A hub for women in business has opened doors in Schaerbeek, offering technology-focused courses as well as support for entrepreneurs.
The dedicated hub is a new facility opened by Brussels organisation Womenpreneur-Initiative and will provide a space for women to not only find information and support but also network with each other.
Womenpreneur already offers a range of free STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) -focused courses for women jobseekers, from graphic design and digital marketing to cybersecurity and device repairs.
Founder and Director of the initative, Sana Afouaiz, says that the newly opened hub in a premises next to Brussels North train station will now provide a central location for all of their training courses.
"We used have classes in different locations in collaboration with partners that provide spaces, which was a lot to handle. We wanted to create a space for connections and networking opportunities, and it's important to create a space that is exclusively for women, and that is 100% focused on training women in tech specifically, which is quite a male dominated field," she said.
Women attending a course at the new Womenpreneur Space
Afouaiz adds that they receive hundreds of applications for every course they run, showing the demand for their service and the need for a designated space – especially in a neighbourhood like Schaerbeek.
"This neighbourhood specifically is very symbolic for us because it's where we have the highest number of women who are unemployed who are from immigrant origin. We want to break stereotypes around women of immigrant origin and we want to create job opportunities for the community, which can change the dynamic of the whole neighbourhood," she said.
As well as offering tech focused career training, the hub will be a space for women to access support for entrepreneurship, including advice, and mentorship for women wishing to start their own businesses.
Within its first year of operating, the hub will offer six different tech courses with capacity for 115 participants. As well as two dedicated classrooms the hub also offers a space for women to work on their course projects or their business ideas.
Speaking to The Brussels Times from the new hub, student Diane was just beginning a graphic design course after already completing a more general three month tech-focused module.
"I really enjoyed those three months, the trainer was very friendly, patient, and good at listening. It enabled me to get my foot back in the door of the job market, because I'd been looking after my daughter for almost two years and I hadn't worked," she said.
Also starting the graphic design course, after previously completing a course on digital marketing, graphic design and coding, Shaima said the Womenpreneur-Initiative isa great opportunity for women.
"I wanted to discover what I could do in the digital world, and it was a nice opportunity because it's a free course and it's only for women. I enjoyed graphic design the most, that's why I wanted to do a longer course in graphic design so I could find a job," she said.
"It's a really nice opportunity for females to be able to enter the digital world. It's an easy way for us to access this world because its mostly men who tend to have those kinds of jobs, so it's really nice to be able to connect with other women who share the same interests," she added.
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The Womenpreneur Space is supported by the Brussels Region government, SNCB (which has provided the building for two years), VINCI Energies, Loterie Nationale, and Belfius.
Brussels Minister for Employment Bernard Clerfayt said there are too few women choosing careers in technology, despite talent shortages.
"To lead the way, it is essential to support such projects. Furthermore, establishing the center at Gare du Nord in Schaerbeek is an excellent choice. The location’s accessibility and proximity to disadvantaged neighborhoods, where female employment rates are lower, make it an ideal site. By strengthening the training offer and opening up to the neighborhoods, we will increase the number of women working in ICT," he said.
Find out more information about Womenpreneur-Initiative and new hub here.
