Developing entrepreneurial competences is key for young girls’ future education and careers. Women constitute 52% of the total European population but only 34.4% of the EU self-employed and 30% of start-up entrepreneurs. Women are also the largest untapped entrepreneurial and leadership potential in Europe. Only 5-15% of high-tech business is owned by women.
According to the European Commission Entrepreneurship 2020 Action Plan, every young European should have “at least one practical entrepreneurial experience before leaving compulsory education”. The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) has teamed up with INOMER, to deliver 20 trainings to 500 girls aged 12-18 years old in Albania, Cyrus, Georgia, Malta and Turkey, and contribute to the implementation of the Digital Education Action Plan. The workshops aim to equip young girls with the entrepreneurial skills essential for the future working lives. The workshops are one-day training sessions, where interactive activities are combined with thought-provoking talks from successful women role models in respective countries. The aim is to inspire female students to consider careers in technology, entrepreneurship and innovation.
Part of this project financed by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology, 5 such workshops on entrepreneurial skills have been organised and delivered during October – November 2019 in Malta. This was done in collaboration with a number of formal and informal education organisations, as well as with support from eSkills Malta Foundation and Vodafone Malta Foundation. These workshops in Malta have been implemented by Anamaria Magri Pantea as project Country Expert.