fTwist – Courage and Resilience in Business
1 August 2023 - 31 July 2026
Project Objective
The fTwist project aims to enhance women’s opportunities for career advancement and increase their leadership skills, particularly for women entrepreneurs. The project involves the development and piloting of four multidisciplinary innovative training programs. Additionally, the project focuses on creating and implementing training sessions, workshops, international collaborations, and utilizing cutting-edge learning tools. Peer learning and knowledge-sharing among participants play a crucial role in the learning process. The project operates in the Northern Ostrobothnia region.
The goal of the fTwist project is to mitigate gender-based vertical and horizontal segregation in the Finnish labor market, promote women’s employment, facilitate transitions between jobs or entrepreneurship, and empower women to advance in their careers while enhancing their leadership skills and those of participating women entrepreneurs.
Creation of a New Training Program in the Project
The objective is pursued by establishing a comprehensive training program comprising four different courses (lasting 4–6 months). Based on this training program, a new model is developed to facilitate the transition to more demanding job roles, promote employment, or support the initiation of entrepreneurship and business development. The model is built on the foundation of training program pilots and iterative development.
The project’s activities allow for piloting the training program and developing a model that includes practical training. As part of the training program, an internship period is piloted, where individuals participating in the project engage in peer learning through internships in businesses.
Target Groups of the Project
The project is targeted towards:
- Highly educated women currently in the workforce (those transitioning between careers and those working as experts or managers).
- Young, recently graduated, highly educated women.
- Unemployed and those at risk of unemployment among highly educated women.
- Women entrepreneurs in micro and small-sized businesses.
Collaboration
The Oulu University of Applied Sciences coordinates the project, with various collaborators playing supporting roles.