Our project aims to promote gender equality in engineering by addressing the significant gender gap within the industry in all areas: mechanical, electrical, transport, manufacturing, IT industry etc. Recognizing that gender diversity fosters innovation, creativity, and economic growth, our initiative aligns perfectly with the objectives of the CAPF by advocating for inclusivity and equal opportunities. The need for this project comes from the persistent underrepresentation of women in engineering fields, since the statistics shows that there are only around 30% of females in engineering within our country, especially outside of the capital of Serbia. We want to promote decentralization even outside of the Nis, but with the buy-in of alumni from the whole Serbia.

We propose several activities: 

Capacity Building (training): we will provide 5 educational workshops where alumni from other cities from Serbia will take active participation, together with other participants, with the final conference for capacity-building focused on gender sensitivity and unconscious bias for faculty students from South-East Serbia (City of Nis). We will include people from public, private, educational and governmental institutions to implement workshops and directly speak with young people together with youth organizations and other relevant institutions. Alumni from outside of Nis will be invited to participate in workshops as well as to introduce themselves to youth participants in order to additionally promote the Chevening program.

Awareness Campaigns: will be organized through implementation of workshops in schools and faculties, study visits to Nis Airport and public events to raise awareness about the importance of gender equality in engineering.

Monitoring and Evaluation: we will establish mechanisms for monitoring and evaluating the impact of our activities on promoting gender equality in engineering.

Project aims to raise the awareness about importance of decentralization, then importance of gender equality, to give opportunity to boost non-active and less active Chevening alumni from the whole Serbia and to create a more equitable and inclusive environment within the engineering sector, contributing to the achievement of CAPF objectives and advancing both FCDO and country/regional priorities related to gender equality and sustainable development. Very important aspect of the whole project is promotion of CHEVENING PROGRAMME in this part of Serbia.

The project will raise the profile of Chevening by strategically integrating promotion efforts into its activities. Firstly, during capacity-building workshops and awareness campaigns, project organizers will highlight the role of Chevening in supporting educational opportunities and fostering inclusivity. Secondly, by engaging with diverse stakeholders including public, private, educational, and governmental institutions, the project will showcase Chevening’s commitment to collaboration and impact in addressing societal challenges like gender inequality in engineering. Thirdly, the project will leverage media coverage and public events to spotlight Chevening’s values and contributions to sustainable development.

By aligning Chevening’s brand with the project’s objectives, the initiative will enhance awareness and visibility of Chevening scholarships among target audiences, ultimately increasing applications and participation from regions outside the capital. Through these strategic actions, the project will effectively achieve CAPF Objective 2 by advancing Chevening’s mission to empower future leaders and build inclusive communities, while meeting essential criteria related to promoting Chevening’s visibility and impact in underserved regions.