Project “Entrepreneurial Skills For Woman In A Digital World” aims to address one of the most pressing challenges Europe faces nowadays – improving skills, which contribute to higher employability of women. Economy today is based on knowledge, demanding advanced skills and competences. Problem-solving, teamwork, creativity, organisational skills, communication, leadership and digital skills are just a few of soft skills which are currently in demand on the European job market.
In cooperation with partner organisation from Lithuania, Germany and Greece, Simbioza launched a project which aims to develop an entrepreneurial education career for underprivileged women by using a project-based approach integrated with ICT learning. The two-year long project will develop and assess a new program with instructors from organisations for the informal education of adults, and women, who want to improve their project management and ICT skills.
The project Entrepreneurial Skills for Women in a Digital World hopes to make a modest contribution in alleviating one of the most pressing challenges in Europe – relevant skills for women employability. Today, knowledge-based economies require people with higher skills. Problem solving, teamwork, creativity, organization, communication, leadership and digital competences are some of the core importance soft skills for current European labour markets.
Project consortium includes: Association Rural Internet Access Points, Lithuania, Simbioza Genesis, Slovėnia, Stiftung Digitale Chancen, Germany and Computer Technology Institute & Press Diophantus, Greece. During this two year project, a new program will be developed and tested with the educators of non-formal adult learning organizations and women who would like to improve their project management and ICT skills.
This project hopes to make a modest contribution to alleviating one of the most pressing challenges in Europe – relevant skills for women employability. Today, knowledge-based economies require people with higher skills. Problem solving, teamwork, creativity, organization, communication, leadership and digital competences are some of the core importance soft skills for current European labour markets.
Today women represent more than 50% of the European population. Unfortunately, they have been traditionally more affected by unemployment than men and are underrepresented in the labour market. According to Eurostat data, in the beginning of 2018, the EU unemployment rate was 8,6% (around 18 mln. people) and half of them have been unemployed for more than one year. The share of women among those EU citizens without a job, however, is more than half. In Lithuania, the total unemployment rate is 7 %, of which 5.4% are women. Greece unemployment rate among women was 24.4% , in Slovenia – 6.3% in 2018.
Hoping to contribute to the above mentioned problem solving association Rural Internet Access Points in Lithuania together with the partner organizations from Germany, Slovenia and Greece initiates a project aimed at developing entrepreneurship educational pathway for disadvantaged women through applying project-based approaches with integrated ICT learning approaches in non-formal adult education institutions.
During this two year project, a new program will be developed and tested with the educators of non-formal adult learning organizations and women who would like to improve their project management and ICT skills.
We will support educators of adult non-formal education institutions in learning and training activities, in the acquisition and use of entrepreneurial knowledge, skills and qualifications to facilitate disadvantaged women in personal development and employability.
Through exchanging practices among partner organizations we will develop a two-step activity which includes designing learning strategies, creating and piloting the training program to promote greater employability of disadvantaged women.
We will contribute to the attractiveness of entrepreneurial education and training in adult non-formal education institutions.
40 educators working at non-formal adult education institutions (adult training centres, librarians, social workers, telecentre employees, community centres, woman NGOs, networking organizations);
200 disadvantaged women (unemployed, living in rural areas, single mothers, disabled, migrants, widows, etc.)
During the project, a learning concept will be designed and implemented. The learning concept will clearly set the pedagogical strategy to capacitate educators of adult non-formal education to develop their entrepreneurial skills in order to facilitate disadvantaged women in personal development and employability.
Developing training materials and pilot testing. This initiative differs from predominant approaches as the project strategy is focused on the implementation of entrepreneurial learning by using project-based approaches with integrated ICT learning at adult non-formal education institutions. The synthesis of ICT and project-based learning promotes a pragmatic approach for strengthening entrepreneurial skills such as creativity, initiative, tenacity, teamwork, problem solving as well as take advantage of information, communication and technology (ICT) opportunities.
In the framework of the project the consortium will also develop and disseminate the e-Guidebook. The document will facilitate the use and adoption of the training materials in diverse contexts of non-formal learning settings. The key aim of the guidelines will be an explanation of how to use methodology with step-by-step activities and some tips, which will guide educators how to conduct training in their institutions.