Berta Herrero, director of the Women's Academy for Rural Innovation, encourages women from Lanzarote to apply for scholarships

Huawei's academy seeks talented women from 15 European rural areas, who will receive a full scholarship to train in digital skills and tools

EKN

September 17 2022 (09:51 WEST)
Updated in February 22 2025 (12:07 WEST)
Berta Herrero, director of Huawei's first Women's Academy for Rural Innovation
Berta Herrero, director of Huawei's first Women's Academy for Rural Innovation

Women make up half of the population; however, they still face challenges and structural inequalities, particularly in the rural world.

The first Huawei Rural Women's Innovation Academy, directed by Berta Herrero from Lanzarote, who is also the head of equality, diversity and inclusion for the EU of the technology company, is looking for talented women from 15 different European rural areas with the aim of acquiring the skills and tools necessary to shape the digital age from their own villages.

The 15 participants, each from a different EU member state, will be selected by an independent jury and will receive a full scholarship to attend the program. Classes will take place in Spain, in different locations, between October 23 and 28.

"Women are essential to achieving an inclusive and solid digital transition. However, in rural areas they face not only the gender gap, but also the urban-rural gap in order to progress. This is also an obstacle to equal opportunities in the EU," explains Herrero.

The aim of the academy is to close that double gap that "prevents women from rural and depopulated areas from becoming the leaders our world needs, and to facilitate rural Europe to benefit from the infinite opportunities offered by digitization.

"I want to encourage women on the island, whether they have a craft workshop or work on an aloe vera plantation, to submit their applications to participate in this European academy" (Berta Herrero)

"Despite its physical distance from the continent, our island is a meeting place between cultures and nationalities, a unique environment in which past and present meet, and in which the benefits of innovation to transform geographical and geological challenges into economic and social wealth are perfectly visible. Lanzarote and the good work of its people, from the extraordinary wines of La Geria to the environmental and urban legacy of César Manrique, are a treasure for Europe," explains Berta Herrero in her invitation to the women of Lanzarote.

"That is why I want to encourage the women of the island, whether they have a craft workshop or work on an aloe vera plantation, to submit their applications to participate in this European academy. Rural women and women from outermost regions are not a footnote to technological progress: they must be protagonists in the ecological and digital transition that is already laying the foundations for a sustainable future."

 

Requirements and training program

Candidates must be of working age, live in a rural area and have among their objectives to create a positive impact and take advantage of new technologies to promote economic growth at the local level.

The agenda will place a special focus on entrepreneurship and the use of new technologies in rural areas.

It covers the digitization of SMEs and the keys to access financing and ensure business sustainability by exploring the potential offered by the latest innovations for a greener future.

The program delves into the different aspects of new technologies and the immense potential that innovation brings to rural areas, especially those at risk of depopulation. An innovative, enriching and attractive concept that combines high-level discussions with dedicated mentoring.

 

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