According to the latest data from Eurostat, although the number of women working as scientists and engineers continues to grow in the European Union, significant disparities remain between member states. The highest shares were recorded in Latvia (50.9%), Denmark (48.8%), Estonia (47.9%), Spain (47.6%), as well as Bulgaria and Ireland (both 47.3%). The lowest proportions of female participation were measured in Germany (34.6%), Slovakia (33.6%), Luxembourg (32.4%), Hungary (31.7%) and Finland (30.7%).
In light of these findings, it is particularly important for companies to take an active role in strengthening women’s participation in science, technology and engineering (STEM) fields. With this objective in mind, Yettel launched the “Girls in Tech” scholarship program in 2024 in partnership with the John von Neumann Faculty of IT at Óbuda University. The program has recently concluded, and the professional jury has selected the winning students. Its aim was to make careers in mobile technology and engineering more appealing to young women.
“Supporting the younger generation is of great importance to us, as they represent the workforce of the future. Technology is evolving at a rapid pace, and we believe that more women need to play an active role in this transformation. It is essential that students who are about to choose their career path, or who are already pursuing technical studies, recognise that the field of technology offers substantial professional opportunities and long-term career prospects. Through the ‘Girls in Tech’ scholarship, we aimed to provide tangible support and encouragement in this regard. We are pleased to have contributed to the professional development of eight talented young women through the program, and we remain committed to launching further initiatives that advance these goals,” said Enikő Szalai, Chief HR Officer of Yettel Hungary.
Topics that resonated most strongly with students
The program, with a total budget of HUF 5 million, supported the implementation of students’ existing scientific project proposals in IT and engineering. During the research period and after graduation, Yettel also provided participants with professional consultation opportunities with the company’s experts.
The award recipients submitted proposals on highly relevant and innovative topics, clearly demonstrating that young female talents are open to cutting-edge technological challenges. With the support provided, the winners were able to further refine their ideas and, in some cases, already bring practical projects to fruition. One student developed a microcontroller-based medical chatbot application and created AI-powered medical image generation systems. Other winning proposals addressed the reliable identification of AI-generated content, music genre recognition and audio processing using artificial intelligence, as well as the examination of factors influencing female fertility.
The mobile operator has long regarded the position of women in technology as a strategic priority. In line with this commitment, Yettel will once again join the Girls’ Day program organised by the Association of Women in Science. Over the past 15 years, this event has become Hungary’s largest career orientation initiative aimed at girls. This year’s Girls’ Day will take place on 23 April. More information will soon be available at https://lanyoknapja.hu/.