In the frame of the special Initiative “Decent Work for a Just Transition” m4edu works directly with companies to close qualification gaps that have prevented companies from hiring. Together with partners we deliver demand-oriented qualification for employment to 900 people, of whom 400 are women.
The consortium led my m4edu is to liaise with the private sector and education providers to close job seekers’ specific qualification gaps that have hitherto prevented companies from hiring. The work is structured into 6 specific steps and packages: 1. Review and evaluation of a sector/region mapping as a basis of the operational approach. 2. Identification and mobilization of partner companies, by concluding MoUs on qualification support and hiring/ job creation. 3. Development of company specific training concepts and 4. their execution. 5. provision of placement support/ hiring and 6. Reporting, monitoring and evaluation.
The Special Initiative aims to embed transformative aspects into the tactical measures for job creation. Central are measures that promote women as economic agents in line with BMZ’s “Feminist Development Policy” as well as “Just Transition”. The transformative impulses are to be generated through concrete initiatives and corporations with the private sector aiming for the creation of jobs. An important starting point is the promotion of sectors that are capable of disproportionally contributing to overall gender transformative approaches (e.g., cabling in the automotive industry with a significant female workforce) or by working with specific target groups and job categories that support the articulated targets for transformation.
m4edu represents the consortium and assumes responsibility for project management and back-stopping. Our experts contribute to the overall project and pursue the respective strategy and objectives. This strategy follows a results-oriented approach that requires a high level of flexibility.
To achieve the ambitious goals set in terms of the gender transformation and increased female employment, we pursue the following approaches:
- Ensuring gender equity (at least 50 % female trainers) in our pool of experts.
- Since companies tend to select the candidate they deem best for a position, irrespective of gender, our team is making companies an enhanced service offer that supports them in identifying, and wherever necessary, in encouraging and mobilizing female candidates. Depending on the region, cultural background disadvantages women’s economic agency in different degrees. Our team counters this also by engaging in individual exchanges with female learners and even their parents.
- In our train-the-trainers activities, in pedagogical work, advice and support as well as in the development of training concepts and gender sensitive materials our team applies and embeds relevant analytical frameworks to ensure gender equity and equal chances of access and success.