As Georgia’s digital economy continues to evolve, the demand for skilled and inclusive talent in the tech sector is growing rapidly. While more women are entering the field, many still face barriers to accessing the skills, networks, and opportunities needed to thrive in both local and global markets.
Now, the Business and Technology University (BTU), with the support of the European Union’s EU4Business initiative, is stepping in to help bridge this gap through its Women Mentorship in Tech Programmes, under the Smart Economic Development umbrella. The project aims to promote gender equality and strengthen women’s participation in Georgia’s ICT sector by equipping them with in-demand digital skills, mentorship, and career development opportunities.
Directing a New Future
After 15 years working as a television director, Nino Dadvani suddenly found herself without a clear future. The protests at Georgia’s Public Broadcaster had pushed her to step away from the career she had built for over a decade — and at 48, she was trying to re-enter a labour market that increasingly revolved around digital skills she did not yet have.
“For 15 years, my reputation was my resume. Now I had to start over. I have always been a director at heart, but I noticed that in the modern world, visual storytelling requires more than just a lens," Nino explains.
Entering a new field later in life meant competing with younger professionals who already felt at ease in the digital world. A turning point came through the Graphic Design program at BTU. The course provided the technical fluency she needed to bring her creative ideas to life across new platforms.
“This invaluable experience significantly expanded my freelance opportunities and demonstrated that acquiring competitive digital skills can be transformative at any stage of life.”
“In a very heavy period of my life, those two-hour lessons were the most pleasant part of my day,” she remembers.
Today, Dadvani applies her new skills to Studio Melano, the creative hub she runs with friends and for freelance content creation projects. She is also developing a vertical video series, Tiny Flowers — a project that inspired her to apply for the course in the first place. She also contributes to “Paper Bird”, a workshop-based school where she and her colleagues help children simulate professional roles in journalism and filmmaking.
Turning learning into opportunity
For many participants, the Women Mentorship in Tech Programmes became a pathway into an increasingly competitive industry where breaking in at a junior level can often feel out of reach.
Guranda Lemonjava enrolled in the programme to deepen her technical knowledge and pursue long-term growth in the tech sector, but quickly discovered that learning programming demanded persistence, patience, and the confidence not to give up in a highly competitive field.
What made the experience different, she says, was the programme’s strong focus on practical learning. Rather than relying only on theory, participants worked on real assignments and developed a fully functional web application as their final project. That paid off well for Lemonjava, as during the course she secured a position as a Front-End Developer at EPAM, one of the world’s leading software engineering companies.
After completing the course, she returned to BTU — this time as a mentor for the next cohort of students. Supporting women taking their own first steps into programming became both a responsibility and a source of motivation.
“The mentor’s support played a huge role in our progress,” she recalls. “I’m truly grateful for this valuable experience provided by EU4Business and BTU.”
The overall impact of the project extended far beyond individual stories like Guranda’s and Nino’s. With the support of the European Union and the involvement of Women Go Tech, the initiative reached a wide network of participants, training a total of 1,100 women with the guidance of 320 mentors.
Designed as an intensive five-month journey, the program combined practical, industry-relevant courses with hands-on mentorship, while also building strong partnerships across the public and private sectors. For participants, this meant not only gaining technical skills, but also accessing real pathways into employment.
On the project's first anniversary in early 2025, Prof. Dr Nino Enukidze, Rector of BTU, said: “This initiative is not just about learning digital skills – it’s about transforming lives, breaking barriers, and building confidence for women in Georgia’s growing tech sector. The support of the European Union has been instrumental in making this vision a reality.”
