500 Women in Tech - Large-scale Training Project in Georgia
The “500 Women in Tech”, large-scale retraining project in Georgia is being coordinated by Business and Technology University, with the support of the UN Women and the Government of Norway. The mentioned initiative refers to strengthening the role of women and their involvement in the field technology.
Beneficiaries selected across the country are being retrained within the scope of the project in three stages:
First stage: February – June, 2022
- Front-End Development;
- UI/UX Design;
- Graphic Design
- Digital Marketing;
- Digital Products Testing
Second stage: August – December, 2022
- Back-End Development
- Digital Products Testing;
- Digital Marketing;
- Graphic Design
Third stage: December, 2022 – April, 2023
- Digital Products Testing;
- Digital Marketing;
- Graphic Design;
- UI/UX Design.
- Front-End Development;
- Back-End Development.
Beginners, as well as applicants with experience in the field of technology in the following areas: Front-End Development, Back-End Development & UI/UX Design, are welcome to make use of the retraining courses.
In addition to the above courses, applicants have the opportunity to take:
- Intensive English language courses – A level;
- Intensive English language courses – B level
Moreover, beneficiaries have the opportunity to participate in a career boot camp (30 contact hours), which will provide them with the skills needed to find a job in the technology field.
Topics of retraining in boot camp format:
- Leadership;
- Team work;
- Critical thinking;
- Introduction to entrepreneurship;
- Business communication;
- Career planning;
- Founders Gap Program.
Mentors will work with beneficiaries taking part in boot camp and provide them with consultations on career planning and job hunting process.
The project is carried out with the participation of large local and international organizations in Georgia, which will retrain participants in different stages and in different components and will cooperate with them to facilitate further employment. As of today, partner organizations of the project are: GITA, TBC, Epam, Exadel, ExactPro, GeoSTQB, Noxtton, B2C, Phubber, Sambrela, Sweeft Digital, Travel Guide,Total Courage – Georgia, GCSD, Concept Digital, UPWAY.
Partners
General Overview of Applicants Selection
Selection of beginner beneficiaries for the project is carried out from Tbilisi (40% of those selected from the ranking list) as well as from different regions of Georgia (60% of those selected from the ranking list): Kakheti, Kvemo Kartli, Shida Kartli, Mtskheta-Mtianeti, Samtskhe-Javakheti, Imereti, Racha-Lechkhumi , Kvemo Svaneti, Adjara, Guria, Samegrelo, and Zemo Svaneti.
Applicant registration period: December 20, 2021 January 7, 2022.
Total number of applicants wishing to retrain: up to 4000 applications from all over Georgia.
The applicants’ selection process was carried out in three stages:
- Initial registration and motivation questions (December 20, 2021 – January 7, 2022);
- Basic Tech Skills Test (January 17, 2022; the test is drawn up by Doctor of Science, expert with 20 years of experience in teaching financial/general mathematics and general skills);
- English language proficiency test (January 31, 2022; the test is drawn up in accordance with Placement Test of laguage in compliance with international standards, in force at Business and Technology University, by an Associate Professor of English).
Considering high competition, at the first stage of the project, 271 beneficiaries from different regions of Georgia were selected for retraining by BTU, based on the ranking list. In addition, 20 applicants have been selected by company GeoSTQB from the overall ranking list to be retrained in Digital Product Testing.
Applicants, who already have knowledge and/or experience of/in working in the field of technology, will be selected in stages by partner organizations and statistical information about them will be systematically updated on the BTU website.
Detailed Overview of Beneficiaries’ Selection Stages
As a result of passing the initial online registration, all (up to 4000) applicants were given the opportunity to pass to the second stage and write a basic skills test with a minimum competency threshold of 10 points (maximum: 20 points).
2485 applicants took online test for the second stage; 2296 applicants passed the minimum competency threshold.
The third/last stage of selection – 2151 persons took the test in English, out of which 2070 applicants were able to pass it successfully (minimum competency threshold 26 points, out of maximum 75 points).
Assigning Applicants
The ranking lists of the retraining courses were composed based on the sum of the scores of the tests in all three stages of the selection process – motivation written down in the registration form, basic skills and English language competence tests, taking into account the percentage of Tbilisi-regions (40% of the total amount – from ranking list of applicants from Tbilisi; 60% – from ranking list of applicants from regions).
At the first stage, 271 beneficiaries were selected for the retraining courses carried out by BTU, who will take trainings in 5 areas: Front-End Development; UI/UX Design; Graphic Design; Digital Marketing; Digital Products Testing. In addition, 20 applicants have been selected by company GeoSTQB from the overall ranking list to be retrained in Digital Product Testing.
Due to the high demand, the Business and Technology University has attracted additional resources and the number of beneficiaries of the retraining courses provided by solely BTU will be 700.
A total of 700 beneficiaries will be retrained in stages, by April, 2023.
At the second and third stages of retraining (second stage: August-December, 2022; third stage: December 2022-April 2023), participants will be selected according to the existing ranking list by BTU, from the next 429 women in the ranking.
Applicants, who already have knowledge and/or work experience in the field of technology will be selected in stages by partner organizations and statistical information about them will be systematically updated on the website of BTU.
Creating English Language Groups for the First Stage of Retraining
According to the scores obtained on the English language test, the beneficiaries were divided into three groups:
- A1-A2 level – 26-50 points;
- B1-B2 level – 51-69 points;
- C1 level – 70 -75 points.
Applicants, who have scored 70 or more points on the test have been exempted from the compulsory English language course. If desired, high-scoring beneficiaries will be added to the preferred group with free listener status.
Alongside with the ongoing retraining courses carried out by BTU, project’s partner companies are involved in the retraining process of beneficiaries and their internship/employment based on their profile/interest.
The partners of the first stage of the retraining are:
- GeoSTQB – will retrain 20 inexperienced applicants in the field of digital product testing according to the applicants ranking list;
- TBC – will retrain experienced applicants based on an additional internal competition in Frontend and digital product testing;
- Sweeft Digital Within the career acceleration program, will retrain beneficiaries in the field of Frontend, Backend, UI/UX, based on an additional internal competition in digital product testing;
- Exadel -will retrain beneficiaries in the field Backend based on an additional internal competition.
The number of project partner companies is growing systematically, at this stage, the following organizations have expressed their readiness to support the project: GITA, TBC, Epam, Exadel, ExactPro, GeoSTQB, Noxtton, b2c, Phubber, Sambrela, Sweeft Digital, Travel Guide,Total Courage – Georgia, GCSD, Concept Digital, UPWAY, which will be involved in the training/internship/employment of the beneficiaries at different stages of the project implementation.
There are ongoing activities with the purpose to adding partner companies to the project, which in turn will retrain even more beneficiaries before the project is completed.
Frequently asked questions:
There are 40 vacant places in each beginners group for each tech area/course offered by BTU. Groups are created from applicants from Tbilisi and regions according to the following percentage distribution: Tbilisi – 40%, regions – 60%. At the first stage of retraining, 40-40 applicants were selected in each area, taking into consideration the overall ranking list and percentage distribution; Next applicants in the ranking list will be considered for the second and third streams.
In the first stage of retraining, BTU offers applicants only beginner level digital marketing and graphic design courses; In order to offer courses of relevant level to experienced applicants, the university is actively negotiates with potential partner companies.
If you have passed the minimum competency threshold on the Basic Skills Test and English Proficiency Test, even though you still were not admitted at the first stage in the ranking list, it does not mean that your candidacy for the second and third stages will no longer be considered. BTU alone aims to retrain additionally 227 persons during the second and third streams, according to the ranking list. In addition, the organizational team is constantly working with partner companies to add places and consequently increase the final number of trainees.
The Backend course will be available during the second stream, which will start in August, 2022 and end in December 2022.
If you have any questions, please contact the project organizing team at the following e-mail:
Participation in the project as a free listener is possible only within the English language course and in case of change of level:
- If you are grouped in C1 level as a result of English proficiency test, you are exempted from the obligation to take the course and you still wish to take the course at A or B level;
- If you are grouped in level A as a result of English proficiency test and you wish to take level B English (including the obligation of attending and passing the final test);
- If you are grouped in level B as a result of English proficiency test and you wish to take level A English ((including the obligation of attending and passing the final test);
Given that the partner companies are representatives of the private sector and potential future employers, taking the courses offered by the partners increases the chances of employment. Partner companies mostly consider experienced applicants who either take relatively high-level and highly practical courses, or offer internships/employment. In such case, applicant will not take tech English course and employment acceleration program offered by BTU.
Courses offered by BTU include Tech English course (A or B level) as well as a Tech course, career boot camp and individual mentoring aiming to promote employment.
- The first level implies the lack of experience in a specific tech area;
- The second level implies having certain knowledge and/or work experience in particular tech field.
In case you were not admitted to the first stream, you will receive information about participating in the second stream in July, 2022, and you will receive information about participating in the third stream in November, 2022.