Over 100 high school students participated in Deloitte Romania's challenge to develop their digital and entrepreneurial skills in a European Commission project promoting gender equality on the labor market

Over 100 students from ten high schools in Bucharest, Ilfov and Dambovita participated in the local edition of Girls' ESTEAM Fest, an event organized by Deloitte Romania with the support of Narada and EIT Raw Materials, where they were challenged to discover and develop their digital and entrepreneurial skills. Over the course of one day, the students participated in a series of presentations and workshops designed to provide them with learning and career opportunities in the fields of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and entrepreneurship and to integrate them into an international community of girls and women with similar interests.

The event took place as part of the project "ESTEAM Fests and Communities", initiated by the European Commission and the Executive Agency of the European Innovation Council and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EISMEA), being implemented in the European Union countries by Deloitte. In Romania, the project was developed through the Deloitte Foundation Romania, with support from Deloitte women professionals who pursued careers in STEM fields and volunteered to conduct the workshops during the event.

"Education and early connection of young people to the realities and opportunities of the labor market are directions in which we, as a global organization at the intersection of several industries, regions and economic models, invest strategically. We have therefore enthusiastically joined the European Commission's initiative to boost diversity and gender equality in areas and professions so important for what tomorrow's economies and societies will look like, such as technology, science and entrepreneurship. In addition, although we have grown over the past 30 years as an open economy that has embraced the potential and qualities of women professionals, the Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) shows us that, in Romania, the role of women in digital fields is still undersized compared to their real potential," said Alexandru Reff, Country Managing Parter, Deloitte Romania and Moldova.

"We still do not have enough girls and women in the European Union that study and take up careers in entrepreneurship, science and technology. Through the ESTEAM project, our intention is to equip girls and women with digital and entrepreneurial competences, boost their self-confidence and make ESTEAM (entrepreneurship, science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) areas more attractive. Our intention is to support girls and women to achieve their full potential and we are delighted to find local partners that have a similar mission and can team up with us in this endeavour," said Dana Puia-Morel, Policy expert on entrepreneurial learning and ESTEAM & internal coach, European Commission.

ESTEAM Fests and Communities project supports the female potential and brings forward successful ideas and models in the fields of ESTEAM (entrepreneurship, science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics), aiming to reach 14 states of the European Union by the end of 2024, with similar events for both girls and women. Through presentations, workshops and other activities, held by representatives of Deloitte Romania, Narada and EIT Raw Materials, participants are informed about career opportunities in these fields and develop their creativity, collaboration skills, problem-solving, and public speech.

Since the launch of the ESTEAM Fests and Communities project in January 2022, more than 2,700 girls and women have taken part in physical and virtual activities at Deloitte events. Countries such as Belgium, Ireland, Malta, Poland, Luxembourg and Spain have so far hosted events under the project, with seven more scheduled in 2024. Through all the activities carried out so far, the project involved participants from 38 countries.

Deloitte Foundation Romania was created as part of Deloitte's commitment to generate a meaningful impact in the lives of communities. The projects supported by Deloitte Foundation Romania align with Deloitte's global programs, WorldClass and WorldClimate, dedicated to education, with a focus on helping vulnerable groups and communities, and to supporting climate and sustainable development goals, respectively, in order to contribute to a better future for the next generations.

The information provided by KomuniK