Founded in 1986, Interface3 is a Brussels-based initiative committed to increasing gender diversity in the IT sector. “We want to create inspiring role models for other girls and women looking to take the plunge. When you see that the percentage of women in IT courses at colleges and universities has actually decreased over the past few decades, you understand how important and necessary our work is,” says Laure Lemaire, director of Interface3.
This commitment has resulted in a training offer of 13 courses, 8 of which are IT-specific. “The training programmes last a year and are very intensive. The lesson period is an average of 35 hours of classes per week; afterwards, there is an 8-week internship at a company. With this methodology, we hope to equip all participants with the skill set demanded by employers. Anyone who wants to follow one of the courses must be registered as a job seeker. The programmes are completely free of charge for the participants.”
Cybersecurity training
Clearly perceiving the growing need for skilled cyber profiles in recent years, Interface3 started offering its own cyber security training two years ago. This initiative was primarily made possible thanks to the financial support of the Belgium Digital Skillfund. “At the end of the training, we want women to have the basic knowledge to recognise cyber threats, test systems for vulnerabilities, and understand the methodology of attacks,” explains training coordinator Ibtissam Derfoufi.
To achieve this ambitious goal, strict admission requirements are imposed. “After an initial selection, the short-listed candidates are given a week-long e-learning course. This helps us identify which ones can work independently and efficiently. Then there is a second screening test, after which we make our final selection of 15 participants. This rigorous screening is crucial for the quality of the training,” says Derfoufi.
The selected candidates are then immersed in a four-month programme. “The programme is very hands-on. The participants learn the tricks of the trade with us, and can grow into fully-fledged penetration testers. At the end of this phase, the women can also participate in Capture the Flag, a worldwide concept that tests cyber skills through a game format. Participating gives them the chance to build their own name and network within the sector,” Derfoufi explains.
The power of reorientation
Two years after the launch of this ambitious initiative, the results are clearly positive. Both the participants and the industry players (which often come into contact with the women through the internships) appreciate the high level of training. “I see our ‘secondary’ social mission as showing the corporate world the great value of reorientation programmes. In practice, the participants are valuable and motivated workers who have proven during retraining that they can handle change,” says Lemaire.
This comes on top of the centre’s primary mission of strengthening gender diversity, including in the world of cyber security. “The societal value is beyond doubt. As a cyber security professional, it is important to be able to put yourself in the shoes of the hackers you are fighting against. The group of hackers is growing and becoming more diverse, so it is crucial that the defenders of tomorrow reflect this diversity as well,” says Derfoufi.
In the coming years, the programme’s initiators hope to further raise the maturity level of the courses. “The first generation of students, who completed the training a while ago, have indicated that it was a great added value for their career, so we know we are on the right track. But we are just at the beginning. For example, we have already made great strides in our initial selection process, and we want to continue this trend,” they conclude unanimously.
