Courage, code and Community: The Journey of 220 Women into Tech
Across the EU, fewer than 1 in 4 tech workers are women. In Estonia and Latvia, where the gender pay gap is among the highest in Europe (21.1% and 22.3% respectively), most women still work in underpaid sectors like hospitality, services, and social care — leaving tech’s high-paying opportunities out of reach.
To help close this gap, the WoTech program was launched to empower women to take their first steps into IT and coding. No prior experience needed. No tuition fees. Instead free, flexible programming training, together with mentorship, power skills sessions, and peer support was offered.
🚀 The results speak for themselves:
- 220 women enrolled (110 from Estonia, 110 from Latvia)
- 157 graduates successfully completed the technical training
- 161 achieved positive placements — including 87 jobs and internships in IT and 74 continuing studies.
Participants have gone on to roles in programming, data analytics, IT support, cybersecurity, and more — joining companies such as airBaltic, Accenture, WISE, Elisa, ERPLY, and Latvenergo. Several learners also took initiative to enroll in further courses (e.g. CS50 by Harvard, Java bootcamps, bachelor and master`s programs in IT, etc), and some found inspiration to continue at their existing roles having now more tech-related responsibilities.
Behind these facts are powerful personal stories — a mother landing her dream job at Elisa, a career switcher joining a UK-based AI startup, and a learner who, despite not passing the final exam, still secured a new role in IT and found her path forward.
Beyond technical skills, many learners reported increased confidence, awareness of IT career paths, and new professional networks that have continued beyond the program.
To sum up, WoTech has shown that with the right support, more women can successfully transition into the digital economy — and help build a more inclusive tech sector in Estonia, Latvia, and beyond.
