The project, whose full name is “Women-to-Cybersecurity VET Pathway and Cyber Range Learning Ecosystem”, will begin in November 2026 and will last for 26 months. It is implemented under the Erasmus+ programme.
From barrier to first step
The low participation of women in the cybersecurity sector is not due to a lack of talent or aptitude. Often, the first obstacles are stereotypes, lack of access to practical education, the small number of female professional role models, or simply a lack of confidence to enter the world of technology.
CySec4Her is intended to help reduce these barriers. The project is intended to create a space in which participants can learn, experiment, make mistakes and try again – before taking on the responsibility associated with working in a real-world environment.
Participants will acquire competences through practical scenarios, micro-modules, project work and tasks inspired by situations that cybersecurity specialists encounter on a daily basis.
Cybersecurity is best learned through practice
One of the project’s most important elements will be a cyber range, i.e. a safe and controlled environment simulating real systems and threats. This is where participants will be able to deal with realistic incidents, analyse threats and practise responding to attacks – without the risk of compromising real systems.
This will be accompanied by a digital educational platform and a new curriculum designed with the needs of the contemporary labour market in mind. The aim is to build a practical pathway into the profession, enabling participants to gradually progress from their first contact with cybersecurity to competences useful in real work. Learning will be based on practical scenarios, micro-modules, project work and tasks reflecting situations encountered in businesses.
Support matters
Changing career paths or starting a career in a new field is rarely solely a matter of acquiring knowledge. Equally important are confidence in one’s own abilities, contact with people from the industry and an awareness of what steps are worth taking next.
This is precisely why mentoring will be an important pillar of CySec4Her. Participants will receive support not only in developing technical competences, but also in building self-confidence, planning their careers and finding their place in the professional environment.
The project will combine education with experience gained in the workplace. Internships and other forms of learning in cooperation with companies from the cybersecurity sector will allow participants to confront the knowledge they have acquired with real professional challenges. Their competences will be assessed in relation to European qualification standards and occupational profiles.
For women at different stages of their professional journey
CySec4Her is intended to be open to women at different points in their careers. At least 100 participants will take part in the project – including vocational education students and graduates, unemployed people, women planning to change careers, and those wishing to return to the labour market after a break.
Vocational education teachers and trainers, entrepreneurs and experts from the cybersecurity sector will also be involved in the activities. This will ensure that the solutions developed respond both to the needs of the participants and to those of future employers.
European cooperation, a shared goal
CySec4Her will bring together the experience of partners from Poland, Cyprus, Spain, Bulgaria and Greece. Lodz University of Technology will coordinate the entire undertaking, being responsible, among other things, for quality control, evaluation of the results and activities aimed at ensuring their further use after the project funding has ended. Voxel Research Lab will contribute its experience in designing accessible, human-centred learning environments using modern technologies.
This international cooperation is intended to ensure that the solutions developed under CySec4Her can extend beyond one country, one institution or one group of participants. After the project ends, the curriculum, exercise scenarios, mentoring tools and educational materials are to be made available to vocational education institutions across Europe.
This will enable further people to benefit from the solutions developed under CySec4Her. In this way, the project aims to respond to two challenges simultaneously: opening up new professional opportunities for women and helping European companies and institutions reduce the growing cybersecurity skills gap.
The project is funded by the European Union.
