Suggesting that the technology has surrounded us today would not be wrong. The need for qualified workforce in this field, which has managed to take its place in every aspect of our lives over the years, continues to increase on a global scale. The Association of Women in Technology, which carries out studies on the woman workforce working in technology field, aims to increase the number of women in the sector, which is still very few in number, and to ensure that our women discover their own potential in this field. We met with the Chair of the Board of Directors, Zehra Oney, and talked about the activities and goals of the association.
What is Wtech and what’s its purpose of establishment?
The Women in Technology Association (Wtech) was founded on January 31, 2019, with the aim of making investments to meet the need for educated expert people in the field of technology, and will continue to grow in the fields of science and technology, as well as to make Türkiye a country with a strong advantage in global competition by increasing the number of trained individuals. As the Association of Women in Technology, we have initiated our efforts to ensure that women discover their own potential and have equal opportunities in this field, by investing in people in the field of technology and increasing the proportion of women in the sector, which is still very few in number. Thus, we aim to increase the commitment and awareness of individuals for technology. We always focus on people and diversity. However, we want women to take more part in R&D, innovation and manufacturing. Also, we aim to increase the motivation of girls studying in high schools and in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), by offering talent management, scholarship opportunities, network and role model (mentor) support in technology, production, science and invention fields.
What are the working areas of Wtech?
Our association has three focal points: Education, Wtech Platform and Research and Measurement. Based on these focal points, as well as the founding purpose of our association, we support women’s workforce today when technology is advancing at an incredible pace, acknowledging that it has become necessary for everyone to adapt to this advancement. We are making a sound contribution to the training of expert and competent individuals in technology, in order to support Türkiye’s economic development and close the 3.5 million employment gap that we will need in the field of technology by 2025. For this purpose, we are moving forward by trying to obtain various funding supports for our technological expertise programs that we offer, by observing the quota of 80% women and 20% men at the Wtech Academy. We have set a goal of providing 500,000 people with specialized training in this field, as well as the necessary global and local certifications within 5 years. At Wtech Platform, on the other hand, we reach to students studying in STEM field in Türkiye. wtechplatform.com, a first in Türkiye in this regard, brings together the projects of the private sector, public and universities and offers easy access to these projects for university and high school students. It is a career and talent area where students can express themselves and their ideas by sharing their resumes and present their projects. On the research and measurement side, on the other hand, our infrastructure has been completed to extract a “workforce information” in technology in Türkiye. We attach great importance to this study, as we think that if we cannot measure, we cannot manage.
“We want women to take more part in R &D, innovation and production.”
What would you like to say about the personal development of women in the field of technology?
In fact, the answer to this question is exactly hidden in the figures that I will share now. McKinsey estimates in a report that 400 million to 800 million individuals could be displaced by automation and will need to find new jobs globally by 2030. Globally, between 40 million and 160 million women will need to move into more skilled roles by 2030. I just mentioned that there will be an employment gap of 3.5 million people. This is a prediction by PWC. As a woman who has worked in the field of technology for a long time, I would also like to share my observations on this issue. There was a point that I noticed in the meetings and sectoral events I attended to: While the rate of young girls who study and graduate from STEM (Science, Mathematics, Engineering, Science) departments at universities is around 37%, and the rate of graduates continuing their careers in the fields they studied drops to 10%.
In the “Women in Tech” report published this year by TrustRadius, 51% of female engineers said there were five or more male participants for every female participant in a typical meeting. The same research shows that it is more difficult for women to find mentors and role models in the technology sector than that is for men. 44% of women found it quite difficult to find a mentor/role model in their field. This means that we are halfway in artificial intelligence: There are men, but there are no women. We are not performing fully in the artificial intelligence field. We are not making full use of our employment resources. According to UNESCO data, the proportion of women among scientists in the world is less than 30%. What we are trying to do at Wtech is to create a population of experts who can manage artificial intelligence, work side by side with them, and not be “crushed” by this technology. For this, we say to women “Come get into this business, and roll up your sleeves”. Men already exist. We need to support women and ensure diversity, since it is vital for the future of humanity.
“At Wtech Academy, we aim to be able to offer specialized training in this field, as well as the necessary global and local certifications to 500,000 people within 5 years.”
So what are the future goals of Wtech?
Our association was founded just a year ago. We are a very young but very strong, competent, fast and widespread non-governmental organization. Every effort by our association is processed meticulously. This takes place both effectively and with high quality. We are different from a conventional association. We make quick decisions and implement them systematically, in accordance with the new world order. For us, the goal is the score: We look at how many people we have developed and trained, as well as how many women we have trained in technology. We carry out works focused on results, not makeup. Despite this, however, I believe that we are in a very good place today, as we have been working in a focused manner and making quick and correct decisions without ever losing contact with our members, young people, companies, as well as other institutions and organizations since the first day of our establishment. A year ago, we set sail with 60 founding members, institutions and individuals. Today, the number of our members is 135. Türkiye’s 90 leading corporate companies (Turkcell, Vodafone, Microsoft, HP, Netas, Cisco, Logo, SAS, Denizbank, Akbank, Arcelik, EnerjiSA, Limak etc.) are founding members of our association with their high-level representation.
Can you tell us about the projects you have completed on women entrepreneurs and women’s employment?
We have completed employment-guaranteed SQL Database Management training at Wtech Academy in cooperation with DenizBank, Intertech, Microsoft Türkiye and HumanGroup. Our 16 female and 4 male graduates who have been studying for four months will receive their global Microsoft certificates next month and will be employed in our founding member organizations. Also, we plan to continue our educational series, which we have collected under 14 titles. The International Basic Business Analysis Training, which is our next training, will be given with IIBA® Business Analysis Body of Knowledge (BABOK) standards. In this context, we aim to continue our education processes by opening regular classes for a minimum of 20 people in order to ensure efficiency, so that there will be continuity in this context. Other trainings that we aim to offer with the employment guarantee are as follows: Data Analysis and Reporting Expertise, Android Mobile Developer, IOS Mobile Developer, Business Analyst, Database Administrator (DBA), Python Coding, DevOps, Java, .NET, Machine Learning, Azure Data Science (Cloud Computing Expertise) Basic Data Mining, Business Analysis, Softskill Trainings, Cyber Security Specialist.
What are your suggestions for entrepreneurial women in business life?
First of all, I recommend women to be compatible with science and expertise. My most important advice to women who are in business or entrepreneurial would be to close the gap between them and technology, and learn technology perfectly. Currently, we have the opportunity for continuous education. Women need to be an expert before starting a business. They should definitely receive training about the products and services they will use and be able to implement the services themselves. In addition, they need to keep their body, soul and brain very healthy and think positively. They should do serious research and follow the highest quality standards in order to capture opportunities of the future.
“What we are trying to do at Wtech is to create a population of experts who can manage artificial intelligence, work side by side with them, and not be “crushed” by this technology. For this, we say to women “Come get into this business, and roll up your sleeves”.
