Breaking Records this Fall – 100 Participants join Q Mentoria

Q by Consid, a platform actively working to promote inclusion and gender equality within the IT industry, has recently launched the fall session of its Q Mentoria mentorship program. Applications for participation reached a record high, with a total of 100 mentees and mentors set to take part in this autumn’s mentorship program.

– It’s incredibly exciting to kick off the autumn mentorship period. We have several exciting months ahead of us, and it will be a pleasure to follow the progress of all our mentees and mentors, said Anna Edstedt, National Coordinator for Q by Consid.

Q Mentoria is part of Q by Consid’s comprehensive initiative to promote diversity, inclusion, and gender equality within the IT industry. The recent launch of the fall mentorship program offers women and non-binary individuals the opportunity to explore and develop their tech skills alongside a mentor. The surge in applications highlights the significant demand for guidance and role models within the tech industry.

– We are stunned by the number of applications we received for mentors. This demonstrates the substantial need for guidance and role models within the tech industry, and I’m incredibly proud and happy that we’ve been able to offer so many the chance to be part of Q Mentoria, said Lily Tsui, responsible for Q Mentoria.

Currently, women make up just over 30 percent of the IT industry. In an annual survey conducted by Insight Intelligence, in which one thousand women aged 16 to 30 were interviewed, seven out of ten expressed an interest in working in some form of IT-related profession. However, six out of ten said they did not want to work in the IT industry because it is associated with terms like “male-dominated,” “nerdy,” and “difficult.” The report also highlighted that only one in ten young women in Sweden have a female role model in IT and tech, with 42 percent wishing for clearer communication about the profession. The purpose of Q Mentoria is to reshape perceptions of what tech entails while providing support and guidance to tech-interested women and non-binary individuals in an industry often perceived as challenging, according to Consid CEO Peter Hellgren.

– It’s a fact that there is underrepresentation of women in the industry, but that doesn’t mean IT and tech are industries intended solely for men. We want to be role models for others and contribute through the knowledge available at Consid to inspire more individuals to pursue careers in the tech industry, said Peter Hellgren.

In Q Mentoria, mentors and mentees are carefully matched based on their expectations for the mentorship, skills, and interests to ensure the best possible collaboration. The program runs for five months, with participants meeting at least once a month. These meetings can vary based on the mentee’s preferences and needs. For the upcoming fall the program has been further developed to include events and lectures in addition to mentorship.

– We view these lectures as an extra complement to the exchange between the mentee and their mentor. Here, participants will have the opportunity to meet others in the industry who share their interests. We’ve tried to tailor the content of this fall’s lectures to the preferences described by mentees in their Q Mentoria applications. For example, there is significant interest in UX, so we’ll be hosting regular lunchtime lectures on various UX-related topics, said Anna Edstedt.

Q Mentoria operates throughout Sweden, and applications for the spring mentorship period will open in October.