1. Workshop Overview
• Country: France
• Date:
• Venue: Le Puy-en-Velay
• Organising Partner: Lycée Général et Technologique La Fayette (GRETA Auvergne)
• Number of participants:
• Stakeholder groups represented: VET providers, educational institutions, industry stakeholders, GreenTech representatives.
2. Summary of Workshop Agenda
The workshop opened with a plenary introduction covering the Women4AGreenEU project overview and specific workshop goals. Sessions focused on the EU policy context, including the Green Deal, Skills Agenda, and Gender Equality Strategy. This was followed by two breakout sessions: the first identifying structural, educational, cultural, and industry barriers for women in GreenTech, and the second exploring opportunities and policy solutions. The event concluded with a prioritization exercise, plenary reporting, and a collection of participant feedback.
3. Key Insights from Breakout Sessions
Breakout Session 1
– Barriers:Â
– Summary of major identified barriers:
Participants highlighted the persistence of traditional gender stereotypes in STEM and GreenTech, a critical lack of visible female role models, significant work-life balance challenges, and limited awareness of specific career paths for women in the sector.
– Quotes or representative statements: “More needs to be done to bridge the gap between vocational training and industry needs.”
Breakout Session 2
– Opportunities and Solutions:
– Proposed solutions:
Key solutions included the implementation of structured mentorship programs, strengthening industry-academia partnerships, adopting flexible work arrangements, and launching targeted awareness campaigns to reach young women in education.
– Stakeholder perspectives: Stakeholders placed a strong emphasis on the strategic role of VET institutions as the primary facilitators for women transitioning into green technology careers.
– Prioritised recommendations: Recommendations focused on implementing standardized mentorship frameworks (such as D3.1), strengthening collaborative networks between industry and VET providers, and developing inclusive recruitment practices.
4. Policy Input for the EU-Level Blueprint
• National-level policy gaps identified:
Identified gaps include a lack of systematic GreenTech career guidance in VET schools, limited dedicated funding for women-led deep-tech startups, and insufficient monitoring indicators for gender balance within the industry.
Proposed policy measures:
• Institutionalizing gender-sensitive career counseling, increasing targeted funding for female-led GreenTech initiatives, and establishing mandatory diversity reporting for large technology firms.
• Relevance for EU-level policy harmonisation: These measures align with the European Green Deal and the European Skills Agenda to ensure a diverse and skilled talent pool for the green transition.
• Suggestions for inclusion in the Policy Blueprint: Integrate dedicated support structures for female VET graduates transitioning into industry and promote mentorship as a scalable EU-wide tool for professional development.
5. Participation & Feedback Summary
Participants demonstrated high engagement, emphasizing the need for practical mentorship initiatives and better communication between educators and GreenTech employers. Feedback indicated a strong desire for continued stakeholder dialogue and the scaling of successful pilot training programs.
6. Annexes
• Signed attendance sheet
• Completed breakout materials
• Photos (optional)
• Agenda
• Stakeholder list