Review of TVET Teachers’ Employability and Transferable Skills Occupational Standard and Curricula to Integrate Social Cohesion At International Labour Organization

A review of TVET Teachers’ employability and transferable skills occupational standard and curricula to integrate the principles of social cohesion and peaceful coexistence in fragile contexts through TVET.

Consultancy Duration: 30 days

Key agency: Kenya Teachers Training College (KTTC) in collaboration with TVETA as a regulator

Project overview

The PROSPECTS partnership is a collaboration of the ILO, UNICEF, UNHCR, IFC and the World Bank, with support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of the Netherlands, which aims to complement humanitarian assistance with a development approach focusing on the nexuses between education (including skills development and training), protection and employment. This is significant given the displacement trends with UNHCR projecting that Kenya is likely to continue to be amongst the top refugee hosting countries in Africa. **

Under the partnership, the ILO intends to increase the number of refugees and host communities’ members with quality education and skills training and help transform the way governments and other stakeholders including the private sector, respond to forced displacement. The ILO interventions will serve to make refugees and members of the host communities more attractive in the labour market, by ensuring that they have skills that are in demand, and that these skills are recognised and certified. By so doing, the project will mitigate their plight during years of exile and best prepare them for their return through socio-economic inclusion and strengthen the resilience of host communities through inclusive socio-economic development.**

To respond to its interventions, the programme puts a lot of focus in strengthening government institutions and Authorities at National and County level for sustainability of its interventions and primarily to ensure inclusion if refugees in government planning, strategies and policy frameworks.

Background information on employability and transferable skills in effective implementation of TVET program.

In addition to assisting vulnerable populations to acquire capacities for enhancing employability and accessing economic opportunities, TVET programmes can offer an avenue for promoting peaceful coexistence and social cohesion.

By combining conflict-sensitive skills development with conflict mitigation capacities, TVET can strengthen inter-group contact, address individual grievances, and promote the positive values of peace and respect, to contribute to peaceful coexistence in fragility settings.

Nevertheless, to achieve this goal, key adjustments on how training programs are designed and implemented need to be made. At the heart of this process are teachers and trainers that need to be aware of this potential and trained to design and implement conflict-sensitive training programs.

In 2021,the ILO has published a guide and accompanying facilitator’s guide “Promoting Social Cohesion and Peaceful Coexistence in Fragile Contexts through TVET” to social partners and TVET practitioners to strengthen the role of skills development policies and programmes in peacebuilding efforts through inclusive learning methodologies and the training of relevant core skills

The ILO is now seeking a consultant to conduct a review of TVET Teachers’ employability and transferable skills occupational standard and curricula and integrating the principles of social cohesion and peaceful coexistence in fragile contexts through TVET in Kenya.

To ensure the success of this review, the review will be made in close partnership with Kenya Technical Trainers College (KTTC) due to its central role in the training of trainers in technical institutions and the implementation of syllabi under TVET Programs.

This review is anchored in the national policy of in-service trainer development as mandatory for all TVET trainers. This creates a strong push for upgrading trainer education and development standards to enhance employability of those affected by conflict, enabling vulnerable populations to build livelihoods and find decent work based on available economic opportunities.

Rationale of the Assignment

One of the Ministry of Education’s priority is to improve the quality of learning outcomes from TVET and Higher Education provision in the public and private sectors key to Kenya’s national economic development. As part of ILO’s technical assistance to the Government of Kenya to realize this vision, PROSPECT project seeks to complement the strides made towards improving the quality of TVET teacher’s employability and transferable skills training through existing employability occupational standard and curricula by reviewing it, and integrating the principles of social cohesion and peaceful coexistence in fragile contexts. This is based on a fact that in Kenya, most youths are often disconnected from educational and employment opportunities, leaving them susceptible to participation in violent conflict. Mainstreaming social cohesion and peaceful coexistence at the training level in TVETs reduces the psychosocial impact of trauma and displacement and may offer a real-life context to re-establish cooperation and inclusion and promote social cohesion within and between communities. This is more particularly true if TVET programmes involve work-based learning.

In December 2020, a pilot teacher training has been organized by the ILO under PROSPECTS in collaboration with KTTC to apply the Guide for TVET practitioners on Promoting Social Cohesion and Peaceful Coexistence in Fragile Contexts through TVET and test its relevance in the Kenyan context. Feedback obtained was very positive which led to the demand for technical support from the ILO to mainstream skills for social cohesion and peaceful coexistence within the Occupational Standards of TVETA and training curricula of KTTC.

Approach to the assignment

The consultant will be expected to adopt a participatory and qualitative approach in reviewing the existing occupational standard and curricula and determine the existing or potential gaps in relation to promotion of social cohesion and peaceful coexistence through TVET. It is expected that the consultant shall identify social cohesion and peaceful coexistence elements. For each, develop assessable statements that specify the required level of performance so that they can be incorporated into the occupational standard (OS). The consultant is expected to validate the occupational standard in collaboration with key stakeholders before embarking on reviewing of the curricula. This will be done in close collaboration with four (4) KTTC instructors and curricula developers.**

It is expected that the review will take place in two phases,

1. Firstly; the consultant shall undertake desk review including the ILO’s guide for TVET practitioners on Promoting Social Cohesion and Peaceful Coexistence in Fragile Contexts through TVET, and Facilitator handbook that’s accompanies the Guide for TVET practitioners*;* an conduct interviews with KTTC staff, TVET trainers and the ILO consultant involved in piloting the training material in Kenya. This phase shall focus on reviewing the employability occupational standards. At this stage, the consultant guided by a team of technical people to be formed by KTTC closely with the regulator i.e. TVETA for purposes of consensus on the reviewed standard.**

2. Secondly, the consultant together with KTTC TVET instructors shall hold workshops to review and validate the draft Os and curricula. The consultant is expected to engage and consult relevant partners, industry stakeholders as deemed necessary. **

3. Intergrate the comments of the stakeholders produce a final draft and submit to KTTC for further internal adoption processes. **

Description of tasks

The main tasks by the consultant will therefore entail:

i. Carry our relevant desktop review including deeper understanding and contextualization of the ILO’s guide for TVET practitioners on Promoting Social Cohesion and Peaceful Coexistence in Fragile Contexts through TVET.

ii. Develop review methodology including preparation of interview guides

iii. Submit an inception report that includes but is not limited to interpretation of the Terms of reference, detailed proposed approach and methodology, and work plan

iv. Assess and determine gaps in the occupational standard and in relation to promotion of social cohesion. Engage and consult relevant stakeholders such as TVETs / trainers in post conflict zones, industry representatives, TVETA and KTTC instructors. Identify areas of improvement with regard to TVET trainers’ competencies.

v. Draft a revised Occupational Standard (OS) for the “Employability” Module, taking account of skills to promote social cohesion and peaceful coexistence and submit to the ILO and KTTC

vi. Develop draft reports which shall be reviewed by the ILO specialists

vii. Validate the draft revised OS in collaboration with key stakeholders

viii. Facilitate physical and online workshops with 4 KTTC instructors to integrate the identified competences and performance statements in the revised OS within the teacher training curricula

ix. Submit the revised teacher training curricula to the ILO and KTTC for final comments

x. Submit a final report, contributing to the action planning of piloting the curricula.

Desired Experience and Qualifications

The consultant should meet the following requirements;

a. Education:

· University Degree in Education, Technology, Economics, or any other social sciences with a focus on skills development, Education and training or related field. Advanced degree/ postgraduate training in Curricula reviews and development, Education Assessment is recommended.

b. Professional Training and certification.

· A KICD recognised curricula developer will an added advantage

c. Skills:

· Must possess good communication skills, both oral and written.

· Excellent writing/editing commands of English is an asset.

d. Experience:

· Understanding fragile and conflict situations of ; social cohesion promotion ;

· At least ten years of experiences working in Education, Curricula reviews and development, Education Assessment and technical education setting

· Sound knowledge, understanding of labour supply and demand dynamics and**

· Proven experience and expertise in competency based education and training**

Selection Criteria

Prospects Project will evaluate the proposals and award the assignment based on technical responsiveness and financial feasibility. Ensuring transparency, impartiality and neutrality as per below guide.

Criteria

Maximum Points

Technical proposal- 35

Academic Qualification and experience- 25

Experience in similar assignments- 20

Knowledge of skills development and Technical Education and training in TVET sector-5

Analytical and report writing skills, (must attach two related tasks)- 15

Total-100**

Incomplete and applications received after the closing date will be disqualified. The project will notify the selected candidate two weeks after the close of applications date.

Contract terms and application process

ILO’s IGDS Number 224 (Version 1) shall guide deliverables and payments on External Collaboration consultancy assignments.