Applications for the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Women in Cyber Mentorship Program 2023 are now open. Women in Cyber, the third year of this programme, aims to empower women to develop skills for better gender inclusion in cybersecurity, helping to tackle the workforce challenges still prevalent in the field such as, unfilled positions, skills gap, and retention challenges.

While women only account for 24% of the workforce, the WiC programme seeks to create a safer cyberspace and increase trust in ICTs by helping to close the workforce and gender gaps in cybersecurity. Through a targeted approach of Inspire, Train, and Empower, ITU-D Women in Cyber Programme tackles the gender and workforce gaps in cybersecurity through trainings (both on soft-skills and technical topics), role-modelling and mentorship. All activities will be delivered online over five months from June to October 2023.

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Program Structure

• INSPIRE: Four keynote webinars with featured speakers who are well-known women in cybersecurity showcase their career paths, hence promoting role models and the perception of women as valuable additions to the cybersecurity workforce.
• TRAIN: Five technical and soft skills training courses that provide participants with skills for professional and personal development.
• EMPOWER: Two mentorship circle sessions with a live platform for participants to further explore professional and personal development topics with high-level women in cybersecurity.

Eligibility for Women in Cyber Mentorship

To be eligible to participate in the Women in Cyber Mentorship Programme, interested women must fulfil the following requirements:  

• Minimum 2-3 years of junior level experience in the field of cybersecurity or seeking to enter the cybersecurity workforce from another junior level ICT or STEM position.
• The programme will be delivered in English. Participants must have a good working knowledge of English.
• A computer and stable internet connection.
• There are no age restrictions. ​

​Note: The eligibility criteria are not applicable to participants wishing to attend the WiC inspirational keynote Webinars.

Target Audience

This rollout of the Women in Cyber Mentorship Programme is being offered specifically to women residing in Africa, Arab regions and Asia and the Pacific. By limiting regional participation, the programme aims to provide women with support in their local cybersecurity communities.

• Targeted countries in the Africa region: Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
• Targeted countries in the Arab States: Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, State of Palestine, Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen.
• Targeted countries in the Asia and the Pacific: Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao P.D.R., Mongolia, Thailand.

Disclaimer: The 2023 edition will only target the aforementioned countries in the Asia and the Pacific region to pilot a more in depth country-based approach that includes additional opportunities for selected participants.

Note: Upon registration through the dedicated link, the WiC inspirational keynote webinars will be open to the general public. However, the trainings and mentorship circles are exclusively for eligible women in the programme​.

Application of Women in Cyber Mentorship

• Programme seats are limited.
• The delivery platform for the webinars and training is Zoom.
• Selected participants must register for all three parts of the mentorship programme (i.e. inspirational keynote webinars, trainings, and mentorship circles).
• Selected applicants to the mentorship circles will be contacted by email by the end of May 2023.​

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Lastly, It is important to visit the official website link found below to access the application form.

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