Gender issues impact on all the contexts in which the British Council works in TVET. Fewer women participate in the labour market than men, they are more likely to be unemployed, have higher risk of vulnerable employment and are less represented in higher paid and senior roles. These issues are both reflected in, and impacted by, gender biases in TVET systems. These affect the education and training activities of women, men, girls and boys and shape their choices and future opportunities. The British Council has committed through the development of an enhanced ‘Results Evidence Framework’ to gather a strong narrative of our impact based on good evidence. This commitment provided an opportunity to review our current programmes and assess the extent to which they are addressing gender inequalities and outcomes for women and girls. During 2018 and 2019 we commissioned a review to identify good practice and learning points from our current programme activity and to help us identify practical frameworks and tools to ensure our work is not reinforcing gender inequalities. This document provides an overview of the research conducted and recommendations relevant to the British Council and other organisations seeking to mainstream gender equality in their programme work. Case studies relating to the British Council’s work and other organisations’ work, along with tools to support integrating gender considerations are included.
We also organised a webinar to showcase the report and share the experiences of West Lothian College, both in Scotland and working with Colleges in South Africa, and the FCDO funded Sudokkho project in Bangladesh. Watch the recording of the webinar below.