About the project SHIFT4IT
About the project SHIFT4IT
IT Sector Growth Outpaces Talent Supply in Europe
The IT sector is one of the fastest growing industries in the world, and occupations in computer and information technology are continuously in high demand on the labor market. In the context of the EU, the demand for jobs in the IT sector is constantly increasing, with the occupation of information and communication technicians increasing by 6.9% between the first quarter of 2021 and the first quarter of 2022 (ec.europa.eu/Eurostat).
However, at the same time, the IT sector is struggling to fill talent shortages in many of its areas, including IT project management. Organizations and companies want to optimize user experience and automate tasks and are looking for a combination of technical and soft skills, such as technological knowledge, empathy, sustainability expertise and innovation, with leaders who can deliver great solutions in a short time (The Future of Project Management Jobs Worldwide, www.prince2.com).
An interactive training session in Croatia as part of the SHIFT4IT project.
Group photo of SHIFT4IT project members in Croatia.
Bridging the IT Talent Gap with Female Training
The need for IT professionals in the labor market represents an opportunity for young people preparing to enter the labor market, but it is also an indicator of a problem, with some projections showing that in the next 5 years, the shortage of IT talent will be one of the biggest threats the European technology industry will have to face.
The SHIFT4IT project (Shifting the paradygm for women in IT sector) was designed as an answer to this problem - as part of the project, training for project managers in the IT sector will be developed, which will provide young women with the skills to understand the language of developers, be able to coordinate teams of developers and act as a bridge between developers and clients or users. Through the project, 80 young women with degrees in humanities and social sciences will develop skills and knowledge to prepare for jobs in the IT sector.
Empowering Women in IT
The partners will develop a curriculum that is closely related to the needs of employers in each country and aligned with quality standards in non-formal education, as well as learning materials for project managers in the IT sector. Also, the partners will organize training for trainers aimed at providing non-formal learning methods adapted to the needs of the target group, and training for 80 young women that will open new career paths for them.
The coordinator of the Erasmus+ project SHIFT4IT is Center of technical Culture Rijeka, and we implement it together with partners: Rijeka development agency PORIN (Croatia), European Grants International Academy SRL (Italy), Confederazione Italiana Piccola e Media Industria - CONFAPI TERNI (Italy), Interface3 (Belgium) and Fundatia EOS - Educating for an Open Society Romania (Romania).
