Human Resource Development and Gender Mainstreaming Under ADB-Funded Technical and Vocational Education and Training Project in Tajikistan

Abstract

The Strengthening Technical and Vocational Education and Training Project (STVETP) was designed to promote a demand-driven, quality-assured, and flexible technical and vocational education and training (TVET) delivery system in Tajikistan. Given low female labor participation in Tajikistan, the project also has a strong gender mainstreaming element that addresses women’s limited engagement in nontraditional higher paying occupations. It targets to significantly increase female enrollment in nontraditional TVET courses through strategies such as social marketing campaigns, provision of stipends, dormitories, and female-friendly facilities. While STVETP is only a little over halfway its project completion, it has shown promising progress in increasing female trainees in higher paying nontraditional technical fields or occupations.