VHTO National expert organisation girls/women and science/technology
May 2008
VHTO, National expert organisation girls/women and science/technology makes an effort in many different ways to increase the involvement of women and girls in science and technology education, the technological employment market and government policy.
VHTO has a great deal of (quantitative as well as qualitative) data about female technology students and engineers, and up-to-date expertise about technological education and fields of employment. VHTO employs this expertise in order to improve the following areas:
- Quality improvement and expanding the allure of technology education
- Supporting junior female engineers and assisting them in their career development
- Support in the recruitment and career policy of the technological business community
- Improving the connection between technology education and the knowledge and interests of girls in secondary education.
As a result of being the national coordinator of WiTEC (Women in Science, Engineering and Technology in European Countries) VHTO is able to set up and test initiatives in the field of women and technology with transnational partners. In addition, participation in this European network offers many possibilities for translating foreign renewal impulses to the Dutch education and labour market.
Although the innovative activities of VHTO are primarily focused on women and girls, they have a much broader impact. Females as well as male students and engineers are supported by these innovations.
VHTO-network for female engineers
For women with a technical profession it may be helpful to discuss their profession with other women; to talk about their experiences with each other in their technical professional domain and about general issues which may occur in their work field. Therefore VHTO supports a network of female engineers.
The network activities give female engineers the opportunity to exchange their experiences and expertise. VHTO organises national and regional network meetings, but also training workshops, for example ‘Woman and Management’ and ‘Conflict handling’. Members of the network are able to bring in their own subjects in which they are interested and contribute in this way to organised activities, such as:
- VHTO magazine
- Annual network day at the start of the season (September
- Regional network meetings
- Training workshops
Would you like to make use of our expertise or participate in one of the VHTO activities? Please contact us at vhto@vhto.nl or by telephone: +31 20 888 4220. May 2008