The pilot project on Women in Technology (WIT), which is financed by the Costa Crociere Foundation, is dedicated to 150 young women in Campania, Calabria and Sicily to prevent the NEET phenomenon and create new job opportunities.
The objective of the two-year project (June 2016 - May 2018) is to facilitate job market access for young women through entrepreneurial projects in the technology sector. The pilot phase of the project will involve three high schools by providing a welcome service, a survey of competences and skills, specific training on business plan development and project monitoring.
The activities will be implemented with the amply tested methodology developed by the Foundation that combines both hard and soft skills, including transmission of technical competence and support in the development of life skills (enterprise, leadership and problem solving).
Project Phases
- Creation of a network between geographically distant subjects that have faced the same emergencies via different approaches.
- Involvement of teachers and female students in a didactic programme that includes hard skills and transversal, relational and character competences.
- Approach that stimulates and promotes the commitment of young women to develop innovative proejcts and fund identification (crowdfunding)
Project Actions
- Teacher training in hard and soft skill integration- a strategia for labour market access. The innovative training programme has been developed ad hoc to transmit concepts related to personal and global challenges in today’s world: from social change to the rapid progress of science, from technology to new organisational models and to a lifelong ability to problem solving. The programme addresses central issues in the development of character, such as life education, self-awareness and recognition of talent.
- Student Training – “A journey through the resolution of issues and the development of a project.” The objective of this educational module is to reinforce and improve general knowledge on problem solving, inspiring participants to identify, face and find solutions to the problems in their lives and communities. The educational programme is blended (in situ training and distance training via the phyrtual.org environment).
- Project Development: students and micro-entrepreneurial projects. The “learning by doing” approach will allow the students to use the knowledge they have acquired to develop and entrepreneurial idea in the technological or ICT sector. After identifying one or more problems, they will be helped to develop an entrepreneurial idea or social innovation project with a clear description of all objectives, results, strategic approach, etc.
- The Phyrtual Innovation Gym – didactic activities will be held in schools and at the Phyrtual Innovation Gym.
- Networking and idea incubation – the best entrepreneurial ideas will be presented to the FMD and its network of companies and agencies. This will allow the young students to come into contact with the “real” working world and receive precious advice on the sustainability and scalability of their idea.
- Crowdfunding – the best projects will be promoted on the phyrtual.org social innovation platform to look for funding. Phyrtual.org helps participants to come into contact with possible stakeholders (private companies, public agencies, etc.) and see if they are interested in financing the project.
Young women who do not study or work. (Istat, Noi Italia 2016]
