Project Event

Women4IT: Shaping the future of digital

In an increasingly digitalised world, women continue to be underrepresented in STEM education and technology careers. Women4IT was created  to change that.  

Women4IT – an initiative financed by the EEA and Norway Grants’ Fund for Youth Employment and supported by DIGITALEUROPE – aims to empower young women across Europe to become part of the digital economy. 

By providing  fully funded, individually tailored digital skills training that reflects current market needs, we have worked  to equip women with a set of in-demand digital competencies and employability guidance, all to drive their career advancement and economic independence. In its pilot phase, the project has retrained +900 women across Europe as programmers, data analysts and other ICT roles that are vital to reach our Digital Decade goals. 

The upcoming event entitled Women4IT: Shaping the future of digital marks the end of our four-year project. Together, we will look back at the project’s main achievements, good practices and lessons learnt, as well as hear first-hand from the Women4IT graduates about their experience and plans for a career in tech. We will also review how the EU currently performs in terms of fostering gender diversity in STEM and discuss the next steps in boosting the impact of initiatives like Women4IT. 

AGENDA

09:30-10:00

Welcome coffee and light breakfast
10:00-10:05
Welcome remarks
- Katarzyna Udała, Project Manager, DIGITALEUROPE
10:05-10:15
Keynote: On the mission to foster digital inclusion
- Cecilia Bonefeld-Dahl, Director General, DIGITALEUROPE
10:15-10:25
Keynote: Grassroots initiatives boosting digital skills and youth employment
- Sheena Elaine Keller | Senior Sector Officer, EEA and Norway Grants
10:25-11:10
Women4IT Showcase: methodology, innovative tools and impact made
- Māra Jākobsone | Board Membert, LIKTA
- Maria Giannacourou | Project Manager, CRETHIDEV
- Danguole Rutkauskiene | Head of Projects, BETI
- Monica Lopez | Project Manager, Plan International España
- Sephora Cutajar | Project Coordinator, Tech.mt
- Andrada Beloia | Project Manager, Fundatia EOS
11:10-11:30

Coffee break
11:30-11:40
Keynote: Women in the future of STEM
- Themis Christophidou | Director-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture of the European Commission (DG EAC)
11:40-12:00
In conversation with the Women4IT Participants
- Ariadna Bascuñana Sierra | Digital HR Course Assistant,
  Digital Career Institute (Spain)
- Christina I. Iliou, | ICT Manager, Organization Administrator of Google EMEA Scholarships: 2022 Google Career Certs (Greece)
- Ieva Šica | Customer Solutions Group Manager, If Insurance (Latvia)
12:00-12:50
Expert panel: Shaping the future of digital – how can we boost the impact of Women4IT and similar initiatives across Europe?
- Dana Puia Morel | Coach, Trainer and Policy Expert, DG GROW, European Commission
- Armand Leblois | Regional Manager for Europe CIS, CISCO
- Sana Afouaiz | Founder and Director, Womenpreneur Initiative [TBC]
- Mary Cleary | Coordinator, Digital Skills National Coalition of Ireland
- Peter Palvolgyi | CEO, All Digital (moderator)
12:50-13:00
Closing remarks:
- Katarzyna Udała | Project Manager, DIGITALEUROPE
- Eva Fabry | Director, European Center for Women and Technology

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