Women ReBOOT Programme
Transforming Talent: Renewing Career Pathways for Women in Tech
Ireland’s technology sector has experienced rapid growth over the past decade, becoming a cornerstone of the national economy and a hub for global innovation.
However, the participation of women in the tech workforce is much lower than men, with only 16-20% of tech workers being female. Despite an increasing pipeline of female graduates in STEM fields, gender imbalances persist, particularly in mid-career and senior roles. Many women either do not join the tech sector after graduation, due to its reputation as a male dominated sector, or they exit the workforce taking career breaks when their families are young or due to other caregiving responsibilities. This exacerbates the challenge of small numbers of women in technology. Employers are keen to create a gender balanced workforce in tech; however, women who leave the sector face many barriers when attempting to return to work.
Women who are out of the workforce feel that they fall behind in technology skills and latest practices. Even a short career break leads to low levels of confidence and self-belief, so the path of returning to work is isolating and daunting. Women returners often believe that they are no longer up to the requirements of technology occupations.
Research has shown that employers are slow to employ people who have taken a career break, and even a short break from the workforce can make it difficult for women to return. 90% of applicants to the Women Reboot Programme report that they are not offered even one interview- despite their proven experience and advanced educational achievements.
The award-winning ‘Women ReBOOT programme’ was developed by the Technology Ireland DIGITAL Skillnet to help address the shortage of women in technology and help address the gender imbalance by reintegrating experienced women professionals into the technology sector after career breaks.
“The interview stage as a critical pain point for women returning to the sector,“ explains Sheila Byrne, Senior Programme Manager with Digital Skillnet. “Women returners lack the confidence to promote or sell themselves. This is often the result of facing multiple rejections due to career gaps on their CVs, a challenge amplified by the rise of AI in recruitment. Automated screening systems can filter out qualified candidates based on employment gaps alone, creating an additional hurdle before women even get the chance to interview.
"What amazes me is that the longer people are out of work, the more successful they are in getting back in," adds Byrne. "Time away actually works in their favour. These women have spent years developing resilience, gaining perspective, and clarifying what they want from their careers. They return with maturity and purpose, not desperation. They're intentional about their next chapter."
Empowering Returners, Enriching Industry
The Women ReBOOT programme has become a transformative force in Ireland’s tech landscape, not only for the women it supports but also for the technology companies that benefit from their return. By bridging the gap between career breaks and meaningful employment, the programme has reshaped perceptions of non-linear career paths and demonstrated the value of inclusive hiring practices.
The Technology Ireland DIGITAL Skillnet represents a group of companies that work together to address the upskilling needs of the digital technology workforce and address skills challenges. This collaboration of forward-looking companies, led by Technology Ireland (the representative body for the sector) has provided leadership for the very unique ‘Women ReBOOT’ model.
According to Maire Hunt, Director of Digital Skillnet “The member companies of Digital Skillnet act as ‘sponsor’ companies for participants, providing guest speakers, facilities, projects, access to experts, role models and most importantly, ’real world’ work placements for ‘ReBOOT’ women. Over 60 companies like Optum, Dell, Version 1, AIB, Mastercard, Citi, Guidewire,Amazon Web Services AWS, ESB, Workhuman, Dun and Bradstreet, and Logitech have made significant contributions to the initiative. We are so proud that we have now enabled over 1,200 women to come through the programme, with a 93% success rate in achieving sustainable employment.”
"One of my favourite experiences is meeting a ReBOOT participant seven years on who is the senior manager responsible for leading Women ReBOOT as a sponsor company representative. That is bring the programme full circle.” says Maire Hunt.
The programme target group is women with a formal third level qualification in a technology/computer science discipline who have been out of the workforce for at least two years.
Participant details are shared with company partner for placement screening aligned with each company's specific technical skill requirements, ensuring strong capability-to-role fit from the outset.
"Each iteration of the programme reflects current industry demands. Technology moves at pace, and we ensure participants learn the skills employers need today, not yesterday's solutions.” says Byrne. “We've had participants with master's and doctoral degrees who were unable to return to work until they joined Women ReBOOT."
The programme involves a mix of technical training to bring participants up-to-speed on technology advances and coaching in softer skills to assist them with interview techniques and to prepare them for re-entry to the workplace.
Collaborative Pathways to Re-entry
By 2024, the programme had been highlighted as European best practice by EIGE (European Institute for Gender Equality), and it was building an exceptional reputation having supported over 850 women to return to sustainable employment.
However, as Shiela Byrne explains “The standard of project work, innovation projects and technological training that women completed during the programme, deserved independent academic recognition.” The recent emergence of micro-credentials provided an opportunity for women on the ReBOOT programme to achieve academic qualifications, further enhancing their cv.
TU Dublin’s Enterprise Academy worked closely with Digital Skillnet and the Faculty of Business to align the programme with the National Qualifications Framework, ensuring rigorous academic standards and industry relevance. Through joint workshops, curriculum reviews, and validation meetings, the partners co-designed a Level 9 Certificate in Career Development, mapping learning outcomes to graduate attributes such as innovation, problem-solving, and digital fluency.
“Digital Skillnet wanted to formally recognise the upskilling journeys and academic achievements of the women learners. An academic award from TU Dublin is now bringing further credibility, and independent accreditation is adding more value to the women returners in their journey to re-enter employment,” says Dr. Dee Duffy, Senior Engagement Manager with the Enterprise Academy.
The Enterprise Academy adopted a collaborative partnership model. Digital Skillnet delivers and assesses the learning and TU Dublin provides quality assurance and accreditation for the learners. The programme formed a micro credential at Level 9 as most of the participants were already graduates, postgraduates and experienced tech sector professionals.
Dr. Róisín Donnelly, Head of School of Management, People and Organisations in the Faculty of Business, TU Dublin explains "Together we reviewed and co-designed the programme’s learning outcomes, curriculum, and assessment strategies to ensure alignment with TU Dublin’s graduate attributes, particularly in real-world innovation, enterprise, and digital capability. Our process is built on mutual trust, transparency, and respect because we know that commitment and trust are vital to facilitate the sharing of knowledge.”
This ensured that the newly accredited programme had at its core - practical, hands-on learning experiences for the participants - equipping them with an aptitude for creativity, design thinking, and entrepreneurial activities. The new design is enabling digitally capable graduates who can leverage digital tools, content, and data for business strategies and adapt to a digitally connected world. Problem-solving and critical thinking, communication and teamwork, personal and professional development – all feature in the newly created programme learning outcomes, revised curriculum, and assessment strategy.
“Working with the Enterprise Academy was accelerated and facilitated the process for our team, who are not academics so the validation process can seem daunting” says Maire Hunt.
“The team at the Enterprise Academy could not have been more proactive, supportive and positive. They held our hands all the way through. They were a perfect strategic partner for us and I can’t speak highly enough of them.”
Authentic Assessment: Showcasing Skills to Industry Leaders
The Innovation Pitch is a key assessment in the Women ReBOOT programme, where participants present team-based solutions to industry challenges before panels from companies like Guidewire and Amazon Web Services. It signifies the end of the first module in the accredited 15 ECTS Certificate in Career Development and evaluates presentation skills, critical thinking, and teamwork.
Over 12 weeks, learners develop team-based solutions to real-world challenges, culminating in live presentations to a panel of senior industry leaders. This real-world engagement boosts confidence, showcases employability, and often leads directly to work placements and job offers.
Participants are assessed on their technical ideas, presentation skills, critical thinking, and ability to engage in Q&A with industry leaders. This authentic assessment builds confidence and workplace readiness and reinforces the programme’s commitment to practical, industry-integrated learning.
Accreditation for Personal and Business Impact
For Women ReBOOT, accreditation adds a lot more credibility. Participants already have formal qualifications in technology. Now the enhanced modules have complemented the technology skills modules by providing advanced expertise in communication, problem-solving, and critical thinking.
One of the participants is Himani Pardasani - a data analytics graduate. Himani struggled to find employment after moving to Ireland and is now employed as a Risk Assessor at Lilly in Kinsale, Co Cork.
"There were many difficulties, challenges, and multiple rejections. The Women ReBOOT programme helped me build my skills in data and data analytics as well as how to manage people and how to deliver at work."
Former academic Polina Ermolaeva leveraged the programme to pivot into the tech industry and is now a Product Manager at Accenture.
"The Women ReBOOT programme was absolutely amazing. It really helped me to build my confidence and improve both my communications as well as the core technology skills of the future in AI."
The first cohort of participants began the newly accredited programme in December 2024 and completed a 12-week workplace placement in a Digital Skillnet member company - Guidewire.
Graham Quinn, VP of Product and EMEA HQ Site Lead at Guidewire, gives an employer’s perspective: “The Digital Skillnet Women ReBOOT programme accredited by TU Dublin is incredibly valuable to Guidewire and the local community. We are delighted to be on our third iteration of the programme, where our women returners are already delivering strategic value across the business.
The increased representation of women in tech is driving better decision-making, innovation, and ultimately creating a diverse and inclusive workforce, which is a really big priority at Guidewire. The programme helps re-engage highly skilled female professionals who have taken a career break to focus on other priorities and ultimately allows them to get back to doing what they love. It's been hugely valuable.”
Future Outlook
The partnership with TU Dublin will continue to evolve, with opportunities to deepen academic integration and explore new accreditation pathways. The curriculum already addresses critical technologies; generative AI, cloud computing, and cybersecurity. Plans are in place to deepen and enhance this content, keeping participants at the cutting edge of the rapidly evolving digital sector.
The Technology Ireland DIGITAL Skillnet will continue to open the programme to new companies who can make the critical contribution at the heart of the programme – the 12-week on-site work placements (a 5 ECTS module of the programme).
By offering placement opportunities and engaging with the accredited training model, organisations can help reintegrate highly skilled women tech professionals into the workforce: driving diversity, inclusion, and strategic value across the tech ecosystem.
https://www.digitalskillnet.ie/women-reboot/