Project Digital Literacy Specialist for the Economic Recovery and Development (ERD) Program project

Founded in 1933, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. At work today in more than 40 countries, the IRC restores safety, dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted and struggling to endure. The IRC leads the way from harm to home.

The Syria crisis is often described as the worst humanitarian catastrophe since the end of the Cold War. Inside Syria, 7.6 million people are internally displaced and 12.2 million are in need of humanitarian assistance, with 4.8 million in hard-to-reach areas. There are 4 million Syrian refugees in neighboring countries. This is no short-term humanitarian episode. The devastating human consequences to huge numbers of people will endure for decades. The destruction of relationships, communities, livelihoods, homes and infrastructure will take years to repair.

Now in its sixth year, the armed conflict in Syria has resulted in a humanitarian crisis inside Syria and throughout the region. The most recent figures indicate that over 5 million Syrian refugees in neighboring Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, and Iraq. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reports that 654,903 refugees were registered in Jordan.

Working in coordination with the humanitarian community and the Government of Jordan, the IRC provides assistance for Syrian refugees in both camp and urban settings. The IRC's assistance programs are focusing on providing health, protection and economic empowerment services at the urban areas in Mafraq and Irbid governorates and inside the two camps.

Project Background:

Displaced populations across the globe often struggle to cope with life in their new homes, primarily due to unfamiliarity with different markets and a lack of specific tailored skillsets, resources or networks that would otherwise allow them to find meaningful and safe employment. This skills gap is particularly glaring in the areas of digital literacy and computer skills that are increasingly required in today’s labor markets. Prospective employees and entrepreneurs lack the market-relevant digital skills, knowledge of and access to job seeker and enterprise development digital services, as well as the financial resources and start-up support necessary to obtain and create safe, sustainable livelihoods to improve their economic wellbeing.

The limited knowledge of digital literacy skills and access to digital services to support livelihoods pose challenges across Jordan, as in many other countries facing displacement crises. For example, in Mafraq, Irbid, Ramtha, and East Amman, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) are often the largest job creators, but entrepreneurs have limited opportunities to learn digital skills to support and grow their businesses, and may lack the necessary networks and information that internet and computers can unlock. Few MSMEs in Amman utilize technology to build their businesses—only 20% regularly use computers, and less than one in five use social media.[1] Without support or technical assistance to improve business processes and operations through technology, businesses face additional challenges with marketing, record keeping, and growth. Jobseekers also face challenges posed by limited digital literacy skills. Prospective employers may seek candidates with prerequisite computer skills, and job searches and networking are often hindered by a jobseeker’s unfamiliarity with the internet or basic computer and digital literacy skills.

Through ERD programming in Jordan, the IRC helps job seekers, entrepreneurs and business owners to develop and refine business plans, and access start-up and/or support capital to fund their business operations. The IRC also helps job seekers identify employment opportunities, improve their employability skills and match with well-suited employers. In so doing, the IRC has helped to increase business' profitability as well as individuals’ ability to generate income and assets through employment and self-employment. Through our work with vulnerable jobseekers as well as entrepreneurs and business owners, the IRC Jordan is well-equipped to develop, test, and learn from new digital literacy approaches to support refugees’ and vulnerable crisis-affected population’s livelihoods prospects.

The Overall Objective of the project is that to work with vulnerable young job seekers, entrepreneurs and business owners to contextualize and test digital literacy skills training curricula to help refugees and conflict-affected populations to find employment or start and grow their own businesses. The process and approach to digital literacy for livelihoods training in a refugee context is tested and documented, helping lay the foundation for future scalable interventions

The main expected result is to use digital literacy for livelihoods package will seek to build entrepreneurs’ and business owners’ digital business management, budgeting, and marketing skills as well as jobseekers’ and employees’ digital job search, personal budgeting, and market-demanded on-the-job computer skills.

Project main two activities are:

·Conducting small scale tests of curriculum content, 120 participants across 8 cohorts of training will participate in digital literacy training modules.

·In order to assess and evaluate the utility and relevance of digital literacy skills taught specifically for the purposes of microenterprise development, 5 business owners will receive business growth grants in addition to one-on-one mentorship to encourage the uptake and use of digital solutions for running their businesses.

Project expectations for the curriculum is to include but not limited to:

The Project Digital Literacy Specialist Scope:

The IRC see this project as an opportunity for the Economic Recovery and Development (ERD) Program to gain a fuller and deeper understanding of need to obtain digital literacy skills among the targeted groups of Syrian Refugees and Vulnerable Jordanian in the livelihood activities. This project will be conducted through small scale tests of curricula in Jordan, the project will culminate with a final deliverable to document the process and approach of conducting digital literacy trainings for livelihoods projects, which can serve as a guidance package for implementing similar livelihoods projects in other refugee and displacement contexts across the globe.

The aim of mentioned scope is to:

1.Assess the competence level of digital literacy in the target population through conducting focus group discussions (FGDs) and analysing existing data collected through the ERD program.

2.Develop the ERD digital literacy training content (EN/AR) keeping in consideration already external, open-source digital literacy training curricula, existing IRC training modules (including SEL) and ERD Theory of Change.

3.Support the creation of Monitoring and Evaluation tools to capture and measure impact of the digital literacy training on the success of business implementation and/or finding a job opportunity

4.Support the facilitation of a ToT for ERD facilitators on the developed curriculum and ensuring facilitators are coached while conducting the training

5.Managing the analysis of the findings and lead the drafting of the learning report together with the Project Training Specialist consultant.

The Digital Literacy specialist is expected to work closely with the Project Training Specialist to ensure following up the work plan, team management and data collection.

Deliverables:

The Project Digital Literacy Specialist will be responsible for the following:

1.Inception report presenting the finding of the IRC data analysis and FGDs and in-depth interviews with project beneficiaries in the field

2.De-briefing for the IRC’s program teams, project training specialist and ERD TU after the field work.

3.Development of the digital literacy training content/curricula

4.Implementation the ToT to the facilitators and coaching them in conducting the training

5.Jointly working on the final learning report of the finding’s with the project training specialist

IRC’s role:

·Provide all of the project documents.

·Provide needed assistance related to explanations regarding the project including the specific objectives and relevant indicators.

·Arrange the logistics to conduct the FGDs in the field and all KIIs.

·Provide timely feedback on the draft report and the final report.

Treatment of the information

All data and information received for the purpose of this assignment are to be treated confidentially and are only to be used in connection with the execution of these terms of reference. All intellectual property rights arising from the execution of these terms of reference are assigned to the IRC. The contents of written material obtained and used in this assignment may not be disclosed to any third parties without the expressed advance written authorization of the implementing IRC

Time Frame:

The time frame will be as the following:

The project must be fully completed no later than 31^st of Apr 2020

KEY WORKING RELATIONSHIPS:

Consultancy Manager:ERD coordinator based in Amman.

Key points of contact during the mission:

·ERD Technical Advisor

·Project Training Specialist

·ERD Deputy Program Manager

·ERD information management team

·Minimum 5 years of experience in Digital literacy training and digital skills building, including drafting curriculums and M&E tools.

·Fluent in Arabic and English, written and oral.

·Significant experience in conducting FGDs and KIIs.

·Excellent writing skills and ability to articulate the linkage between findings, analysis, and program recommendations.

·Proven experience and track record of timely and high quality completion of assignments.

·Strong communication and presentation skills

·Flexible attitude towards receiving feedback.

REQUIRED PERSONAL SKILLS:

·Ability to listen and understand others’ needs and contextualize them.

·Ability to immerse oneself in detail without getting lost in it

·Proactive and self-motivated approach to work

·High level of organization and time management, as well as an ability to learn quickly and produce high quality work under tight deadlines

·Can discern the difference between confidential and public information, and can de-identify sensitive information.

Note: List of responsibilities, professional and personal skills are considered indicative and not exhaustive; actual duties may differ or change depending on office and agency priorities at the time.

For more information please contact Sawsan.issa@rescue.org.

IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status or disability.