Bochum, March 04, 2024
The eurobits women academy (ewa) in Bochum aims to find new ways to get more women interested in cybersecurity. As part of the three-year research project, a concept for an in-service training program that prepares female career changers for a career change in the industry has been under development since October 2022. The concept is now being tested in practice in two courses until the end of the project.
Eight places are available in the pilot phase, which begins in May 2024. A second course will start in August. Participation in the two trial courses is free of charge for interested women. We are looking for female participants who already have professional experience in an area such as communication, change management or project management and are looking to move into the future-proof cybersecurity sector. Previous experience in IT is not required, but applicants should have a keen interest in technical topics.
Procedure and contents of the program
Over a period of twelve months, the participants receive an overview of the most important topics in cyber security. The program comprises a total of eight theoretical modules, supplemented by two internship phases lasting three weeks, during which the knowledge acquired is applied in practice at a company in the sector. A built-in elective module also allows the participating women to set their own topic or industry-specific focus in their further training.
In order to enable the participants to manage their time flexibly alongside their current job, each of the modules is initially accessed and completed in self-study via an online learning platform. In addition, there are transfer tasks for each module, which the women work on together in alternating tandems and present to the group in a workshop lasting several hours. There, the content learned is discussed, deepened and further applied. The women receive additional support in the form of optional mentoring, in which experts from the industry are on hand to share their experience and expertise.
Participation in the test
Women who are interested in taking part in one of the two cyber security training courses can register for the selection process by sending an email to ewa@eurobits.de, including a CV, to the ewa project team. Detailed information on the training program is available on the website www.ewa-eurobits.de. There, interested parties also have the opportunity to make an appointment for a personal interview with the ewa team.
However, companies in the field of cyber security also have the opportunity to actively participate in the research project and tap into new potential in the recruitment of skilled workers with ewa. The project team is currently looking for companies where the career changers can gain an insight into the diverse fields of activity as part of an internship and apply the knowledge they have acquired in practice. It is also possible to get involved in mentoring. If you are interested in cooperating with ewa, please send an email to ewa@eurobits.de.
About the project
The eurobits women academy (ewa) is an initiative of eurobits e.V., which is funded by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Protection and Energy (MWIKE) of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia to conduct practical research into which measures can be used to motivate more female specialists to start a career in the field of cyber security. The ewa funding started on October 1, 2022 and will end after three years on September 30, 2025. In addition to the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, the project is supported by a generous donation from the RWTÜV Foundation and secunet Security Networks AG.