"SALUS" Digital system for Equal Access of Women to Leadership and Management skills and competences

This project empowered women already employed in the private security sector to advance into management and leadership roles. It delivered specialized training focused on basic management and lead...

This project empowered women already employed in the private security sector to advance into management and leadership roles. It delivered specialized training focused on basic management and leadership skills, communication skills, and building self-confidence, alongside tailored mentorship to support women’s professional development. The project aimed to raise awareness of the value women bring to leadership in private security, challenging gender stereotypes and promoting inclusive workplace cultures. It encouraged companies to adopt policies that support gender diversity in decision-making roles by introducing a strategic document Blueprint aiming to initiate long-lasting changes. Aligned with the EU Gender Equality Strategy 2020–2025, the initiative worked to close gender gaps and promote equal participation in leadership within the sector. It also supported digital transformation, equipping women with essential digital literacy and advanced digital skills. Using flexible, adult-focused learning methods, the project provided accessible, high-quality training tailored to women’s needs. Ultimately, it strengthened women’s leadership capacities and contributed to a more diverse and inclusive private security workforce.

The project conducted a comprehensive investigation into the gender gap, needs, and challenges faced by women seeking leadership and management roles within the private security sector. This research was carried out among private security employees across partner countries. To critically discuss and review the findings, the project organized a public forum in Belgrade, bringing together experts from both the private security industry and academia. As part of its capacity-building efforts, the project developed a specialized training course accompanied by a customized handbook and a digital competences toolbox. A roundtable session was convened to gather expert feedback on the curriculum and syllabus of the training program. Through these initiatives, approximately 200 female private security employees from Macedonia, and an additional 100 from Slovenia and Serbia, received direct training. Trainers were selected from the databases of private security organizations within the partner countries. Furthermore, the project produced a strategic document—referred to as the Blueprint—which served as the foundation for mentoring and networking activities involving around 40 women holding managerial positions in partnering countries and EU

The project created document: Research Report named: Analysis of the Gender Gap, Needs and Challenges for Women Access to Leadership and Management in the Private Security Sector that covers: general term of leadership and management, gender gap, introduction to private security, findings of the research, conclusions and recommendations for improvement of the women leadership and management status in the private security companies with specific and concrete solutions for long-term success. It created: Leadership and Management Training Course for Women covering: course curriculum, syllabus, training instructions and the training program is focused on 3 courses: basic leadership and management, communication skills and self-confidence. It created custom Women Leadership Handbook following the course curriculum and syllabus for the 3 courses, that was used to support the process of training for the respective topics. Additionally, this project had created a Toolbox for Digital Leadership Competences and Technology Mastering. Finally, the project created a Blueprint for Women Leadership, to inspire and initiate long-term changes in private security companies and introduce Women Mentoring and Networking process.