Drugi jezik na kojem je dostupan ovaj članak: Bosnian
Photo: Marija Felkel, Board Member and Chief Human Resources Officer at HT
At the initiative of Hrvatski Telekom (HT), Croatia has joined the big international project Women STEM Awards, aimed at encouraging young women to pursue careers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) areas. This is an international competition that selects the best graduate or master thesis and dissertation from the STEM area from among all the entered works of students of the final years of studies from all over the world.
The Women STEM Awards project is a renowned project of Deutsche Telekom, already in its fifth year. Strategic topics of the competition are carefully selected each year to follow the latest technological trends from the STEM area, and this year they are: Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence, Cyber Security and Networks of the Future.
The best thesis will be selected by an expert jury consisting of experts from Deutsche Telekom, the academic community and other prominent experts, and will be rewarded with 3,000 euros, while the best and most innovative work from each of the categories will be rewarded with 500 euros. The contest runs until 25 February 2018. You can find more information about the project here.
“HT is the first company to initiate the popularization of the STEM area in Croatia, and through our own example we want to encourage as many women as possible to engage in these highly sought-after and well-paid professions. We invite all STEM graduate students to apply for the Women STEM Awards and be part of an international project that can provide an excellent starting position for career in STEM,” said Marija Felkel, Member of the Management Board and Chief Human Resources Officer at HT.
Starting a career in STEM opens up many opportunities to young professionals for development and career advancement in the future. STEM skills are the driving force behind the digital economy’s growth, which is growing up to seven times faster than the classic economy.
By joining the Women STEM Awards project, HT wants to further boost women’s participation in well-paid positions and to foster their career development towards managerial positions. HT is one of the leading Croatian, but also European companies regarding the participation of women in managerial positions. Hrvatski Telekom has 45 percent of women in managerial positions, which is more than the share of women in the total number of employees. This is far above the EU average of 35 percent of women in managerial positions (EUROSTAT’s latest figures) and far more than the share of women managers in the telecommunications industry. In addition, women at managerial positions in HT have equal remuneration conditions as their male counterparts. In this, HT is far above the Croatian and EU average, as the latest statistics show that on average women in managerial positions in Croatia have 17 percent lower salaries than their male counterparts, while the average at EU level is even worse because women earn an average of 23.4 percent less.
One of the key factors of attracting and retaining such a high number of women managers and women in general, especially in the dynamic telecommunications industry, is the balance between private and business life. Developing a healthy organizational culture and introducing programs that provide a balanced life and connecting of career and family life are important factors for satisfaction of HT’s employees’.
Christmas for kids, Day with mom and dad at work, Friday in slippers, free day for parents for the first day of primary school, these are just some of the favorite programs that create an environment in which workers feel good.