Leena Kloppers
In the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) sector, classrooms and workshops are far from neutral spaces. They are the soil in which seeds of knowledge and skills are sown, shaped and fertilised by both the conscious and unconscious thoughts of TVET trainers and trainees.
One powerful set of assumptions relates to which trades are ‘suitable’ for different trainees. This assumption translates into real-world actions where trades such as welding, construction, and automotive mechanics are usually male-dominated, and other trades such as office administration, hairdressing, and cosmetology tend to be dominated by women.
While gender may influence the trades trainees pursue, research emphasises that these choices are seldom determined by preference alone. Cultural expectations, limited exposure to non-traditional careers, the absence of relatable role models, gender-skewed training environments, and subtle encouragement toward ‘acceptable’ careers all play a significant role.
Ingrained narratives
These patterns begin early. Children are often guided toward gender-specific toys and games and household chores considered appropriate for their gender. Girls may be encouraged toward indoor tasks like cooking and laundry, while boys are guided toward outdoor chores, car maintenance, or repair activities. Unless these ingrained narratives are consciously challenged, they continue to influence career choices well into adulthood, often shaping entire career paths.
Next to parents and guardians, few figures influence a child’s developing sense of self and abilities more than their teachers. When TVET trainers do not examine their own assumptions about gender and vocational trades, they may unintentionally reinforce stereotypes that limit trainees in both male- and female-dominated fields.
Socrates famously said, “An unexamined life is not worth living.” This word of caution applies to TVET trainers as well. Reflection is essential – not only for refining teaching strategies, but also for understanding what is communicated verbally and non-verbally to trainees every day. Marcus Aurelius similarly observed that “the soul becomes dyed with the colour of its thoughts”. In other words, the beliefs and assumptions present in the classroom shape the future workforce. If classrooms remain unexamined, bias and prejudice will dye the workforce, and the nation will bear the cost of untapped human potential.
How policy becomes practice
A trainer who stays silent when a young man is ridiculed for choosing cosmetology, or when a female trainee is advised against pursuing a career in welding, perpetuates stereotypes and limits potential. By failing to intervene, trainers allow bias to shape career paths and reinforce a culture where gender – rather than ability – determines career paths.
International and national policies are designed to address this type of behaviour. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 5 and the Beijing Declaration call for equal participation in education, employment, and leadership, while Namibia’s Constitution, the National Gender Equality and Equity Policy, and the National TVET Policy all emphasise gender equality in education. Policies provide the framework for gender equality, but it is the transformation of societal thinking through what happens in classrooms and workshops that ultimately turns these principles into reality.
As the proverb reminds us, “Watch your thoughts, for they become words. Watch your words, for they become actions. Watch your actions, for they become habits. Watch your habits, for they become character. Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.” In the context of TVET, this proverb illustrates exactly how policy becomes practice. The attitudes, assumptions, and behaviours of trainers, their thoughts and actions, shape the learning environment and, ultimately, the future opportunities of every trainee. Reflection is not abstract; it is the bridge between the principles enshrined in policy and the lived experience of equality in the classroom.
See talent, not gender
TVET trainers thus have a responsibility not only to transfer knowledge and skills but also to examine their own gender biases, which subtly shape the young and impressionable minds in their classrooms. When trainers start seeing potential as a matter of talent rather than gender and nurture that potential through supportive words, actions, and inclusive learning environments, they actively dismantle harmful stereotypes and open doors for all students – irrespective of traditionally male- or female-dominated trades.
Recognising this, the TVET Department at the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST) has incorporated this insight into the Diploma in TVET: Trainer programme through a dedicated course, Counselling and Career Guidance. The course equips trainers with the skills to support trainees in exploring careers free from bias and to foster informed, inclusive decision-making.
While we may not always feel powerful enough to dismantle systemic gender barriers, a single spark can ignite a veldfire. By becoming that spark, trainers can burn away entrenched stereotypes and translate policy into practice through inclusive classrooms, modelling equitable behaviour, challenging assumptions, and inspiring every trainee to follow their own dreams.
Through deliberate reflection, TVET trainers can turn their classrooms into safe learning spaces and move from unexamined assumptions to deliberate action, thereby breaking the chain of bias and opening career pathways for every trainee to reach their full potential.
*Dr Leena Kloppers is a senior lecturer in the Department of Technical and Vocational Education and Training at the Namibia University of Science and Technology (Nust). The opinions expressed in this piece are her own and not the views of her employer.
