EU4Digital has launched a new activity for women mentorship programmes in the tech sector, with the aim of tackling the gender gap and to enable the national organisations to implement such programmes in their local tech markets.

The gender gap in the tech market is a global issue, which also affects Eastern partner countries. Solutions are especially needed now in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has seen a greater impact on women’s unemployment rates compared to men, as well as rapid changes in the job market, where more and more tech specialists are required. 

In light of these challenges, EU4Digital decided to take practical actions to close the gender gap and support the transformation of local markets. 

The newly launched activity focuses on  women’s mentorship programmes for knowledge transfer in the area of tech, and empowerment of local beneficiaries to take practical steps towards launching such programmes in each of the six Eastern partner countries. 

The activity is to be implemented in collaboration with practitioners from the EU-based organisation “Women Go Tech”, which has practical experience in mentoring and launching similar programmes in the Baltic and Nordic countries. 

The key benefits and outputs of this activity for the Eastern partner countries include: 

• Practical and regionally adapted guidebook for women’s mentorship programmes in tech establishment – the guidebook will provide necessary knowledge in the areas of funding, mentoring, programme content, marketing and resources;
• Programme implementation roadmaps (practical action plans) for the six Eastern partner countries;
• Empowered and committed local organisations to implement such programmes in their own countries. 

Throughout the activity, local beneficiary organisations will be actively involved and trained. EU4Digital identified potential partners in each of the partner country and will finalise procedures to bring them on board in the coming weeks. The selected organisations will be practically involved in EU best practises adjustment and guidance shaping for their local markets. They will also take a part in a joint knowledge transfer workshop, which is planned for late November/early December 2020.The EU4Digital Facility and Women Go Tech seek not only to achieve transfer of EU knowledge and practices, but the further continuation of the activity and the implementation of programme pilot cases in the coming years.