Breaking Barriers: Women Advancing in Ethiopia’s Technical and Vocational Training
Across Ethiopia’s Technical and Vocational Training (TVT) system, women are entering fields that were once considered the domain of men. While progress is visible, significant gender gaps remain in both leadership and technical specialisations. The Ministry of Labor and Skills aims to enable women to hold 50% of leadership positions in the TVT and employment sector by 2028.
According to recent data from the Ministry of Labor and Skills (MoLS), women represented 14.8% of TVT leaders nationally in 2025, compared to 7.2% in 2023. Although this increase indicates gradual progress, disparities remain across regions. Afar and Gambela reported no female leaders, while Addis Ababa reached 26% female representation in TVT leadership roles.
Gender gaps remain visible in TVT enrolment patterns, with many women concentrated in fields traditionally associated with caregiving and service roles. In contrast, technical and engineering-related sectors continue to attract fewer female students, reflecting long-standing cultural perceptions that these are male dominated careers.
Yet many young women are choosing to challenge those expectations.
Choosing Technology Against the Odds
Tsebaot Mesfin, a student at Teferi Mekonnen Polytechnic College, decided early on that she wanted to pursue a career in information technology. After completing Grade 12, she enrolled in the Hardware and Networking Service programme.
Her decision was influenced by encouragement from her mother, Genet Tassisa, who supported her curiosity and practical interest in technology.
“At home, my mother allowed me to check and repair phones. She even brought phones from our neighbours for me to look at,” Tsebaot explains. “She believed in my eagerness to try things.”
Tsebaot also credits an inspiring IT teacher from her Grade 9 class for shaping her interest in the field. She later took introductory IT training at the same polytechnic college while still in high school, which strengthened her confidence in choosing technology as a career path.
Today, she challenges the idea that technical careers such as IT maintenance are only for men.
“A significant number of female TVT students are diverted from their fields of choice because of the perception that these careers are male-dominated,” she says. “But I have the skill and capacity to do it.”
She is now completing her Level IV TVT training, building on the industry exposure she gained through a cooperative training placement arranged by the Ethio-German Sustainable Training and Education Programme (STEP). Her long-term goal is clear: within the next five years, Tsebaot hopes to complete a degree in Computer Science and establish her own hardware and networking service business.
A Leader in Welding and Technical Training
For Etagegn Wubshet, the path into technical training was not originally a personal choice. After completing preparatory school, she was assigned to study Manufacturing at university.
Although it was not the field she initially wanted, she committed to completing her studies successfully. After graduating, she joined Teferi Mekonnen Polytechnic College as a Metal Work Trainer, eventually becoming the Department Head of Metal and Woodwork.
Determined to deepen her expertise, Etagegn later enrolled in a master’s programme at the Federal TVT Institute during the COVID-19 period. Despite facing significant personal life challenges, she continued her studies and graduated successfully.
Her professional journey also led her to compete for an international welding training opportunity. After passing the selection process, she completed specialised welding training delivered by German trainers. Today, she is recognised as the only certified female welder at the Addis Ababa level.
Etagegn believes that women themselves must challenge the stereotypes that limit their participation in technical careers.
“People questioned how a woman could weld like men do,” she recalls. “But I persevered and committed myself to mastering the skill.”
Her commitment has brought international recognition. She was awarded second place in the Africa-level Welding Practitioner Competition organised by the International Welding Federation. Following the Women in TVT Leadership training, provided to Etagegn and others by the Ethio-German Sustainable Training and Education Programme, she now aims to assume higher leadership positions where she can apply her skills and experience in practice.
Expanding Opportunities for Women in TVT
Stories like those of Tsebaot and Etagegn illustrate both the progress and the challenges facing women in Ethiopia’s TVT system. While structural barriers and cultural perceptions continue to shape career choices, increasing numbers of women are entering technical fields and assuming leadership roles.
Through initiatives such as the Ethio-German Sustainable Training and Education Programme (STEP), implemented by GIZ in cooperation with Ethiopian partners and supported by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the European Union, efforts are underway to promote more inclusive participation in technical education and leadership.
By supporting skills development, role models and institutional change, these initiatives aim to enable more women to pursue careers aligned with their interests and abilities, including in sectors where they have historically been underrepresented.
For students like Tsebaot and leaders like Etagegn, the message is clear: technical skills and leadership are not defined by gender, but by opportunity, determination and support.
Author: Daniel Zemichal/GIZ STEP IV