Presentation by Dimitris Raftopoulos (Chair of the Finance and EU Projects Working Group, European Centre for Women and Technology) on the occasion of the EESC Labour Market Observatory conference held on 3 December 2013 in Thessaloniki, Greece

1. An example of Grand Coalition for Digital Jobs –
Animating Female Talent through a partnership
between industry, education and ICT professionals
Skills and mobility for competitiveness
Thessaloniki 3rd December 2013
Dimitris Raftopoulos, Chair of the Finance and EU
Projects Working Group

2. European Center for Women and Technology
(ECWT)
The European Centre for Women and Technology (ECWT) is a
multi-stakeholder partnership representing high-level expertise in
women and technology development from government, business,
academia and non-profit sectors.
ECWT has in short time developed to be a key intermediator for
interaction between Quadruple Helix actors and has successfully
integrated bottom-up initiatives.
Scope: Demonstrate how women can effectively exploit acquired
knowledge in their own life, through the use of content related to
cultural, creative and social area.

3. Why Women are
Change Drivers
6 women control 658 Billion USD
50% Less Capital – 20% Highest ROI
80% Percent end with a Post Graduate Degree
Spend their Money on Education, Nutrition and Health
Different Way of Thinking – More Holistic, More Resilient
Women more keen towards ICT
Companies with women in leader-ship position more
successful
Strong communication skills and social intelligence
Generativity – Paradigm Shift

4. Women and ICT ?
Bringing more women into EU digital sector would
bring €9 billion annual GDP boost
Women gamers 35+ outnumber men
Women use ICT combining the entertaining and
business point of view
The Big Data Issue – STEM Solution
90% Occupations need Digital Skills
900.000 ICT Jobs

5. ICT Flagship Event Pledges
7 November 2013, Vilnius
Grand Coalition – 1st Pan-European Digital Woman of the Year Award Ceremony
Zen Digital, in partnership with the Council for European Professional Informatics Societies
(CEPIS), DIGITALEUROPE, the European Centre for Women and Technology (ECWT), and
European Schoolnet
A pan-Europe Award for women and girls who distinguish themselves and their
organisations in digitally-driven and digitally-enabled areas of study and work
Reward and bring recognition to women and girls in different domains and age groups who show
leadership in digitally-driven and digitally-enabled areas of study and work;
Advance the uptake of digital technology and digital skills among women and girls, and society as
a whole;
Demonstrate commitment to development and use of technology for social benefit.
Grand Coalition - WePROMIS® Pledge - ECWT, PROMIS@Service, BCWT
WePROMIS pledges to customize the present PROMIS solution structuring STEM knowledge to
the needs of female entrepreneurs and those who want to be more competitive in the job market
in a way as to enable them to be fully compliant in core areas like environment, health & safety,
quality, ICT Security & Data protection, and more.

6. unleash your potential
A Greek joint Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative led by HEPIS, the Greek N-PoC of ECWT in collaboration with multistakeholder representatives from companies, educational and training institutions, start-ups and HR agencies, aiming to motivate young
people to improve their e-skills and employability, increase their entrepreneurial expertise and learn about new technologies.
10.000 e-learning licenses for Basic ICT Skills
TRAINING MATERIAL
ICT skills (ecdl core+)
PERSONAL &
professional
development
Entrepreneurship
New technologies &
sustainability
300 ECDL Core+ Certifications
30 ITIL Certifications
1.000 licenses and Certifications for Microsoft
Technology Associate & Microsoft Office
Specialist
20 Scholarships Bachelor’s, Μaster’s of DEREE
& ALBA Graduate Business School

7. The Next Steps
03 December 2013,
Thessaloniki
10 December 2013,
Paris
1) Impact on economic growth in Europe
Increase number of women entrepreneurs in ICT sector and in regard to women using
technology in their businesses
Improve working conditions for women in the ICT sector
2) Impact on gender diversity in organisational structures and practices
4 April 2014, Athens
& Brussels
Increasing visibility of women in ICT sector in general and women in C-Suite (CEOs,
CIOs and CTOs) in specific
Providing a European focal point and an infrastructure for processes
Improve European level availability of data
3) Impact on GC4J culture
A catalyst for change
Better communications
10 clear propositions to support the growth of interest of
Youth and Girls & Women for Digital (STEM) studies
and careers from French perspective.
4) Impact on individuals
Support empowerment of women
Provide Good Practices

8. Let Women be the
Knowledge Generator!

9. http://www.womenandtechnology.eu
http://www.itfwomenict.org
http://eupres2011.womenandtechnology.eu
http://wires.womenandtechnology.eu
http://www.ictwomen.eu
Thank You!
- Dimitris Raftopoulos dimitris.raftopoulos@womenandtechnology.eu