Training for Change: Advancing Diversity Together
We are delighted to congratulate Jeanine Lefèvre, our Head of Equal Opportunities Office, on successfully completing the part-time ‘Diversity Facilitator’ course. Offered by Integrationswerkstatt, the course covers important topics from diversity research in depth, including equal opportunities and anti-discrimination, foreign and human rights, media and digital skills, intercultural communication and conflict management, as well as methodology and didactics.
© Jeanine Lefèvre
“The course provided me with essential knowledge and, more importantly, made key aspects of diversity tangible and relatable. I am looking forward to sharing what I have learnt with my colleagues through the Office of Equal Opportunities,” said Jeanine, our newly certified Diversity Facilitator.
Diverse perspectives are valuable in any field, but this is especially true for IT Security. As digitalization progresses and new technologies emerge, new challenges, threats and risks arise – and therefore the need for diversity, since balanced workforces would naturally have greater variety of perspectives and are thus better equipped to handle the variety of challenges.
This is just another step towards embedding this important topic at SBA Research. Other significant milestones include participation the FFG program internship for female students (formerly known as FemTech), networking opportunities for women in technology (SheDigital), women-only events and capacity-building (e.g. Shecurity hackers’ training), the Fem4CyberSec project, the revision of the gender equality plan, the implementation of concrete measures to promote equal opportunities and diversity, and the establishment of an official position dedicated to these issues.