ICT4Girls: from high school to university: an approach

Abstract

Technological advances are improving living conditions. Oddly, there continues to be a decrease in the number of ICT students. The decline in the number of female students is particularly noteworthy. One of the main reasons is that neither the model of professional profile promoted, nor the global approach of the mission is attractive or appealing. In this paper we present our ICT4Girls project with two goals: to collaborate with high schools in mentoring and encouraging students (mainly girls) to integrate their skills with their personal vocation and their future career; and to present computer science as a real tool for providing service to the society, promoting ICT careers and making women visible in the world of technology. The results and conclusions we present are based on three activities carried out in a pilot project.