At the beginning of March 2022, Latvian Information and Communication Technology Association (LIKTA) in cooperation with the State Employment Agency (SEA) announced a call for applications for the 3rd round of the Women4IT project training program in Latvia, under which young women who are not in employment, education, or training (NEET), will develop their skills in a variety of digital job profiles and receive career guidance.
In total, more than 250 women applied for this round and 67 young women have started training. The greatest interest is still in the Information System Tester profile, and by June this year, 34 young women will undergo training and career support activities to successfully start their career in the industry. The Digital Media Specialist profile and Project Coordinator profile were no less popular fields of study with 19 and 14 young women, respectively.
In order to better choose their field of study, women assessed their existing digital skills and suitability for different professions through specially designed tests before starting the course. The tests, which can be found on the digital platform, https://digitaljobs.women4it.eu/, have been developed by the Women4IT consortium, which consist of nine organisations from European countries. The platform not only provides self-evaluation tests, but also infographics and descriptions of each profession, so that anyone interested can find out what the responsibilities of each profession are, what skills they require and what qualities they have. After selecting the participants, the young women will embark on a two-month training program in their chosen profession.
In parallel with the training, participants will have the opportunity to receive support in finding a job after completing the training. Throughout the training, participants will collaborate with a personal mentor to help them better prepare for employment, as well as attend empowerment workshops where professionals will share their experiences and help young women start their digital careers. Participants will also have the opportunity to participate in Job shadowing sessions, which will be organised in cooperation with companies in the industry and will provide an opportunity to get to know the behind the scenes of the chosen profession.
