“Women who Transform” is a program that we designed at SheWorks!, in alliance with the Government of Colombia. It’s purpose: to develop, encourage and enhance the economic empowerment of female entrepreneurs in Colombia. It had a national reach of more than 1,000 women.
Through this program, we provided training so Colombian women can compete in the digital world. The program focused on remote work and soft skills such as time management, collaboration, empathy, and effective communication.
“Women who Transform” is part of our continuous efforts with the Presidency of Colombia and the National Learning Service (SENA). They’ve adapted to meet the demands of the future of work. This includes artificial intelligence, social commerce, digital marketing, and other fundamental skills for the development of the country’s orange economy.
Delivery of Diplomas to the “Women who Transform” graduates in Colombia
During the closing ceremony of “Women who Transform,” in the company of the President of the Republic of Colombia Iván Duque Márquez, Vice President Martha Lucía Ramírez, the Minister of Information and Communication Technologies Carmén Ligia Valderrama, and the event’s moderator, Presidential Advisor for Digital Transformation, Management and Performance, María Lucía Villalba Gómez, I had the opportunity to grant completion certificates to 16 women selected from the 1,000 who participated in the trainings of ecommerce, remote work, and digital marketing.
These types of programs are of absolute importance for the public sector in Latin American countries, where women and minorities face the greatest difficulties. Bringing digital tools to emerging labor markets will make a real difference in the future of the region in the face of the fourth industrial revolution.
However, this transformation has been going on for a long time and technology has been a key element in this revolution: only during the first year of the pandemic did digitization evolve at the rate of 3 or 4 years under normal conditions, which showed governments around the world that there was another way to optimize the economy of their country.
Talent has no gender but the path is harder for women
“Talent has no gender” but women have a more difficult path. As the president said, “women are 50% of the population and the other 50% of the mothers of the remaining population.“ This shows how important it is for Colombia, being a Latin American country at the forefront, to lead and break down the barriers that women have in access and employment opportunities for the work of the future.
True female empowerment begins, without a doubt, with the portfolio, which is why it is important that governments bet on this type of educational programs in competitive positions.
This is why it is essential to “train women in technology with technology” as suggested by the Vice President. It’s also essential to take advantage of the opportunities that the post-pandemic era is offering us while working hand in hand with state leaders and opinion makers who understand that gender equality is achieved through education, opportunities and economic empowerment.
Opening global doors for Colombian talent
One of the most relevant aspects of this program is to be able to connect Colombian talent and export it to the world through digital skills, business entrepreneurship, and democratizing access to capital for companies led by women.
Hence the importance of investing in education and preparation for inclusion programs, especially in jobs that are in demand in the world of work so that women are competitive in the global market and do not have to choose between their profession and their family.
The closing ceremony highlighted the digital transformation the country is going through and the government celebrated the more than 1,000 women who are now prepared and who are part of a new market of job opportunities. It is a new generation of Women Who Transform.
