Czechitas
Developing women’s talents for Czechia’s digital future
Theme: Promoting skills and development
Phase and Stage: DIGITAL – Upskilling / reskilling
Action: Training / mentoring
Beneficiaries: Women only; Private companies; Adults
Users: Policy makers; Private companies
The Czech Republic faces a dual challenge: a critical shortage of IT professionals (over 30,000 roles unfilled) and a deeply gendered digital divide. Women represent just 12% of IT professionals and 17% of ICT university students. Meanwhile, rapid technological changes—particularly in AI and cybersecurity—are transforming labor market demands.
Czechitas was founded in 2014 to address these issues by providing accessible, industry-relevant digital education to women of all ages and backgrounds. Over the past decade, our programs have evolved into a nationally recognized, scalable model that strengthens both gender inclusion and workforce competitiveness.
Key objectives of the best practice:
– Equip women with future-proof digital skills aligned with labor market needs (AI, cybersecurity, data).
– Foster inclusive digital transformation across sectors—not only in traditional IT.
– Enable career transitions through flexible, modular education and community support.
– Reduce gender and economic inequalities by improving access to tech careers.
– Build a resilient, multidisciplinary workforce to support Czechia’s digital future.
– Serve as a replicable model for inclusive digital upskilling across the EU.
This best practice has become an essential part of Czechia’s broader societal shift towards innovation, inclusion, and lifelong learning in the digital age.
THE CHALLENGE
The main challenge was to design a solution that could simultaneously address gender inequality, labor shortages, and educational accessibility—within a fast-changing technological landscape.
Czechitas had to respond to the fact that:
– Most existing digital training programs were either too technical, too rigid, or not accessible to women balancing other life roles.
– Many women with experience in non-tech sectors lacked pathways to integrate digital skills into their current work or pivot careers entirely.
– Employers needed talent, but often lacked inclusive hiring practices or awareness of the value of diverse teams.
– Public policies were slow to address the scale and urgency of digital reskilling—especially for adult women outside traditional education.
We overcame these challenges by creating a blended, inclusive training model focused on career outcomes, community support, and multi-sector collaboration—making digital careers tangible and achievable for thousands of women.
OUR SOLUTION
To overcome the barriers faced by women in accessing digital careers, Czechitas developed a comprehensive, scalable education and inclusion model focused on real-world skills, career transition, and community support. Our solution is built on five integrated pillars:
1. Blended and Modular Training Programs: We designed flexible, stackable courses-from beginner to advanced-focused on AI, cybersecurity, data, and digital foundations. Programs include both online and in-person components, allowing women to learn at their own pace while balancing work or caregiving responsibilities.
2. Career Support and Mentorship: Beyond education, we provide mentoring, career coaching, alumni networks, and Job Fairs that directly connect graduates with inclusive employers- ensuring a smooth pathway into tech jobs. More than 50% of academy graduates find employment in IT within 6 months.
3. Tailored Curriculum for Adult Learners: Our content is industry-aligned, gender-sensitive, and built for reskilling. We co-create courses with companies, ensuring that learning outcomes match current job market demands while remaining accessible to non-traditional learners.
4. Strategic Ecosystem Partnerships: We partner with public institutions (e.g., Ministries, labor offices), companies, and regions to implement our programs locally and nationally—ensuring institutional support and wider impact. We also engage employers in inclusive hiring practices and workplace transformation.
5. Inclusive Community and Visibility: We built a trusted community of 76,000+ women, supported by visibility campaigns, role models, and outreach activities that challenge stereotypes and normalize women in tech. This social layer is key to both retention and long-term engagement.
This multi-pronged approach has allowed us to transform isolated learning into a career-changing experience—one that is adaptable across contexts and replicable at scale in other EU countries.
OUTCOMES
To overcome the barriers faced by women in accessing digital careers, Czechitas developed a comprehensive, scalable education and inclusion model focused on real-world skills, career transition, and community support. Our solution is built on five integrated pillars:
1. Blended and Modular Training Programs
We designed flexible, stackable courses-from beginner to advanced-focused on AI, cybersecurity, data, and digital foundations. Programs include both online and in-person components, allowing women to learn at their own pace while balancing work or caregiving responsibilities.
2. Career Support and Mentorship
Beyond education, we provide mentoring, career coaching, alumni networks, and Job Fairs that directly connect graduates with inclusive employers- ensuring a smooth pathway into tech jobs. More than 50% of academy graduates find employment in IT within 6 months.
3. Tailored Curriculum for Adult Learners
Our content is industry-aligned, gender-sensitive, and built for reskilling. We co-create courses with companies, ensuring that learning outcomes match current job market demands while remaining accessible to non-traditional learners.
4. Strategic Ecosystem Partnerships
We partner with public institutions (e.g., Ministries, labor offices), companies, and regions to implement our programs locally and nationally—ensuring institutional support and wider impact. We also engage employers in inclusive hiring practices and workplace transformation.
5. Inclusive Community and Visibility
We built a trusted community of 76,000+ women, supported by visibility campaigns, role models, and outreach activities that challenge stereotypes and normalize women in tech. This social layer is key to both retention and long-term engagement.
This multi-pronged approach has allowed us to transform isolated learning into a career-changing experience—one that is adaptable across contexts and replicable at scale in other EU countries.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Throughout the design and implementation of our inclusive digital education model, we identified several key takeaways that have directly contributed to achieving positive outcomes—and are replicable in other European or regional contexts:
1. Career relevance is critical for engagement and retention
Women are more likely to complete training and enter the tech workforce when they clearly understand the career path ahead. Linking education to concrete job roles (e.g. Cybersecurity Analyst, AI Transformation Manager) significantly improves motivation, completion rates, and post-program employment.
2. Flexible learning models remove major access barriers
Many of our learners are career changers, parents, or women returning from career breaks. Blended formats, modular content, and self-paced study options make tech education feasible for adult learners—especially women balancing multiple roles.
3. Community and mentorship drive confidence and persistence
Support networks matter. Structured mentoring, peer groups, and a sense of belonging help women overcome self-doubt and isolation—especially in male-dominated fields like cybersecurity or AI.
4. Cross-sector collaboration ensures market relevance and sustainability
Strong partnerships with companies, public institutions, and local governments help align curricula with labor market needs and secure funding or job opportunities. These relationships also support public policy impact and program scaling.
5. Visibility and role models break stereotypes
Featuring successful alumnae and industry mentors as speakers, trainers, or ambassadors has a multiplier effect. It normalizes women in tech, challenges biases, and inspires the next wave of learners.
6. Data collection strengthens program quality and advocacy
Tracking participant outcomes (job placement, satisfaction, income impact) helps us continuously improve our programs and demonstrate impact to funders and policymakers.
