MADRID, March 11 — Increasing female representation in the profession while also bringing life back to the country’s increasingly deserted rural zones: those are the objectives of an upcoming school for female shepherds in Cantabria, in Northern Spain. This all-female school will be the first of its kind to open in the country.

A school "designed by women and for women,” the "Escuela de pastoras del siglo XXI” (School for Shepherdesses of the 21st century) is a project that’s being driven by the Spanish association against depopulation, and which aims to redress the rural exodus of women in the region. In fact, more women than men leave their native villages for cities. Moreover, professions linked to agriculture (shepherding in particular) are still largely male-dominated.

By offering Spanish women employment prospects in their local area, the project founders hope to convince women to stay in rural zones — killing two birds with one stone. The initiative could also serve to attract women who may have grown up in cities but who want to move to the countryside.

Women seeking to train in the ways of shepherding will follow an online course lasting nine months (500 hours in total), as well as one weekend a month of hands-on teaching in the mountains and valleys of Cantabria.

According to information reported by British newspaper The Guardian, the timetable for women at the school will be tailored to ensure compatibility with their home lives. For example, women with children will be able to bring them along to certain training sessions (notably modules on beekeeping, cheesemaking and sustainable tourism).

Applications for the school’s inaugural intake closed February 15, 2021, with 265 applicants, 30 of whom will be selected for a place on the course. While a start date is yet to be confirmed, this course — encompassing sustainable agriculture techniques and new technologies linked to farming livestock — doesn’t come cheap, with costs totalling around €12,000 (RM58,794) per student. The Spanish association against depopulation is currently working on securing funding from both the public and private sectors to cover as much of these costs as possible. — ETX Studio