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Women in Cyber Mentorship Programme

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BACKGROUND & IMPACT

The ITU-D Women in Cyber programme aims to tackle the cultural and systemic barriers that prevent broader inclusion of women in cybersecurity, while working to equip them with the necessary skill setto enter and thrive in the field. The goal of the programme has been and will continue to foster community building, guidance, and senior-junior solidarity among women in the sector.

The first edition of the Women in Cyber Mentorship (WiC) Programme was launched in 2021 on International Women's Day and was jointly organized by the ITU, the Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams (FIRST), and EQUALS. Since then, almost three hundred women have been trained and mentored across seventy-three countries in the Arab, Africa, and Asia-Pacific regions. Several mentees have reported being able to find jobs in the cybersecurity field because of their participation in the programme (98% of WiC alumni would recommend the programme to their peers), with some alumni becoming changemakers themselves in their national contexts, learning from their WiC experience and leading new local capacity building efforts for women and marginalized communities.

Participants have reported that the programme allowed them to learn and develop skills and knowledge that are otherwise difficult to access in the cybersecurity field: an overall understanding of the sector, awareness of the different career paths, building a personal brand and progressing towards professional goals, and increasing their confidence in being girls or women in cybersecurity.

TESTIMONIALS

PROGRAMME PILLARS

INSPIRE

What: Shift the mentality and tackle systemic barriers that prevent broader inclusion.

How: A set of inspirational keynote webinars spotlighting well-known and engaged female Cybersecurity professionals across the globe, hence promoting role models and the perception of female role models as valuable additions to the Cybersecurity workforce.

“The inspirational keynote speaker, Ms. Carmen Marsh has inspired me by the work she does to empower women. Thus, I followed in her footsteps to address the needs of women and youth with disabilities in Africa. This inspiration resulted in the establishment of an association called Barriers Breaker in Technology dedicated to empowering African women and youth in technology and cybersecurity through networking, education, mentorship, collaborative partnerships and advocacy.”

Edith Flore Tchimeu Sakam, Cameroon (Mentee)

TRAIN
What: Encourage women to take on leadership roles in cybersecurity.
How: Provide expert training courses from leaders in the field and equip women with not just technical skills, but also the soft skills needed for successful professional development.

“What I have really enjoyed about participating in the ITU Women in Cyber Mentorship programme is the sessions with our amazing trainers. I have learned a lot during the personal branding session, because as a techwoman I always struggle with how to demonstrate my knowledge and expertise in order to have a strong professional brand image in my field and to build my career path.”

Ingrid Mouafo, Cameroon (Mentee)

EMPOWER
What: Support on-on-one and group meetings between mentors and mentees supporting their professional and personal growth. Mentees received needs-based expert guidance on topics such as career development, technical and soft skills, networking, and work-life balance, while mentors benefit from learning fresh perspectives, improved leadership skills and networking opportunities.
How: ITU runs a yearly application process and meticulously matches mentees and mentors and supports them throughout their mentoring collaboration, by running guidance sessions (mentorship preparatory sessions, SMART goal setting, best practices, and progress reviews) and by facilitating continuous engagement and an excellent learning and development experience.

“I have gained a refreshing perspective from supporting mentees in the program as a mentor. I have also appreciated that even as a seasoned professional, I still have to learn from others and learning is a never-ending process. I have also appreciated that ladies lack a proper circle of women pursuing careers in STEM, and as such, there is a need to continually support ladies and help them break the barriers.”

Laura Temesi, Kenya (Mentor)

WOMEN IN CYBER ACTIVITIES

Meet our 2021 Mentors!
Meet our 2022 Mentors!

PARTNER WITH US

Don't miss this opportunity to help achieve gender equality in the digital age and tackle the cybersecurity workforce gap. You can contribute to the programme by co-organizing events, supporting the implementation of the programme, or by nominating potential mentors.

If you have any questions on partnership opportunities, feel free to contact us at womenincyber@itu.int