Crossing gendered pathways in vocational education and training : underrepresentation in engineering and care and implications for career guidance

Abstract

Gender segregation within vocational education and training (VET) remains a persistent challenge in Malta, where women are significantly underrepresented in engineering pathways, and men in care-related fields. This study explores the motivations, experiences, and challenges of students who pursued gender-atypical pathways at MCAST, as well as the role of career guidance in shaping these choices. Using a qualitative research design, the study draws on ten in-depth interviews with former MCAST students: five females from engineering programmes and five males from care-related programmes. The findings show that participation in non-traditional VET is shaped by a complex interaction of personal, social, cultural, and institutional factors. Personal interests, career aspirations, and prior exposure influenced participants’ gender-atypical choices; however, these decisions were made within contexts where family, peers, educational institutions, and wider social influences generally reinforced traditional gendered expectations. Consequently, participants often experienced heightened social and psychological pressure. They also reported several challenges, including limited representation, feelings of isolation, difficulties in securing apprenticeships or work placements, and both direct and subtle forms of discrimination in educational and workplace environments. Despite these challenges, participants demonstrated resilience, agency, and persistence throughout their educational journey. Career guidance was often perceived as too limited in scope and introduced too late to meaningfully challenge gender norms or influence students’ decision-making processes. In some cases, rather than disrupting traditional expectations, career guidance appeared to reinforce them. Overall, the study suggests that addressing gender imbalance in VET requires more than surface-level policy interventions. It calls for a deeper engagement with the intersectional structural and cultural barriers that continue to reproduce traditional gendered educational and career pathways.