Bridging the IT-knowledge gap in Turkey: Spark for Women Project

© 2007 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco ConfidentialPresentation_ID 1

Bridging the IT knowledge gap in

Turkey


Some Facts about Turkey

Population: almost 70 million

Young Population: median age 28 years

High unemployment rate: 14,5 % much higher among younger people and women

Poverty issue: population below poverty line 18%

Internet expanding: Internet users: 26-28 million (2009)

IT Market in 2009: 27,5 Billion USD

IT market in 2010: 30 Billion USD

(apprx 8% growth whereas this is 1% in Europe)

Highest demand for advanced networking technology experts in Europe (IDC2005)


What is SPARK (Youth Movement in Informatics)?

Aim: improve the level of IT expertise among youth while encouraging volunteerism.

A youth movement where young instructors teach networking skills to economically disadvantaged and unemployed young people.

In a unique example of volunteerism, NetAcad trainings are given by the youth for the youth.


SPARK in numbersInitiated in 2006;

Has graduated over 2.400 people so far;

Takes place in 25 cities scattered all

around Turkey using Habitat Centers for

Informatics;

Active in over 20 different cities in

Turkey,

Has over 300 NetAcad volunteer

Instructors,

Providing Cisco IT Essentials and CCNA I

and II Trainings for free


SPARK Project Partners

An increasingly powerful social responsibility project that is run in partnership with Habitat

Center for Governance and Development, UNDP, and Cisco in 2006.


Partners of SPARK40,000 members around Turkey

Project Management

Government connections

Bringing IT companies together

UN Volunteer – 4th year

Developing more initiatives around SPARK basis


SPARK Model

SPARK Regional Academy

NetAcad Participants

IT EssentialsAcademies

CCENTAcademies

To train students and general public

Cisco NetAcad Graduates

SPARK Graduates


Instructors and Training Performance in Years


What’s in it for Instructors?

NetAcad graduates can apply Instructor fast track course Work as volunteer instructors to teach

underserved communities in their area Immediate work experience Deepening knowledge of Networking

Technologies Be internationally valid Cisco Certified

Instructors Building bonds with their peers

The best way to learn is to teach.


Some More OpportunitiesFor the communitiesBridging the digital gap for underserved communities

Encouraging Volunteerism

Acquiring a profession for the disadvantaged

For NetAcadA global network of NetAcad volunteer instructors

A forum for further idea generation and program development

Grow the program in areas that are usually difficult to reach


With NetAcad the participant…

•gets up-to-date and hands on knowledge on network and IT,• learns about team work,• joins the world’s biggest e-learning community, • gets ready for the internationally valid certification examinations•Acquires a profession





Spark for Women

www.bilisimdekadinhareketi.com/en


Women in Turkey – Facts

Women’ active participation to labor force: 26%

Women employment rate: 22%

Gender Gap Index: When compared with European countries, in areas of economic participation, equal opportunities, access to education, and political participation last quartile

UNDP Gender Report: Out of 157 countries, Turkey: 79th.


What is Spark for Women?

Main aim:Empower women through IT education and soft-skills trainings;

Facilitate women’ integration to active labor force;

Encourage women to have their economic independence and empower their social conditions by being more conscious of their rights and roles within their society

3 main pillars of the Project: IT Essentials Train the Trainers Training(70 hours)

Resume writing and Interview Techniques Seminars(3 hours)

Labor Law and Common Law Legal Trainings (3 hours)


Project Target in Numbers and by Region

Provide 6 IT Essentials Train the Trainers Education in different cities of Turkey Total: 120 women IT instructors

Wide geographical scope- pilot cities: İzmir, İstanbul, Diyarbakır, Denizli, Artvin;

Each Instructor will train minimum 20 other women in their region

–Target: 2400 women graduates


Survey Results

The participants have been;

% 91 Utilizing the info they got in their daily lives

%34 Help the participants in finding a job

%70 Have started following IT industry developments both in Turkey and world

%85 They know the concept of ‘social responsibility’

%80 Want to enroll in a Project run in a spirit of volunteerism

%81 Want to widen the scope of SPARK project


SPARK has contributed to participants in other dimensions as well


More than 70% project participants say

They find NetAcad trainings highly beneficial;

Want to continue their trainings in IT;

To pursue a career in IT industry;

That SPARK project has been highly important for their career choices.


bilisimdegenchareket.com bilisimdekadinhareketi.com/en