IT training facility for women to open in Brussels North station

A training centre focused on helping women prepare for digital professions will open in Brussels-North station this spring.

The centre, supported by a €220,000 grant from the Brussels government, is part of a greater effort to introduce more women to the ICT sector.

Labour minister Bernard Clerfayt (DéFI) said putting the centre at Brussels-North station makes it more accessible and close to neighbourhoods with a low employment rate among women.

“To feminise the ICT sector, we need to do away with clichés such as that of the little girl playing with her doll – but also that of the little boy playing video games, as well as that of the reclusive and introverted computer scientist,” Clerfayt said.

“ICT professions are also women's professions.”

The number of female students taking ICT courses in Brussels is on the low side, according to Clerfayt, who points to stereotypes, gender models or cultural traditions as some of the causes for this.

But the ICT sector is hiring and in need of qualified workers, and Clerfayt hopes women will increasingly help fill those roles.

The non-profit association Womenpreneur will run the new space, which will offer six different courses for 115 participants in its first year.