Interview with WOMEN4IT training participant Elena

Women4IT is a project that aims to develop young women’s digital competences, thus improving their employability. The mission of the project is to create attractive employment opportunities for young people, to organize jobs for women in the technology sector and to expand the partnership network with employers in order to try out new employment solutions.

One of the most important parts of the project is the development of a new online tool that allows participants to assess their competencies, compare their skills and job profiles, and offer the most appropriate learning program. This goal is achieved in the form of training, where participants have the opportunity to complete courses that are tailored to the needs of digital profession profiles.

In 2021 February and March, the training part of the Women4IT project took place in Lithuania, which was implemented by the Baltic Institute of Educational Technologies (BETI) together with the Training Organization Group. The training, which lasts 160 hours, was successfully completed by 100 participants from all over Lithuania. When starting the training, the girls chose one of four possible digital professions – project coordinator, customer service specialist, junior web developer or data analyst.

Participants agreed to share their experiences of participating in the Women4IT project trainings, how they learned about them, what led them to choose these trainings, what new knowledge they gained and whether the trainings had an impact on their future life goals. Training participant Elena Memliukaitė chose to study the customer service specialist study program and successfully completed it. We invite you to get acquainted with her training impressions and experience:

What did you like most about the training? Clarification of the main goals through theoretical lectures and teamwork.

What was the most difficult thing for you during the training? Self-awareness and finding a place through tasks.

What motivated you to complete the course? Sincerity and support from the teacher and classmates.

What are the three most important things you will take from this training? 1. Trust. 2. Understanding. 3. Accurate refinement.

What professional skills did you acquire during the training? I learned how to present myself to an audience and not focus on negative client emotions.

Would you recommend this training to your friend? Why? Yes, because these courses allow you to better understand yourself and your challenges.

Have these trainings changed your future plans? Yes, the training complemented my future plans with new ideas.