Time4Child

Ready4Future

The Women&Tech Association, whose mission is to enhance female talent in technology, innovation, and scientific research, will participate in Time4child - Feed the Future from November 11th to 15th.
However, our contribution starts here: the Association tells about the holistic approach and vision necessary to prepare young people for the jobs of the future.

According to the report Skills Outlook 2021 from the OECD, the "education-work-retirement" process is to be considered increasingly obsolete. The megatrends that characterize the post-pandemic job market determine the rapid obsolescence of many skills and knowledge, opening up to "new" professional roles, those that will soon be in higher demand.

In this scenario marked by profound transformations, starting from the professions means looking at what will be, clearly outlining the future occupational needs, and guiding the younger generation towards a full understanding of the professions they could face as adults. A revolutionary reversal of the classic "training -> work" process, following a path that Gianna Martinengo, founder of Women&Tech - Association of Women and Technologies, had identified and traced twelve years ago: "Young people must be able to face training proposals that look to the future. Directing ourselves towards training aimed at acquiring key skills for the future means offering all young people the opportunity to access significant professions, as well as preparing resources capable of driving innovation".

In pursuing this mission, Gianna Martinengo, within the Association, outlined in 2009 Ready4Future, a social innovation project to guide the new generations towards the professions and trades of the future. An idea that today, in 2021, is more relevant than ever, promoting a holistic vision of learning processes, where humanistic knowledge and technical-scientific knowledge integrate and enrich each other. Positioning itself as a tool for career guidance and training, Ready4Future aims to create a web platform available to young people, where they can build relationships and benefit from educational proposals carefully selected by a team of experts: professionals who, based on their field experience, share essential insights to understand the professions of the future.

In addition, the project includes numerous "in-person" appointments: events based on discussion and dialogue (FutureCamp Day); school/work alternation (OrientaCamp); guided tours of innovative companies or research centers (OpenSees); robotics and coding workshops (TechLab).

As Gianna Martinengo tells: " With our project, we aim to make known the new opportunities offered by the world of work, to inspire vocations and interests in young people, to open their eyes to an integrated vision of study disciplines. Our Association was the first in Italy to promote the transition from STEM to STEAM: the A stands for humanities, integrated into the heart of technical-scientific disciplines. It is no coincidence that the sectors offering the greatest development opportunities are articulated in a multidisciplinary key: digital technologies (such as AI, robotics, video games, virtual reality, augmented reality, 3D, blockchain, machine learning, digital twins, big data analysis, Internet of things, quantum computing), biotechnologies (such as bioinformatics, bioelectronics, industrial biotechnologies, health, environment, neurotechnologies), new materials (such as nanomaterials, e-textiles, smart materials, flexible electronics, photonics), energy and environment (biofuels, hydrogen technologies, bioplastics, smart grids, solar energy)."

Ready4Future is not only aimed at the youngest, but also at all those social and affective actors who support and advise them: teachers, parents, the family in general, and the world of work (companies, public entities, unions, third sector). The ultimate goal is to build a physical and virtual place, global and local, where the actors involved in the project can meet, get to know each other, and exchange valuable information. A welcoming and inclusive space, where to get in touch to create value, looking to the future with proactivity and awareness.