Abstract: "This paper discusses technical and vocational education and training (TVET) as well as skills
development in rural areas, mainly pertaining to agriculture and related activities and explores
existing gender differences. TVET has suffered from a focus on basic, and especially
primary education, which led to the neglect of post-basic education and training and their
non-inclusion in the UN Millennium Development Goals. Recently, there has been a renewed
interest in training and skills development because of increased evidence that a minimalist
approach to microfinance for poverty reduction and enterprise development did not lead to
sustainable growth. The paper argues that many training interventions do not cater for the
specific needs of women who are under-represented in formal training programmes and often
directed towards typical female occupations. It reviews vocational and skills training in
several IFAD supported programmes and explores how these target the poor and most
vulnerable and to what extend gender differences in training provision, methodology, training
content and transition to labour markets have been taken into account."