She@Cyber is being rolled out further even without Erasmus+ funding. Following the project’s conclusion, the cybersecurity program for women and non-technical career changers was independently adopted in Poland and North Macedonia, which, according to the organizations involved, demonstrates that the model can be sustained without subsidies.
The She@Cyber program is proving to be a success, even after the end of European funding. The project’s strategic goal is to reduce the cybersecurity talent shortage in Europe through training, in this case with a specific focus on women and underrepresented groups in general.
Ongoing impact
She@Cyber ended its funded phase in November 2025. Since then, more than seventy women in Poland have completed the training independently, while in North Macedonia, over forty teachers have already been certified to offer the method themselves.
That success is relevant because the program explicitly targets a demographic that remains underrepresented in cybersecurity today. This includes women and people without a technical background, featuring a training path that links basic technical knowledge with professional skills and self-confidence.
The approach is based on research into why women are underrepresented in cybersecurity and how traditional entry paths help maintain that gap. She@Cyber attempts to lower this barrier with a free multilingual offering that aligns more realistically with new entrants.
Continuing independently after the subsidy
During the Erasmus+ period, which started in 2024, She@Cyber trained forty-five trainers in Cyprus, Spain, Italy, Greece, and Ireland. Through the open-access platform, the program also reached 193 registered users. Following the end of the subsidy, the materials will remain available until at least November 2028.
The voluntary adoption in Poland and North Macedonia is clear evidence that the model can work independently. North Macedonia in particular shows how the train-the-trainer model is scalable: local instructors receive certification and can then train new groups without central guidance.
Recognition and substantive approach
The program received a score of ninety out of one hundred from the Cypriot national agency within Erasmus+. This earned She@Cyber the Excellent Quality label, along with recognition as a European Good Practice. In 2025, it was also a finalist at the European Digital Skills Awards.
ISACA helped shape the program and translated existing frameworks into an accessible format for participants without prior technical knowledge. The curriculum aligns with the European Cybersecurity Skills Framework, ensuring participants build skills from the start that are recognized outside the program.
“She@Cyber demonstrates that training based on real needs and supported by recognized standards becomes both credible and inclusive,” says Chris Dimitriadis, Chief Global Strategy Officer at ISACA, regarding the project. “That combination is exactly what is needed to build a stronger cybersecurity workforce.”