Carnegie Mellon University,
PROXCER, and Telecentre-Europe.

A strategic partnership based on their mutual focus on equality and opportunities for youth within the ICT sector. This is specifically in line with the promotion of STEM and in particular CS education to girls, as well as increasing female representation in the ICT workplace.

In recognition of the launch of this strategic partnership, E-SCN and their existing partners Carnegie Mellon University spin-off company, PROXCER, and Telecentre-Europe are making a donation to provide girls across Europe the opportunity to gain credentials and proof of skills within different areas of ICT.

PROXCER, based in Dublin, Ireland, is the only company in the world to deliver Authentic Examinations™. Authentic Examinations™ are the heart of PROXCER’s method for evaluating the capability of an individual to write software accurately, by measuring the test-takers ability to program realistic problems in a professional environment, using a real programmer’s toolkit. The concept was developed and is used at world-renowned Carnegie Mellon University, and spinoff company PROXCER is now bringing this opportunity to academia and the private sector globally.

Through collaboration with E-SCN, PROXCER will be donating batches of SDE (Software Developer Examination) vouchers and preparation material to all National Point of Contacts of ECWT, so that a set of girls already engaged in ICT in many countries will have the chance to measure their skills.

Telecentre- Europa collaborating with ECWT already in connection with e-skills events, under a mutual understanding of the benefits deriving from the collaboration between two different but equal level strong EU umbrella networks, represents the European digital inclusion and digital literacy sector in Europe. Their members are focused on helping individuals get online, teaching them basic and advanced digital skills, and helping individuals benefit from opportunities that the ICT sector can offer.

Telecentre-Europe, Microsoft, and E-SCN are currently engaged in a project which gives young people in formal and informal education, as well as unemployed youth, the opportunity to prepare for and take Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) and/or Microsoft Technology Associate (MTA) certifications. This project is now being extended to ECWT, where 400 girls will now have the opportunity to become certified in either MOS or MTA throughout Europe.

Director of E-SCN, James Varnham summarizes; “ECWT fits with E-SCN’s focus areas, and provides another important platform to leverage and promote ICT programs, projects, and initiatives which girls can and should benefit from. Despite progress, the statistics that women represent only 25% of STEM (and an even lower percentage in CS) is unacceptable, bearing in mind the huge demand that there is for ICT professionals. We aim to provide more transparency and more options for girls and women through our partnership.”

Director of ECWT, Eva Fabry emphasizes: ‘ECWT is delighted to partner with E-SCN around workforce development and re-skilling of the female talent and is especially happy that we will be able to provide all of our N-PoCs in 26 countries around Europe with the same tools/vouchers to continue significantly supporting Europe’s next-generation females using ICT tools in a way promoting their self-development and having a more active role in today’s society through the use of ICT. Based on these first joint actions we see great opportunities for long-term collaboration with E-SCN in wider Europe. By working again with Telecentre Europe, Microsoft, and E-SCN we expect to further extend our relations, as we had done in the last years with other IT supporting networks as ITU and Digital Europe, with which we have a long-lasting trustful collaboration.’

Check out the YouTube video from the workshop here with the announcement of the E-SCN – ECWT Strategic Partnership and the initiatives that will be available through the ECWT N-PoCs:

– MOS CertKit & MTA Exam Resource Kits and

– authentic Software Developer Examination (SDE) – through Carnegie Mellon University spinoff off PROXER