TVET Consultant - Curriculum Development for Vocational Schools under TVET-2

International Expert in Curriculum Development for Vocational Schools under TVET-2

Parent Sector : Education Sector (ED)

Duty Station: Baghdad

Job Family: Education

Type of contract : Non Staff

Duration of contract : From 7 to 11 months

Recruitment open to : Internal and external candidates

Application Deadline (Midnight Paris Time) : 22-09-2021

 

UNESCO Core Values: Commitment to the Organization, Integrity, Respect for Diversity, Professionalism

 

OVERVIEW OF THE FUNCTIONS OF THE POST

 

A key facilitator of TVET reform in Iraq has been the European Union funded TVET Reform Project implemented over the last 5 years (2016/20) by UNESCO working in partnership with government under the leadership of Prime Minister’s Advisory Committee. The TVET reform project, by design, has focused primarily on upstream policy-orientated work that lays the foundations for how TVET will be delivered in the future. The reform agenda is now fairly well entrenched at the higher levels of government, across the three relevant line ministries.  
The Government published a 10-year National TVET Strategy (2014-2023). Given the capacity and resource constraints of the government of Iraq, the TVET Reform Project stands as the single biggest contribution to realising the ambitions of this strategy. To its credit, the Phase 1 of the TVET reform programme made significant progress in respect to:  

 

• Mapping new coordinated institutional arrangements for TVET
• Developing a national Technical and Vocational Qualifications Framework
• Developing and piloting guidelines for Quality Assurance and Accreditation of TVET 
• Undertaking 8 comprehensive labour market and skill analysis 
• Developing a framework for private sector participation in TVET 
• Developing competency-based curriculum for 3 sectors and 4 levels and piloting modules at Level 1 
• Improving the quality of careers guidance in TVET 
• Developing, at scale, the capacities of existing officials, institutional leaders, teachers and trainers across the TVET system
• Raising public awareness about the important economic role played by TVET sector.  

Long Description

TVET 2 has three specific objectives, with expected results as follows. 
Objective 1 To strengthen MoE national and Directorate systems and capacities for quality management, curriculum and labour market alignment for vocational education     
Objective 2 To enhance the performance of selected vocational schools to create and operate Centres of Excellence
Objective 3 To develop higher education institutions’ systems and leadership for meeting local skills needs and international recognition of qualifications 

 Objective 1 has three Expected Results and the role of this expert will be to implement ER 1.2.

Namely,

 

Activities to achieve ER1.2 Increased capacity and capability to develop, pilot and launch new competency based programmes (MoE level)

• 1.2a       Workshop to brief officials on the competency based programmes developed in Phase 1
• 1.2b      Select modules to offer (i.e. already piloted) and identify and prepare teachers
• 1.2c       Select new modules to pilot and plan for supervised delivery
• 1.2d      Review piloted modules and update curriculum and teaching and learning materials
• 1.2e       Based on results of Local Labour Market survey consult on ICT qualifications to be   developed and organise occupational standard development
• 1.2f       Develop new competency based curricula for ICT
• 1.2g       Develop teaching and learning materials for ICT modules
• 1.2h      Pilot ICT new module

 

The above tasks will be undertaken by the consultant working collaboratively with the MoE and DoE staff and under the supervision of the UNESCO Senior Project Officer

 

 

Long Description

Duties and Responsibilities of International Expert

Under the overall authority of the Chief of Education of the UNESCO Office for Iraq, the direct supervision of the Senior Project Officer, the IE shall:

 

1. Produce approved Inception report
2. Design and deliver and evaluate workshops as specified below
3. Build Curriculum Development working Group (CDWG) of MoE and DoE officials and Vocational school teachers and
   1. Review existing CBT modules and select already piloted modules (TVET 1) and unpiloted modules to be run in schools in Construction, Hospitality and Agriculture.
   2. Train teacher to deliver these materials and pilot them under supervision
   3. Evaluate modules with teachers and up date them accordingly
4. Identify ICT occupations most needed by labout market.  .
5. Develop full sets of CBT curricula and learning materials for these occupations using the approved CD methodology
6. Pilot, evaluate and update these materials
7. Introduce full three levels of ICT materials in the Vocational schools.   
8. Produce Monthly Progress reports
9. Final Consultancy Report   

The consultancy can be partially home based but will involve missions to Iraq  

  

The project Implementation will be in 3 Phases

• Inception Period (15 days): Remote modality Conduct desk based research for results/outputs and outcomes within TVET Reform Project, Monitoring and Evaluation activities related to Labor Market Survey reports and Public and Private Partnerships in TVET.
• Identify the main elements of the relevant economic sector for each of the 5 Governorates in TVET 2   Develop an approach to running the surveys in these locations based on original TVET 1 survey documentaiotn. LM research and analysis.
• Finalize and agree on the delivery work plan for the below three phases of work.

The specific objective of the second stage: Design and carry out 5 local economic sector LM studies in the 5 Governorates, collate and analyse
In liaison with the Senior Project Officer identify candidates from the relevant MoE and DoE official to join the LMS Working Groups for that Governorate.  Design and carry out training for those candidates in designing, implementing and evaluating Labour Markets surveys.
The original LMS reports gave a national perspective that still requires local interpretation and analysis to support the alignment of training supply with employer demand and to help develop effective employer linkage programme.   Using simple surveys and focus groups and mapping tools a picture of the scale, nature and needs of the sector will be developed that is contextualized by the national LMS reports.
Main activities:

• To create a comprehensive database/ set of Dashboard reports summarizing the results of the survey as they come in from the private sector in the Governorate. This will require phone calls, emails on line surveys and field visits to participate/lead in analysing the collected data and identify the opportunities and challenges. Participate in detail planning of other stages.

The specific objective of the Third stage: Business linkage programme and events through establishing Sectorial Councils

Support the COVE to develop and implement a Business linkage programme between the COVE and the employers in the relevant economic sector in each Governorate through building Sectorial councils, based on the links established in carrying out the LMSs. The consultant will make links to the Public and Private Partnership guide for TVET that was developed under TVET 1.
Main activities
Organize and run events to strengthen these links between the public and private sectors, including:

• Individual meetings between companies and the management of each COVE.
• Raising awareness workshops.
• Social media events (Facebook and others), including sharing success stories.

Project Implementation 6 Months : Remote working and Missions to Iraq as per work plan including travel to COVE locations
Project support To End of project. Remote monitoring and consultancy to LMSWG and SCs for each COVE.  2 further annual Missions to hold workshops to evaluate progress and plan further improvements as required.  An additional contract will be awarded to cover the costs of this subsequent Phase and it cannot be guaranteed to be to the same IE.

DELIVERABLES
Inception Report, 15 days after the start of the contract
Monthly Reports, In the first week of the subsequent month
Final Evaluation reports, Initial report at the end of the first continuous work period then up date plans after each follow up visit to Iraq.
In additional to Monthly Report further specific deliverables will be agreed on the basis of the inception report and the responsibilities set out above. This will include but not be limited to the below.
Training materials for Workshops for LMSWG, After the completion of the training phases
Training records and evaluation reports, Week after each training
For ER 1.3
Report containing guidelines and terms of reference for the Sectorial Councils and hold the first meeting to establish membership and roles., By end of 2nd Month
Hold the first meeting to approve ToR and membership and roles, By end of Month 3 of the contract
Action plan to survey/interview local employers and collect data, By the end of the 2 month
Collate and present data in 5 formal Labour Market Surveys and power point presentation and formulate an action plan to meet labour market demand., By the end of month 5
Identify minimum of 20 local employers in the Sector being Piloted in the Directorates potential candidates to join the SC, In Month 2 of contract
Draft guidelines for the Terms of Reference for Sectorial Councils, End of Month 2 of project
Minutes of 1st Meeting of SC., End of month 3 of project
Develop a schedule of SC engagement, End of Month 4 of project
Final Report on Consultancy, End of Project

 

Other Information including information on timelines
Total duration of the assignment will be from May-January 2021/22.  The majority of the work will be undertaken in an initial 6 month period and then with annual follow up visits to Iraq to monitor progress and deliver any additional workshops required under subsequent contracts. 
 Remuneration will be paid monthly according to qualifications and experience
The consultancy will require missions to Dahook, Mosul, Baghdad, Basra and Karbala as per the UN security standards and procedures in Iraq.

 

COMPETENCIES (Core / Managerial) Accountability (C) Communication (C) Innovation (C) Knowledge sharing and continuous improvement (C) Planning and organizing (C) Results focus (C) Teamwork (C) Professionalism (C) - For detailed information, please consult the UNESCO Competency Framework. REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

 

• Advanced university degree in Education, Higher Education, Quality Assurance or other related field, with demonstrated expertise at national and international levels
• Minimum 10 years of relevant professional experience working in Labour Market Surveys and Private Sector participation in TVET and TVET reform.
• Proven track record of designing and delivering effective workshops for Government officials on LMS
• Working experience with senior officials within government and educators
• Excellent planning and reporting skills
• Good facilitation skills; excellent communication capabilities; ability to adapt to dynamic environments
• Previous experience in the Middle East is essential
• Excellent knowledge of English; knowledge of Arabic would be an advantage
• Ability to work effectively in a multicultural/multinational environment
• A commitment to UN values of non-discrimination on the basis of race, gender, economic status, or religion.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS

Skills/Competencies
- Strong interpersonal and networking skills
- Highly organized and self-motivated
- Capacity to collaborate and positively engage with a range of partners and beneficiaries, including national/local authorities as well as key stakeholders in civil society including the private sector, and international development partners and embassies
- Demonstrated personal sensitivity and commitment to the values and principles of equity, gender equality and cultural diversity
- Excellent computing skills including MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and related programs.
 

SELECTION AND RECRUITMENT PROCESS

Please note that all candidates must complete an on-line application and provide complete and accurate information. To apply, please visit the UNESCO careers website. No modifications can be made to the application submitted.

The evaluation of candidates is based on the criteria in the vacancy notice, and may include tests and/or assessments, as well as a competency-based interview. 

UNESCO uses communication technologies such as video or teleconference, e-mail correspondence, etc. for the assessment and evaluation of candidates.

Please note that only selected candidates will be further contacted and candidates in the final selection step will be subject to reference checks based on the information provided.

Footer

UNESCO applies a zero tolerance policy against all forms of harassment.

UNESCO is committed to achieve and sustain gender parity among its staff members in all categories and at all grades. Furthermore, UNESCO is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities, as well as nationals from non-and under-represented Member States (last update here) are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the highest level of confidentiality. Worldwide mobility is required for staff members appointed to international posts.

UNESCO does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process.