Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and Life Skills for Resilience-building among Female Youths in Chiredzi and Mwenezi, Zimbabwe

Abstract

This article examines the role of technical, vocational education and training (TVET) and life skills interventions in strengthening resilience and expanding opportunities for vulnerable female youths in the marginalised districts of Chiredzi and Mwenezi, Zimbabwe. Mixed-methods research evaluated 306 young women aged 18–35 who participated in such programmes, assessing impacts on livelihoods, agency and gender dynamics. Findings revealed multifaceted vulnerabilities, including economic hardship from poverty, income insecurity, infrastructural gaps limiting health and education access, and gender constraints. Climate shocks like droughts exacerbated adversities, driving risky coping strategies. While biases limited overall TVET enrolment for females, many accessed feminised trades like garment-making. Though domestic roles occasionally disrupted attendance, women overwhelmingly reported positive impacts on developing livelihood skills and self-confidence. However, translating gains into sustainable enterprises remained challenging amid personal, programmatic and societal barriers, including mobility constraints, lack of post-training support, and norms prioritising marriage over careers. The analysis emphasises holistic women-centred interventions, combining skills training with gender-transformative components like male engagement to enable success. Recommendations involve strengthening recruitment, curricula relevance, accommodative implementation, sustained post-graduate assistance, and harnessing graduates as inspirational agents of change able to overcome restrictive norms and unlock young women’s economic empowerment potential in the long term.