We motivate young women and girls to choose an occupation in ICT

In 2015, Croatian Regulatory Authority for Network Industries (HAKOM) for the first time engaged in the occasion of celebrating International Girls in ICT Day, on behalf of the Republic of Croatia, which is a member of ITU (International Telecommunication Union). The celebration of the Day was initiated by ITU, and today over 140 countries across the world celebrate it.On the occasion of this Day, which is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in April every year, in collaboration with project partners, Ericsson Nikola Tesla Company and the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing in Zagreb, HAKOM undertakes activities, to raise awareness among girls on successful career and the advantages of ICT sector. Moreover, this is seen as an opportunity to pool the capabilities of all factors in Croatia that support this initiative, as well as other similar ones, related to ICT occupation.

One of the ways of doing this is by showing examples of women who have succeeded in this regard. Therefore, women that participated the previous year – President of Ericsson Nikola Tesla among them – accepted the role of ambassadors. Their messages aim to eliminate prejudice and stereotypes, stimulate interest in such occupations, and promote the importance of equal representation of women in ICT sector.
 
Moreover, numerous workshops for young women and girls were organized in HAKOM premises, as well as in other technology companies, which brought the world technology careers closer to them. Therefore, on the eve of this Day, on 27 April, our Company was visited by girl students from Kralj Tomislav Primary School, Sports High School and IX General Grammar School, where they engaged in a conversation with Gordana Kovačević, MSc, and took a tour of the Technology Road.
 
A round table on the topic “Digital looks good on me. The importance of education from an early age”, which will be held on 28 April in Esplanade Zagreb Hotel, will be the final stage of the entire project. It will focus on the role and importance of education from an early age in choosing professional vocation in ICT in the future. The ratio of girls in this sector is extremely low; traditionally, girls pursue other vocations, even though ICT is an attractive and perspective sector. At the same time, ICT field is deficient in experts, and dominated by men, which clearly points to the idea that the problem of deficiency in experts can easily be solved if girls and young women decided to specialize in this economic field more often. The importance of education at an early age will be discussed by eminent women experts, who have built a successful career and nowadays manage companies in ICT sector.