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Women Technology Entrepreneurs
Start date: Jan 1, 2010,

The ICT sector is the major source of new innovations that fuel competitiveness. It is the bedrock of the modern economy and the single most important source of growth accounting for 40% of EU productivity. As career pathways that were 'born digital', technology careers are potentially free of any historic gendered division of labour and women in the technology sector have fared better than in traditional professional jobs, such as engineering.Entrepreneurship has been viewed and cited by researchers as an important and key contributor to the industrial development of the EU as well as a significant driving force in the economic development of individual regions and countries. An analysis (Nickels etal, 2004) of the rich and poor countries in Europe to determine what causes the difference in the levels of wealth show that entrepreneurship and knowledge are the most dominant cause of wealth and entrepreneurship is the most critical and necessary factor for effective economic development. Educationalists can either fuel entrepreneurship or stop it in its tracks and when one considers that entrepreneurs create jobs and wealth for their communities, commercialize innovations that make people’s lives better and contribute to national economic growth, there is significant need for educational and training interventions that make the ground fertile for entrepreneurship to thrive.Disparity in the development of technology and entrepreneurship is not just evident between nations. Even within the individual populations of EU Member States there is a considerable gender imbalance with a significantly lower percentage of female entrepreneurs in Europe in relation to that of male entrepreneurs and to the percentage of women in the population. Additionally, women in the IT workforce in the EU account for only 28% of the total despite research indicating that gender diversity in technology work-forces fuels problem solving and innovation - the driving force of knowledge economies. The technology and entrepreneurial potential of women are latent sources of economic growth and new jobs and should be encouraged. The need for policies and programmes designed specifically for women rather than relying on generic entrepreneurship and e-strategies is clear.WTE will design and test a pedagogic strategy and tutor induction programme to facilitate the continuous professional development of VET professionals facilitating closer links with the world of work and addressing the current educational deficits in entrepreneurship training. It will develop ICT curricula specifically focussed on four different skill levels and potential work areas. These technology curricula will be merged with appropriate entrepreneurship development training tailored to address the needs and potentials of women. Curricula will facilitate 'ab initio' engagement with no prior knowledge required. A Digital Opportunity Road-map for Women will be developed to support entrepreneurial activity and continuing engagement with lifelong learning incorporating strategies to move women into higher value markets. Supports to students will comprise group based and individual based measures. Educational opportunities provided will be accessible in a variety of learning environments and platforms to include self-directed learning, supported distance learning, formal learning environments and communities of learners. All products and tools will be developed in all 8 partner languages.WTE will specifically target women in rural communities where skills needed for traditional labour-intensive manufacturing or agricultural employment have given way to new requirements for polyvalent, cognitive skills and where e-working possibilities provide excellent potential for self-employment & the development of local economies. WTE will prioritise a development approach that yields policy-relevant results and will disseminate its products through existing European Networks, such as, WES and WITS.
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