How to: guiding principles for commissioning authorities

These guiding principles present the minimum standards that need to be followed if institutions wish to design effective skills development interventions. They are aimed at authorities that commission gender-equality training, as well as their respective staff.

Commissioning authorities play a key role in planning, implementing, monitoring and evaluating gender-equality competence development initiatives. These guidelines do not promote a one-size-fits-all approach; instead, they summarise the necessary common denominators for all gender-equality competence development initiatives. Taking into account the specific roles and needs of the commissioning authorities, these guidelines offer specific guidance for each stage of the process.

12 steps to good gender-equality training

1. Planning phase

Preparing an effective gender-equality competence development initiative

  1. Assess the needs for gender competence development initiatives
  2. Integrate gender competence development initiatives into the broader equality strategy
  3. Ensure that sufficient resources have been allocated to implement the initiative and its follow-up
  4. Write good terms of reference (checklist)
  5. Select a trainer with competencies, skills and knowledge relevant to your organisation (checklist)

2. Implementation phase

Setting up a gender-equality competence development activity that responds to the organisations needs and roles

  1. Engage in the gender learning needs assessment
  2. Actively participiate in the design of the gender competence development initiative
  3. Encourage people to attend the activity
  4. Plan and implement a monitoring framework and procedures

3. Evaluation and follow-up phase

Securing long-term outcomes

  1. Set up an evaluation framework
  2. Assess the long-term impacts of the training
  3. Give space and support to participants to implement new knowledge in their work

These guidelines build upon the findings of EIGE’s study on Gender-equality training in the European Union. They also take account of the opinions and experiences of Member State representatives in EIGE’s Thematic Network on Gender Training, as well as those of gender-equality experts.

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