European Alliance Against Coronavirus focus on women as a key competitiveness factor in innovation clusters and ecosystems
On 22 June, the European Alliance Against Coronavirus had their third session about gender balance in clusters and industries.
Dana Puia Morel from DG GROW, the European Commission, presented the European Entrepreneurship Competence Framework which can support programmes that want to foster learning environments and can be applied to support women in getting the necessary competences to achieve their full potential. The European Commission puts a lot of emphasis on mentoring and coaching to involve more women. She highlighted the need to start at a young age and boost the confidence of girls with workshops on entrepreneurial and digital skills.
Nathalie da Silva from Women4Energy Network presented measures that are implemented by different public and private entities and networks to support the skills development and visibility of future female leaders.
In the energy sector, barriers for women in form of perceived gender roles, cultural and social norms, and hiring practices are still prevalent. While inputs on gender equality are given through policies and strategies from public institutions, role models, open fora, female speakers, and the network culture serve as bottom-up approaches to foster the professional role of women.
Tiina Ohlsson from Sustainable Steel Region presented initiatives from the steel industry in Sweden to bring women into leadership. Among the activities are guidelines for gender equality in leadership and a leadership programme for women in industry and organised digital conferences on the topic.
Finally, Mirela Greti Puiu from the Romanian Textile Concept Cluster presented the project “women in power”, which addressed leadership and empowerment in traditional sectors. The project analysed the barriers that women encounter in their work environment and developed a training programme to help women reflect on their abilities, make them aware of the multitude of skills they have acquired, and help increase their self-confidence and motivation.
The morning sessions are open to everyone.
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Watch the recording here:
