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Gender in VSD

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The SDC promotes Vocational Skills Development (VSD) that is accessible to all population groups, including women and men. However women are still more likely to be disadvantaged when it comes to access to training and employment. One reason for this is that girls and women tend to have a lower level of education than men. Improved access to basic education and the acquisition of skills that pave the way to an income-generating occupation therefore play a key role in the reduction of global poverty. This calls for vocational skills development options that are specifically designed to meet women's needs and are geared to gender equality.
Yet discrimination begins long before entering the word of work. Role models are imposed in early childhood and youth, with the associated impact on educational opportunities. The underlying reasons for this include the traditional division of roles within the family, gender-specific rights and obligations, and gender-specific access to resources. Therefore, when developing basic education and VSD offers, this wider social context must be considered.

Taking key issues into account

A guidance sheet (see below) supports SDC staff in ensuring that gender issues are taken into account in VSD. It outlines key gender issues, particularly:

  1. Be pro-active in recruiting trainees: It is generally more difficult to engage women than men in VSD, particularly women who experience multiple, intersecting inequalities such as caste and ethnic-based discrimination, low income, and living in a remote geographical location. Depending on the project goal, either design training specifically for such women, or include certain courses tailored to their needs, and target them in recruitment campaigns.
  2. Gender-friendly teaching: Ensure that training institutes are comfortable learning environments for women, with separate toilets, possibilities for childcare, and training materials that show women as well as men in employment. As far as possible, aim to have a mixed staff of women and men trainers.
  3. Link training to employment: Work with potential employers to ensure that training is relevant and fits market demand, and that equal opportunities for women and men are championed. Aim to link training performance to the successful subsequent employment of graduates.

A big spectrum of very specific instruments on equal participation in VSD and economic development is presented in a 2015 GIZ
toolkit (see below).

​​​ Key Documents

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ILO

New and emerging forms of ‘non-standard’ employment are coming to dominate young people’s early labour market experiences. Amongst these, internships are increasingly becoming an integral part of the school-to-work transition. Yet little is known about their effectiveness in providing a bridge to longer term employment and/or employability. The paper builds on existing ILO work on contractual arrangements for young people undertaken by the Youth Employment Programme, and focuses on the impact of internships on young people’s labour market experiences.

The paper reviews the existing evidence and analyses primary survey data collected by the European Commission and the Fair Internship Initiative (FII) in order to assess the design features which contribute to better internships... [more]

GIZ
The toolbox ‘promoting equal participation in sustainable economic development’ intends to close this gap and to contribute to the wider dissemination of knowledge and best practice examples, both within GIZ and among partner organisations. Promoting equal participation in economic development and, in particular, equal opportunities in the labour market is a challenging task that requires a multiplicity of interventions.
French version
Sonja Hofstetter and Bettina Jenny-SDC [345 kB]
This guidance sheet is one of a series written to support SDC staff in ensuring that gender issues are taken into account transversally in different thematic domains – in this case, vocational skills development (VSD). It outlines key gender issues regarding VSD and how these can be integrated in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of cooperation strategies and project interventions.
Chantal Felder; Ursula Keller-SDC [345 kB]
This guidance sheet is one of a series written to support SDC staff in ensuring that gender issues are taken into account transversally in different thematic domains – in this case, vocational skills development (VSD). It outlines key gender issues regarding VSD and how these can be integrated in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of cooperation strategies and project interventions.

​​​Relevant Documents

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InstitutionTitleYearSmartActivities
SDC2016-09 SDC F2F - Presentation - WEE and VSD2016Gender in VSD;VSD
United Nations Girls InitiativeGender and Skills Development2012Gender in VSD;VSD
Gender and Skills Development - A Tool for Mainstreaming2006Gender in VSD;VSD
SDCGender and Skills Development - A Tool for Mainstreaming2006Instruments;Gender in VSD;VSD
Agridea12 Theses for working on Skill Development in Rural Areas2006Planning and Tracking of Operations;Gender in VSD;VSD
SDCGender and Skills Development - A Tool for Mainstreaming2006Planning and Tracking of Operations;Gender in VSD;VSD
SDCGender and Skills Development - A Tool for Mainstreaming2006Policy orientation;Policy orientation;Gender WEE;Gender in VSD;VSD
Concepts for Gender Awareness in Vocational Training2001Policy orientation;Policy orientation;Gender WEE;Gender in VSD;VSD
Factsheet - Observations and Strategies regarding Women in Non-Traditional TradesGender in VSD
Women’s views on training and strategies for employment in non-traditional tradesVSD;Gender in VSD
HELVETAS Swiss IntercooperationFactsheet - Women's access to occupational skills Training2015Gender in VSD
Factsheet - Implementation and Relevance of Business skils Training for WomenGender in VSD

​​​ ​Relevant Video

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