“Connected Women” Generated More Than 21 million TL of Social Value in 3 Years

The “Connected Women” Project, initiated collaboratively by the General Directorate of Lifelong Learning under the Ministry of National Education and Vodafone Turkey Foundation, keeps empowering women to participate in economic and social life. As part of the project, more than 15 thousand female trainees received digital literacy and digital marketing trainings in 3 years. More than 21 million TL of social value was generated during this period and each 1 TL investment made for the project provided a social return of more than 9 TL.

The “Connected Women” Project, launched to promote social digitalization, support women's development, and boost their participation in the workforce, has now completed its third year. The project, implemented in cooperation with the General Directorate of Lifelong Learning under the Ministry of National Education and Vodafone Turkey Foundation, has provided digital literacy and digital marketing trainings to more than 15 thousand female trainees in 20 cities. Based on the second report which measures the social impact of the project, more than 21 million TL of social value was generated through these trainings. Each 1 TL investment in the project doubled compared to the previous period, generating a social value of more than 9 TL. Of this, 33% came from changes in digital literacy and 67% from changes in digital marketing trainees.

Cengiz Mete, General Director for Lifelong Learning under the Ministry of National Education , stated:

“As part of lifelong learning, the General Directorate aims to enable individuals to adapt to the national and personal growth process by contributing to the development of their personal and professional knowledge, behaviors, attitudes, competencies, and skills in education, social, cultural, economic, such fields in line with the necessities of our time, based on the understanding of “education for all, anytime, anywhere to cause satisfied individuals for life”. Through 3,771 non-formal education course programs in 1000 public education centers and 31 advanced technical schools operating across Turkey, we carry out lifelong learning activities with courses and other activities in general, vocational, and technical fields offered to individuals who are either in or out of formal education. We also carry out various projects with our social partners to improve the vocational, social, and cultural development of our trainees. The Connected Women Project, which we have carried out in cooperation with Vodafone Turkey Foundation, is among the successful examples of public and private partnerships to bring the power of the digital world together with the potential of women. We are delighted to see that thousands of women have increased their awareness, knowledge, and skills in technology thanks to the project. Seeing this positive impact on women's self-confidence and motivation is very valuable for all of us.”

Hasan Süel, the Chair of Vodafone Turkey Foundation, said:

“As a goal-oriented company, we strive to expand the digital future to all members of society. ‘Connected Women’ is a project we have implemented with this vision. Our main goal is to introduce women to the digital world, provide them with digital literacy skills, empower women in social life, and introduce them to potential digital job opportunities. We have provided digital literacy and digital marketing trainings to more than 15,000 women in 20 cities. We also periodically measure the impact of our project. According to our second social impact report, our project does not only increase women's digital knowledge and skills, but also plays an important role in increasing their self-confidence and motivation, raising awareness about the importance of the digital world, and developing supportive relationships. Moreover, we have observed that each 1 TL we invested in the project has doubled compared to the previous period, creating more than 9 TL in value. We have also extended the ‘Connected Women’ Project to the earthquake zone. To this end, we established 15 training containers in Kahramanmaras, Hatay, and Adiyaman. In our training containers, our female trainees participate in traditional handicraft courses and produce handmade items. We also help women develop their digital skills and sell their traditional handmade products on digital channels with the 'Introduction to the Digital World' trainings we customized for the region. As Vodafone Turkey Foundation, we will continue to be there for women.”

Increase in digital literacy knowledge and skills by 50%

In the “Connected Women: Social Impact Analysis”, the social impact created as part of the digital literacy and digital marketing trainings held between April 2022 and March 2023 and the Social Media Campaign Competition organized following the trainings were evaluated. According to the analysis, the greatest change in digital literacy participants under the “Connected Women” Project was the increase in their knowledge and skills by nearly 50%, while the second highest area of change was the increase in self-confidence and motivation by 28.5%. Trainers also stated that the major change in digital literacy trainees was in self-confidence and motivation with 65%. Nearly 70% of the trainees reported an increased desire to learn new things about computers and the internet, and more than 50% said they learned more about internet safety. Moreover, 60% of digital literacy participants updated their CVs and 35% looked for a new job after the trainings.

Increase in digital marketing knowledge and skills by 43%

“Through the eyes of the digital marketing trainees in the “Connected Women” Project, the most significant change in themselves was the increase in their knowledge and skills in digital marketing with 43% whereas the second most significant change was in their motivation with 31%. Trainers also stated that the major change in digital marketing trainees was in the areas of motivation (83%) and self-confidence (82%). Accordingly, 62% of the digital marketing trainees updated their CVs after the trainings, 47% looked for a new job, and 10% of the job seeker participants started working in a new job. 20% of digital marketing trainees also stated that they made an initiative after the trainings. 41% of these participants shared that they created a professional account to make sales and started selling, 33% opened a social media account, 11% opened a YouTube channel, and 4% started a website. Another 11% stated that they became more productive in their jobs and got into business areas related to digital marketing.

More than half of the digital marketing trainees noted that they attended the course to start their own business, whereas those attending the course to improve their digital marketing competence due to their current job almost doubled compared to the last period. Of these trainees, 54.75% reported an increase in their knowledge of digital marketing, 52.82% stated that their motivation to create a new business or expand their current one strengthened, and 51.29% said that their ability to reach and interact with different audiences on digital platforms improved.

Valuable experience for trainers

The “Connected Women” Project also had an impact on trainers. The highest change in digital marketing trainers was in knowledge, skills, and competency development with 32%. For digital literacy trainers, the highest change was in communication skills and socialization with 6.6%. Contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals

The “Connected Women” Project also stands out with its contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals. Since “Connected Women” is a project that directly targets female trainees and seeks to empower women and promote women’s economic participation, it is in line with the goals of Gender Equality (Goal 5) and Reducing Inequalities (Goal 10). The project also contributes to:

- long-term poverty eradication by creating education and employment opportunities for women (Goal 1),

- Quality Education (Goal 4) by providing women with qualified skills and inclusive learning opportunities as well as supporting the training of qualified trainers,

- Decent Work and Economic Growth (Goal 8) by providing employment, income growth and entrepreneurship skills,

- Partnerships for the Goals (Goal 17) as it is powered by the collaboration of the General Directorate of Lifelong Learning and Vodafone Turkey Foundation.

Social Return on Investment (SROI) applied

The Social Return on Investment (SROI) applied as part of the “Connected Women: Social Impact Analysis” is used to calculate the social value created by social projects. The change is calculated through SROI in a way that includes the stakeholders experiencing or influencing this change. SROI analysis aims to understand the social change created on stakeholders through field studies and attempts to tell the narrative of change by reflecting this change using financial values. In this way, the calculation of a ratio that reflects social gains and costs becomes possible. An impact ratio of 2:1 means that 1 unit of investment can create 2 units of social value.