Humber International Development Institute

As part of the Bhutan Education and Skills Training (BEST) Project, TVET institutions across Bhutan are promoting gender equality through targeted campaigns.

For International Women’s Day, Gender, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (GEDI) committees at ten institutions launched a digital competition encouraging students to challenge gender stereotypes through creative social media posts, such as posters, skits, or videos, shared with the hashtag .

The competition aimed to raise awareness and inspire youth across Bhutan, with prizes awarded to the top three posts with the highest engagement.



By challenging stereotypes and breaking barriers, more women, girls, and learners can access the opportunities, skills, and confidence they need to thrive.



See what the students in Bhutan created to challenge gender stereotypes! https://www.facebook.com/BESTProjectBht/

BEST project is funded by the Government of Canada through Canada’s International Development – Global Affairs Canada. Humber Polytechnic leads the project in partnership with Bhutan's Ministry of Education and Skills Development (Sherig Bhutan) and RENEW, a Civil Society Organization in Bhutan.

Earlier this month, International Development Project Lead Laura Barbosa and Humber Polytechnic's Centre for Innovative Learning's Andrew Gryfe travelled to Kenya as part of the Kenya Blue Economy Skills Training Project (KBEST-05) to deliver competency-based education and training (CBET).

Institutional participants from Bondo Technical Training Institute (BTTI), Mahaya Vocational Training Centre (VTC), and Lucy Onono VTC took part in a five-day training focused on the BOPPPS model. The sessions emphasized developing interactive mini-lessons, peer review, and learner-centred strategies to support the effective implementation, delivery, and assessment of short courses to be launched at each institution.

Thank you to Andrew Gryfe for leading these sessions with our Kenyan partners and strengthening CBET delivery capacity, helping equip Kenyan youth with industry-relevant skills for meaningful employment and self-employment within Kenya’s blue economy.

KBEST-05 is funded by the Government of Canada through Canada’s International Development – Global Affairs Canada, administered by Colleges and Institutes Canada / Collèges et instituts Canada (CICan), and delivered in partnership with Humber Polytechnic, Bondo Technical Training Institute, Lucy Onono Vocational Training Centre, and Mahaya Vocational Training Centre.

In January 2026, Humber Polytechnic's Clarisse Estebar and NorQuest College's Greg Sowak travelled to Kenya as part of the Kenya Blue Economy Skills Training Recognition of Prior Learning (KBEST-14 RPL) project to advance RPL initiatives.

Alongside Kenyan partners Kenya National Qualifications Authority, TVET Curriculum Development, Assessment, and Certification, Kenya School of TVET, Technical and Vocational Education and Training Authority, Kisumu National Polytechnic, Kenya Coast National Polytechnic, and Bandari Maritime Academy, the KBEST-14 team validated key findings and recommendations from the situational analysis, aligned roles and timelines, and defined concrete implementation steps for 2026.

The discussions focused on operationalizing the approved workplan, identifying RPL assessors, institutional support, and capacity-building needs to ensure effective, sustainable implementation.

🌍 Through collaborative planning and shared accountability, these partnerships are strengthening systems and unlocking pathways for skills recognition and economic opportunity.

KBEST-14 is funded by the Government of Canada through Canada’s International Development – Global Affairs Canada and implemented by Colleges and Institutes Canada / Collèges et instituts Canada (CICan). Humber Polytechnic leads the project in partnership with NorQuest College under CICan's Education for Empowerment (EFE) Program.