pICTureURpath
Fostering gender balance in pursuing ICT related studies and professions
BACKGROUND
Due to today’s increasing importance and role of technology in our lives, there is a growing demand for people who are skilled in information and communication technologies (ICT). However, although women make up 51% of the EU population, only 1 out of 5 ICT specialists are women and since 2015, there hasn’t been any significant change in the percentage of women who work in ICT.
Aiming for gender equality in ICT will allow the field to innovate through different perspectives and create technologies that serve and reflect the needs of a wider spectrum of users.
AIM
“pICTureURpath – Fostering gender balance in pursuing ICT related studies and professions” aims to identify the key factors and actors that influence girls’ aspirations in pursuing Information and Communications Technology (ICT) studies and professions in Europe, with the scope to design a pedagogical framework for secondary pre-service and in-service teachers and non-formal educators, and pilot-experiment an intervention for proposing policy recommendations that have high potential for increasing the number of girls whose career choice or learning pathway leads to an ICT.
THE IDEA BEHIND
The project encompasses the co-creation philosophy and the collaboration of the different stakeholders and individuals that can influence the career path decision of young people and, specifically, girls such as parents, peers, career counselors, teachers and non-formal educators, women role models in ICT, policy makers and community. Our ultimate target is to create a supportive environment at all levels through specific interventions fostering acknowledgment of women’s role in ICT and importance of digital skills not only in schools, but also in the community around them.
OBJECTIVES
The objectives of pICTureURpath directly address building a pedagogical framework and policy intervention aiming to boost gender balance in pursuing ICT related studies and professions. The project will unpack the phenomenon of underrepresentation of girls in the field of ICT studies and career, and design a policy intervention that is scalable, transferable in EU and with a high potential of increasing the number of girls who picture their path in ICT studies and careers.
Support mutual learning and exchange of good practices within stakeholders in the field.
Identify the key factors and actors that influence girls’ aspirations in pursuing ICT studies and professions.
Develop a gender-responsive pedagogical framework for digital skills and competences in secondary education.
Enhance awareness and build the capacity of in-service and pre-service teachers in secondary education and non-formal educators.
Pilot the project’s policy intervention aiming at increasing girls’ aspirations in pursuing ICT studies and professions in Europe.
Produce policy recommendations and engage policy makers across the EU in discussions on scalability, transferability, and impact of the proposed intervention.
TARGET GROUPS
In-service teachers and pre-service teachers in secondary education
Non-formal educators working with young teenagers
Secondary school students
Parents
Women working in ICT or collaborating with ICT experts
Career counselors
Policy makers in secondary education in school directorates level and in national and EU level
NGOs, educational centers, associations of women and relevant stakeholders
ICT companies, startups, research centers involving ICT and relevant stakeholders
University professors and researchers
Community
Peers
EXPECTED RESULTS
individuals and organisations informed through social media, platforms, workshops etc.
target group participants in Community of Practice consisting of in-service and pre-service teachers in secondary education, non-formal educators working with young teenagers, parents, career counselors, policy makers in secondary education, women working in ICT or collaborating with ICT experts
pedagogical framework and educational package developed that promote equal participation of girls in ICT through topics and projects that interest them
educators trained (in-service, pre-service, non-formal) to gain skills and strategies that will help them create an inclusive environment
schools in pilot implementation aimed at increasing girls’ aspirations in pursuing ICT studies and professions in Europe
increase in girls’ interest in ICT
policy recommendations produced that have high potential for increasing the number of girls whose career choice or learning pathway leads to an ICT field