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Women’s participation in technical and vocational education and training in the Gulf States

Abstract While Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries have launched a number of economic and education reforms to align their education and training systems with macroeconomic policies to develop diversified, knowledge-based economies, female technical and vocational education and training (TVET) faces an identity crisis. The Gulf States are struggling with increasing the enrollment and employment of women in TVET fields. While some GCC countries, such as Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, have viewed TVET as a key element of educational policy for many years, other GCC nations have only relatively recently focused their attention on improving TVET systems. In light of empirical gaps surrounding female enrollment and employment, this paper examines trends across the Gulf States to understand what factors affect women’s educational and labor market decisions. In line with the framework for action of GCC countries towards attaining Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) No. 4 on quality of education and based on common TVET education and employment reform challenges faced by GCC countries, this paper suggests a number of possible reforms to support GCC countries in increasing female TVET enrollment and employment in technical fields.