and how the project transformed their lives. Our team was thrilled to see the positive impact our efforts and investments had on so many lives. While our project has made significant progress in increasing the number of women in tech, there is still a long way to go, and collaboration within the system is crucial to making this happen.
The Women4IT team is open and willing to share our resources and methodologies with anyone who wishes to contribute to duplicating these results. We extend our gratitude to all of the great speakers, including DG EAC’s Themis Christophidou, Cecilia Bonefeld-Dahl, Dana Adriana Puia Morel, Sana Afouaiz, Mary Cleary, and Armand Gilles LEBLOIS, for sharing their knowledge and supporting the important matter of diversifying the tech sector. We would also like to thank our trainees, Ariadna and Christina, for their time and effort in being there with us and our project partners, investors, collaborators, and everyone who contributed to making this project possible. This is just the beginning of our journey towards complete inclusion of women in STEM.
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