A fresh take on training: Empowering women through soft skills

When it comes to landing and keeping good jobs in high-paying sectors such as construction or technology, women in East Africa face many barriers. They often do most of the unpaid care work and have limited access to training. Meanwhile, restrictive social norms deter them from taking jobs in male-dominated workplaces. When women are not able to participate fully in the economy, these challenges compound the widening gender gaps that hold back economic and social progress across the region. 

In 2023, about 84% of women in Ethiopia and 68% of women in Kenya were in vulnerable employment. Young women are especially affected — in 2021, 18% of young women in Kenya and 8% in Ethiopia were unemployed. 

To address these challenges, action is needed on many fronts including more access to quality childcare, shifts in gender norms and legal and policy reforms. Training programs also need to better meet women’s unique needs — providing not just job skills, but the confidence and workplace know-how to succeed.

Testing new approaches to boost women’s success in high-paying sectors 

Launched in 2020, the Growth and Economic Opportunities for Women – East Africa (GrOW – East Africa) program supported research to advance gender equality in the world of work. Three projects were designed to help women get into and succeed in better-paying jobs by testing new ways to build and scale innovations in skills-building and work-readiness programs. 

Working with young women who had completed secondary school, these projects tested training interventions that integrate “soft skills” — such as interpersonal communications, negotiation and leadership. A recent synthesis of evidence from these interventions produced valuable insights on how soft skills can enhance not just women’s income and employment prospects but their decision-making power and self-esteem.  

Combining soft skills with job information services 

In Ethiopia, a university degree is no guarantee of employment, especially for young women. One of the projects tested a combination of soft-skills training and enhanced job-search information services to increase employment rates among young women graduates in three different cities.

Participants received two weeks of soft-skills training that combined job search and readiness with interpersonal and emotional regulation skills. Some were also given access to job centres that offered employment information, administrative support and Internet access. Those interested in entrepreneurship were also given information on how to access microfinance.

Two years after the intervention, researchers found a two-fold increase in employment among those who had received soft-skills training only, and a two-and-a-half-fold increase in employment among those who received soft-skills training and job information services. Participants also applied to more jobs and landed more job screening interviews.  

The findings demonstrate that combining soft-skills training with practical job-search support can significantly improve young women’s employment outcomes. 

Preparing young women for success in construction 

Construction work isn’t just technical, it’s also physically demanding. In male-dominated trades, women need to be strong and mentally prepared to face doubts and hostility from co-workers and partners who resent their presence on the construction site. Part of the preparation also entails awareness-raising on the prevention and response to incidents of sexual and gender-based violence at work sites.

In Kenya, a research partnership with local training company Buildher tested a vocational model designed to open doors for young women in construction. Four months of in-class instruction were followed by eight months of on-the-job training. Sixty percent of the training focused on technical skills, while 40% was dedicated to soft skills like job management, women's empowerment and wellness topics such as nutrition, physical fitness and mental health. 

Results showed real, measurable change in young people’s employment prospects and income, but also in women’s self-esteem and decision-making power at home. The proportion of women trainees who reported having a means to support themselves increased from 56% to 68% over two years. About half of the trainees also reported higher incomes, compared with only one-fifth in the control group. They also felt more in control of household spending. There were noticeable shifts in women’s attitudes as well: surveys showed they were more likely to see themselves as productive and accepted in their chosen trade. After the program, participants were 20% less likely to believe that women would be excluded from sectors like construction. 

Ensuring TVET graduates get the soft-skills touch 

Technical and vocational education training (TVET) institutions are key to addressing youth unemployment in Kenya, but few take gender into account. In Nairobi, researchers partnered with four TVET centres to offer trainees (55% young men, 45% young women) an extra, gender-sensitive soft-skills training module. Trainees received 10 hours of video lessons before graduation, complemented by handbooks and discussion with instructors who shared job market advice and encouragement.

Those who received the soft-skills component showed a substantial increase in employment — from 4% to 37% for young women and from 9% to 43% for young men — after completing the training, with a marked shift from part-time to full-time employment. Adding soft skills helped boost trainees’ motivation and confidence about finding work. Skills-training impact was strongest for those trainees who believed their success depended on their own actions — especially for young women. These results show that vocational training for youth can be more effective if paired with soft skills that build self-esteem and agency. 

Scaling up work-readiness interventions 

Evidence from these projects points to various measures and policies governments can take to scale interventions that improve women’s employment readiness: 

• Enforce regulations to ensure fair pay and safe working conditions, and ensure women are not discriminated against in male-dominated industries.
• Build long-term public-private collaboration to support women’s successful transition from training to the job market. 
• Strengthen the TVET system, working with employers to ensure training curriculum is relevant to job market needs and better support women.
• Challenge gendered norms in education by encouraging girls to study math, science and technology, and by sharing stories of women working in male-dominated fields. 
• Strengthen policies and investment to support childcare, since care responsibilities often prevent women from seeking education and employment. 
• Advance women’s digital skills to enhance their employability and their access to information on career choices and opportunities.
• Support women’s financial independence by improving their access to financial education and credit. 

Read more on how research is guiding efforts to increase women’s success in East African labour markets: 

• Closing labour market gender gaps in East Africa through skill building and work readiness: A synthesis of evidence 
• Enhancing women’s skills and work readiness in East Africa. Summary Brief 
• Breaking ground to empower women in the Kenyan construction industry