Launched in April 2021, the BCNFemTech programme has so far provided website development and programming training for 72 women in vulnerable situations, the goal being to combat the wage gap and promote labour insertion for women in the tech sector. Participants have an average age of 37 and are without a background in technology. The first three editions of the programme achieved 72% labour insertion.
There are 77,000 people working in the ICT sector in Barcelona, yet just 26% of them are women. The demand for digital professions has leapt by 80% while the supply of available professionals has grown by just 23%.
In response to this demand and the lack of women in the tech sector, the BCNFemTech programme was launched with the collaboration of Barcelona Activa, Endesa, Factoria F5 and the Fundació Formació i Treball. The goal is to generate economic opportunities for the most vulnerable women in one of the leading sectors in the city, currently undergoing major growth.
Two new editions in November
A process gets under way in mid-September to select 50 women for two new editions, the fifth and the sixth, which will start in November. The new editions are possible thanks to funding from Amunt, which promotes the implementation of a social and labour model aimed at 1,000 people receiving the IMV minimum living income in the city.
A programme for women unemployed for a long time or with precarious jobs
The profile of the women on the programme includes 16 different nationalities (48% of them Spanish), with an average age of 37, the youngest being 18 and the oldest 62. There is a big difference in the level of studies among the participants, with some never having finished secondary school and others with university studies recognised and validated by the Spanish state.
Participants are women who have been unemployed for a long time or who work cash-in-hand doing temporary, part-time or precarious jobs.
The BCNFemTech programme offers 850 hours of skills training for women coming from Social Services, essentially from the Làbora programme, from the inclusion services operated by Barcelona Activa, from the Care, Recovery and Shelter Service (SARA), from the Women’s Support and Information Points (PIAD), the Municipal Institute for People with Disabilities (IMPD) etc.