Globally, the participation of women in the workforce is approximately 25% lower than that of men, frequently due to obstacles such as domestic duties and cultural norms. Although vocational training has the potential to broaden employment prospects, women often face difficulties in attending programmes that necessitate extended periods away from home. A pioneering study conducted by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, in conjunction with an international research collaboration, has examined whether a hybrid distance learning model could enhance the accessibility of job training for rural women in Nepal.
The research team had been actively engaged in Nepal through their work with Heifer International, assessing various livestock transfer initiatives for many years. A significant challenge they aimed to address was increasing the number of animal healthcare providers in rural regions. Specifically, there was a keen interest in training rural women to deliver these services, as explained by Sarah Janzen, an associate professor in the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics at Illinois’s College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences.
Community Animal Health Workers (CAHWs) provide essential veterinary services in these remote areas. To become a CAHW in Nepal, candidates must complete a government-certified training programme, which typically involves a 35-day residential course. Janzen highlighted that recruiting women for this training was difficult despite removing financial obstacles. The reluctance often stemmed from the women’s domestic responsibilities, which made it impractical for them to leave their homes for the duration of the training.
In response, the research team collaborated with Heifer International and the Nepalese government to devise a hybrid training scheme that minimises time spent away from home. This new format required participants to attend a training centre for a five-day orientation and a further ten-day practical module involving direct interaction with livestock. The remainder of the training was conducted remotely, with participants using tablets to access educational videos and interactive modules on various subjects, including animal breeding, anatomy, drug administration, disease diagnostics, castration, fodder production, and bookkeeping. Upon completion of the programme, participants were required to pass a comprehensive final examination to register as certified CAHWs with local authorities.
To evaluate the effectiveness of this new training approach, local livestock marketing cooperatives were asked to nominate women for the CAHW training programme. These nominees were randomly assigned to traditional in-person training or the new hybrid model. The demographic data showed that most women were around 27 years old, had completed ten years of schooling, and about 80% were married. Additionally, 97% owned livestock and 40% to 50% lived below the poverty line.
Janzen was enthusiastic about the potential of the hybrid training model, stating, “We developed this training programme to see if women are more inclined to participate when offered the opportunity to train remotely at home. The results were significantly positive. We observed that completion rates of training increased from 30% to 51% through distance learning.”
The study also found that the knowledge and skills of women trained under the hybrid model were comparable to those who underwent traditional training, with no significant differences in job performance. Janzen acknowledged that additional barriers, such as cultural norms and expectations, could inhibit participation. The research specifically focused on whether the necessity to leave home for an extended period impacted training completion rates.
A particularly noteworthy finding was the increased willingness among mothers of infants to participate in the training when the requirement to stay away was reduced. While no women with infants enrolled in the traditional training programme, 45% of those with an infant completed the hybrid course. Furthermore, the data revealed that 60% of women who had their sources of income, such as those running small businesses, completed the hybrid training, in contrast to just 7% in the traditional format, underscoring the more excellent compatibility of distance learning with existing work commitments.
The implications of these findings are profound, not only for implementing similar programmes in other contexts but also for broadly boosting women’s participation in the workforce through hybrid and remote training models. As Janzen concluded, the adaptability of the training platform, initially designed using the Nepalese government’s curriculum and tailored to local needs, suggests that with minimal adjustments, this model could be effectively replicated in other regions, thereby extending its benefits across various developing countries.
More information: Sarah Janzen et al, Going the distance: Hybrid vocational training for women in Nepal, Journal of Development Economics. DOI: 10.1016/j.jdeveco.2024.103414
Journal information: Journal of Development Economics Provided by University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences