APTC commits to breaking gender barriers and ensuring equitable outcomes in technical and vocational education
To support inclusive and gender responsive technical and vocational education across the region, the Australia Pacific Training Coalition (APTC) launched its Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) Strategic Framework (2020-2022) on Friday 22 May 2020.
As a centre of training excellence and collaboration, APTC aims through this Framework to contribute to tackling gender disparities and patterns of inequality and discrimination within Pacific TVET systems.
APTC CEO, Soli Middleby, said APTC has long supported accessible training for gender and social inclusion while challenging gender norms for women in trades.
At APTC, we have long championed quality lifelong learning opportunities for all. We have ensured that our training has been accessible to those who face barriers and so often do not have access to the full range of qualifications and professional opportunities – women, people living with a disability and other socially excluded groups as well as those in the most remote parts of our region.
– APTC CEO, Soli Middleby
Ms Middleby further added that APTC works to ensure that women, persons living with disabilities, students from rural remote communities and small island states as well as any other identified at-risk groups are at the center of the organisation’s work, its partnerships and its advocacy.
Through consultations and a GESI review process, APTC has identified three key interventions to address gender and exclusionary barriers.
These interventions are: firstly to address gendered and exclusionary norms and relations within Pacific TVET systems; secondly to eliminate institutional GESI barriers within APTC; and third to empower socially excluded and marginalised groups within Pacific TVET systems.
– Ms Middleby
As part of efforts to break barriers and ensure equitable outcomes, APTC has made four key commitments in its GESI Strategic Framework:
- We will mainstream Gender Equality and Social Inclusion within APTC’s operations;
- We will collaborate with reform minded partners and champions to promote inclusive enabling environment for excluded and marginalised groups within Pacific TVET systems;
- We will target equitable educational outcomes for women, persons living with disabilities and students from rural, remote, maritime and small island states;
- We will target equitable employment outcomes for women, persons living with disabilities and students from rural, remote, maritime and small island states.
To advance commitments each year, APTC’s Leadership Team will develop an annual GESI Action Plan to translate the Framework into achievable actions. As the first catalytic step, APTC will roll out GESI training modules for all staff in order to effectively progress together towards implementing the organisation’s four GESI commitments.
The 2020 GESI Action Plan includes key priorities identified during the consultation process.
