Vocational Education and Rural Women in South Odisha: Historical Trends and Challenges

In rural India vocational education has emerged as a key tactic for advancing women’s empowerment and socioeconomic development. Vocational education has greatly improved women’s employability and standard of living in South Odisha where a substantial section of the population lives in rural and tribal communities. Agriculture, weaving, handicrafts, food processing and forest-based activities are examples of informal family-based occupational skills that rural women have historically mastered. However, their access to formal vocational education was hampered by a lack of educational options, poverty, gender discrimination and insufficient institutional support. In order to increase women’s participation in the workforce, the governments of India and Odisha implemented a number of vocational education programs through Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs), vocational higher secondary schools, polytechnic institutions, Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and skill development initiatives. This study analyses the main obstacles to the expansion and efficacy of vocational education for rural women in South Odisha and looks at historical developments in the field. It emphasizes how government initiatives, including as the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) and the Skill India Mission have increased access to skillbased education and career prospects. Despite these efforts, rural women still encounter obstacles like poor transportation, inadequate infrastructure a shortage of qualified teachers, financial limitations, social standards and few industry connections. The study comes to the conclusion that enhancing vocational education through gender-responsive policies, better infrastructure, industry collaboration and locally relevant skill training can boost women’s economic independence, encourage entrepreneurship and support South Odisha’s inclusive and sustainable development.

Vocational Education, Rural Women, South Odisha, Skill Development, Women’s Empowerment, Employability, Entrepreneurship, Rural Development, NEP 2020

1. Dagar, P., Vocational education and training for indigenous women in India: Toward a participatory planning approach. International Journal of Training Research, 20(1), 43–57,2022. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

2. Government of Odisha, Directorate of Vocational Education: Organization and functions. Department of Higher Education, (2000). [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

3. Government of Odisha, Samikshya: Beyond the Numbers—Unpacking Odisha's Rising Labour Force Participation, Directorate of Economics and Statistics, (2025). [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

4. Mahalik, S, Empowering Women Through Education: A Historical Analysis of Colonial Odisha (1803–1947), Frontiers in Health Informatics, 2024. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

5. Mishra, A. Educational Status of Women in Odisha. SSRN Electronic Journal, (2022). [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

6. Panigrahi, K.C. History of Orissa, 2nd ed, Cuttack, Vidyapuri, 1992 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

7. Rath, J., Empowerment of Rural Women in Odisha Through SHGs, Odisha Review, (2022). [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

8. Satpathy, B. B., Open and Distance Education in Odisha: Historical Development, Institutional Growth, and Contemporary Challenges, Integrated Journal for Research in Arts and Humanities, (2026). [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

• Assessment of the Role of Artificial Intelligence in Repositioning TVET for Economic Development in Nigeria
• Teachers’ Use of Assure Model Instructional Design on Learners’ Problem Solving Efficacy in Secondary Schools in Bungoma County, Kenya
• “E-Booksan Ang Kaalaman”: Development, Validation, and Utilization of Electronic Book in Academic Performance of Grade 9 Students in Social Studies
• Analyzing EFL University Students’ Academic Speaking Skills Through Self-Recorded Video Presentation
• Major Findings of The Study on Total Quality Management in Teachers’ Education Institutions (TEIs) In Assam – An Evaluative Study