Higher education institutions encouraging women towards high-growth entrepreneurship and responsible management positions
According to statistics, 33 percent of all entrepreneurs are women. The percentage of female company employees is smaller at only 21 percent, which means most work as solo entrepreneurs.
Using EVA’s so-called glass ceiling index, the number of women in management has reached 40 percent equality, but challenges still remain because women are a rarity in major stock company management, for example.
At the Oulu University of Applied Science and the Oulu Business School, we have decided to tackle this challenge together and encourage highly educated women to make career leaps to more challenging jobs or grow their business operations.
Studies indicate women’s self-efficacy is in need of a boost. This training seeks to help highly educated recent female graduates find their career path while providing expertise to women already in the working life to help them change career direction or advance to a leadership position or entrepreneurship.
This strengthens women’s position in the business world and responsible management positions. The training programmes build knowledge on e.g., commercialising products and services, developing business ideas, sustainable business operation, and personnel management.
In addition, the training programmes help form important connections and networks. Women offer their ideas, thoughts, and experiences more confidently in programmes aimed at them. Role models also help widen perspectives on succeeding as an entrepreneur or manager. Women gladly share their own knowledge and experiences with others. These networks carry across training programmes and offer guidance and advice in problem situations.
According to feedback from participants, their confidence to grow their business has increased, their self-awareness has improved and their trust in their own expertise has strengthened. The ongoing fTwist project is a continuation of the Oulu University of Applied Science’s and the University of Oulu’s previous ESR-funded entrepreneurship and management programmes for women. Our goal for the future is to also attract highly educated immigrant women to participate in our programmes.
