Latvia - Riga TechGirls

Riga TechGirls is a community created by women in the IT sector with the goal of educating and inspiring girls and women to pursue careers in IT. Established in 2015, Riga TechGirls strives to enhance gender diversity in the IT industry by encouraging more women to participate. Apart from the central Riga TechGirls initiative, there are active regional branches in Liepāja, Ventspils, Daugavpils, and Valmiera, all dedicated to ensuring women’s active involvement in technology.
Riga TechGirls organizes a wide range of events and training programs. These include opportunities for those looking to reskill or develop further digital skills, guidance for young women aspiring for tech careers, as well as initiatives designed for schoolchildren and students. The aim is to foster girls’ interest in technology-related opportunities. Over the years, various successful initiatives have been implemented to educate diverse audiences.
Discover tech
With the support of Google.org, Riga TechGirls implements the 'Discover Tech' Curriculum. This program is conducted online, making it more accessible and customized, thanks to innovative gesture techniques that enhance participation. Participants are offered skills in areas such as UX design, digital marketing, e-commerce, analytics, cybersecurity, and other fields, enhancing women’s competitiveness in the labor market.
The program provides an understanding of different technological pathways, the opportunities created by technology, and the relevance of knowledge about them in various sectors today. The training also includes information on opportunities for job reskilling in the ICT sector. These sessions offer a comprehensive overview of technology and dispel many stereotypes, such as the misconception that IT is solely about coding.
In total, more than 28,000 participants have successfully completed the training program.
Mentoring programme
Riga TechGirls in collaboration with the partner network, offers a mentoring program designed to help women gain practical experience valued by potential employers. Furthermore, the program is accessible online, making it available to managers and employees of non-profit organizations not only in Latvia but also across Europe.
The Riga TechGirls mentoring program is conducted online and in English. Participants collaborate with their mentors and have the opportunity to engage in training projects. The program allows participants to gain in-depth knowledge in one of the 17 selected technology fields. Women interested in acquiring IT skills, as well as those already active in the IT sector aiming to advance their careers, are encouraged to apply. During the application review process, particular attention is given to the motivation and objectives of the candidates.
In total, more than 600 participants have successfully completed the mentoring program.
Digital skills for teachers, creatives and health care professionals
The aim of this program is to enhance digital skills for workers in various fields. Training sessions have been organized, each tailored to meet the specific needs of different industries:
Education Sector Workers: This training aims to enhance the digital skills of Latvian teachers. The learning content is designed to provide teachers with not only theoretical but also practical knowledge on how to use various digital tools more intelligently and efficiently in their work. It also focuses on enhancing students’ digital skills through teachers’ competencies.
Creative Sector Workers: These training sessions are designed to impart essential digital skills, allowing participants to continue their creative activities even in situations where in-person collaboration is challenging.
Healthcare Workers: The goal of this training is to familiarize healthcare professionals with available technologies. The training content covers medical systems management, data security, and artificial intelligence, the use of modern IT solutions, and the development and promotion of digital skills.
Each program consists of 24 sessions and 4 workshops. To date 2,000+ women underwent professional IT training and 600+ participated in the building startups hackathons.