Imagining the future through skills: TVET, gender and transitions towards decent employability for young women in Cameroon and Sierra Leone

Abstract: This article presents findings from the Upskilling for Future Generations Project (Gen-Up), a participatory, collaborative project designed with and for young women in Cameroon and Sierra Leone to understand the links between technical and vocational education and training (TVET) and sustainable employment. The aim of the project is to provide a model of gender mentoring that can help communities to challenge gender stereotypes and to empower young women to build careers in male-dominated labour sectors. The article calls for a deeper, gender-just understanding of ‘skills’ necessary to fulfil the United Nations’ ‘decent work’ goals in the context of deepening urban inequality and gender discrimination. The article situates gender at the centre of future TVET policy, arguing that without a gender-just and gender-sensitive approach, skills programming will continue to have limited success in rebalancing patriarchal and discriminatory labour markets.

Keywords: TVET, decent work, skills, gender disparities, aspirations, transition to employment, Cameroon, Sierra Leone

Article posted to the Journal of the British Academy, volume 11, supplementary issue 3 (Being and Becoming: Uncertain Youth Futures)