Step 5: Select a trainer with competencies, skills and knowledge relevant to your organisation

When looking at a trainer’s curriculum vitae, commissioning authorities should ensure that their knowledge, skills and competencies match the needs of the organisation. Gender-equality practitioners can have different backgrounds.

In some Member States, commissioning authorities can rely on existing national qualification standards for gender professionals, where they exist, to assess the relevance of a trainer’s background.

In some countries, a formal curriculum of gender trainers exists in academia. In other countries, training of trainers (T-o-T) programmes have been considered as an effective way to ensure that trainers possess the relevant and up-to-date skills to transmit knowledge.

Step 5

Despite variations in accreditation procedures, there is common agreement on the knowledge, competence and skills that a gender-equality trainer should possess.

Gender-equality trainers should have a triangular set of competences, as shown in the graphic below:

The checklist below provides a non-exhaustive list of the items that should be present in the tenders for commissioning training.

Checklist: Selection of a gender-equality Trainer

1. Impact on the target group

  • Sound knowledge of gender theories and concepts The nature, purposes and areas of work of the organisation should be clearly explained;
    Irainers should have in-depth knowledge of gender theories and concepts. They should be able to go beyond purely technical understanding of gender mainstreaming, to allow for real transformative process.

  • In-depth and up-to-date knowledge of gender issues
    Trainers need to demonstrate an understanding of the effects of gender on society in general and on specific policy areas.

  • Appropriate knowledge of the international, national and contextual legal framework for gender equality
    Gender trainers are able to appropriately frame their knowledge in the legal context in which participants’ work takes place.

2. Gender-responsive teaching skills/pedagogy

  • Link gender knowledge to training practice
    The gender-equality trainer is expected to help participants gain knowledge and experience rather than be a teacher/expert. The expertise of participants should be recognised in order for training to be a two-way process and to help create ownership among participants.

  • Experience in needs assessment from a gender perspective,and in the design, implementation and delivery of training on gender issues
    Gender-equality trainers should have a breadth of skills. They should be able to analyse the needs of an organisation and develop relevant gender-equality training modules as well as facilitation and pedagogical skills, whether formally or informally acquired. All these skills are essential to the success of the gender competence development initiative.

  • Use gender-sensitive language and gender-sensitive materials
    Gender practitioners should demonstrate coherence between the content of their message and the way it is delivered, by communicating in a gender-sensitive way and using gender-sensitive training material.

  • Strategy to challenge participants’ resistance and prejudices regarding gender issues, reflecting on their own practice
    Trainers should be able to approach people and to identify, assess and address resistance linked to gender-related issues. They should possess skills to deal with individual and group resistance to gender-equality theory and changes. Trainers should demonstrate empathy, creativity, flexibility and responsiveness. They should strive to empower participants, without judging them. Gender trainers should facilitate others in putting on their gender glasses, allowing them to start their own reflective learning and change process.

  • Develop and effectively use a monitoring and self-evaluation framework
    The satisfaction of participants and outputs but also the trainer’s own practices and skills need to be systematically measured to have a clear view of what has been achieved and the issues that need to be addressed in future training programmes.

3. Knowledge of policy field/organisation

  • Knowledge of the organisational change process
    Trainers require knowledge of the organisational change processes and conflict-management concepts and tools used as part of this process of change.

  • Adapt curriculum to participants’ skills, needs and areas of work
    Gender trainers are able to identify participants’ needs and to develop or adapt the content of training to their policy area of work. They should have the capacity to observe and detect issues and gendered dynamics that might not have been detected during the needs-analysis phase.

  • Knowledge of the tools used to mainstream gender equality in the organisation’s policies and programmes
    Trainers should have specific expertise in the types of gender analytical tools used to mainstream gender into public policies, such as gender budgeting, gender impact assessments and gender analysis.

EIGE's trainers database

EIGE’s database of gender-equality trainers offers a pool of more than 200 active training providers from 28 EU Member States.

  • They have both technical and practical expertise in various policy areas, including education and training, employment and social affairs, violence or gender stereotypes;
  • They master tools such as gender analysis, gender statistics and indicators, tools development, gender impact assessment, gender budgeting, project planning, policy development and reform, or monitoring and evaluation.