Technical support to the setup and maintenance of online training

UNICEF in Serbia is seeking a qualified individual contractor to provide technical support to the setup and maintenance of online training. Duration of the assignment: December 2019 – December 2020 (part-time, up to 22 working days)

Early childhood education and care is a right of all children and a global commitment recognized by the UN’s Sustainable Developmental Goal 4 with the objective to ensure that all boys and girls have access to quality early childhood education and care by 2030. The Government of Serbia has recognized that quality Early Childhood Education and Care programs play a critical role in laying the necessary foundation for skills development early on, and for narrowing the equity gap in education access and performance.

In order to strengthen the capacities of pre-school teachers for the implementation of the new pre-school curriculum and approach, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technical Development (MoESTD) is, through the project “Inclusive Preschool Education”, adding about 17,000 preschool spaces for children and will roll out a comprehensive capacity building programme for 12,000 pre-school teachers. The implementing partner for the capacity building of preschools for the implementation of the new preschool framework curricula is UNICEF. The mechanism envisaged to reach so many teachers is the “cascade training model”, e.g. to train core trainers, which will then form training pairs with pre-school teachers and expert associates for further dissemination of the training. The capacity building program will be implemented in phases until 2022, as envisaged by the Rulebook on the Preschool Curriculum Framework.

A pool of 90 trainers/mentors, consisting of university professors and preschool practitioners is established and trained to carry out the capacity building program for pre-school teachers. The main components of the capacity building program will combine the following approaches: 1) blended training (classical training and e-learning) using active learning methods, 2) mentoring; 3) peer learning and horizontal exchange within the kindergarten/pre-school institutions and between pre-school institutions.

Work Assignment Overview:

To ensure the continued quality and proper administration of the online training, as well as the smooth online learning experience for 12,000 pre-school teachers, an individual contractor for online course setup and maintenance of online training will be engaged to support the MoESTD and UNICEF team in the implementation of the Capacity Building Programme for Preschool Education Curriculum Framework Implementation in Serbia. To ensure the sustainability of the resources, the on-line course will be part of the Learning Platform for Educators which is developed in cooperation of the Institute for Improvement of Education and UNICEF. 

Duration of the assignment: December 2019 – December 2020 (part-time, up to 22 working days)

Detailed task description:

Task 1. Online course setup and maintenance – adjust and maintain the existing online web app for issuing certificates within the Institute for the Improvement of Education, as needed by the Capacity Building Programme for the Preschool Education Curriculum Framework Implementation in Serbia:

• Adapt the trainging report application in order for the certification to be easily issued to all participants. (December 2019) Basic application functions to be adapted:
  • Creating a certificate template online for all training,
  • The automatic creation of certificates in PDF for all participants,
  • Searching for and downloading certificates for all participants.
• Proactively create a Q&A for the training report application.

 Task 2. Improve and maintain the online Learning Platform for Educators:

• Add new functionalities to the online Learning Platform for Educators as they arise,
• Liaise with the project team in order to identify and release the latest course materials to educators (on-going),
• Upload all materials related to new 40-hour online training (October 2020).

Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required:

• University degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering or similar.
• Professional experience related to administration, development and/or customization of an LMS solution in a public or enterprise environment.
• Proven working experience with PHP, HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript and MySQL.
• Demonstrated experience in developing and managing courses across multiple Moodle installations and versions.
• Fluency in both Serbian and English is required.
• Sound judgement is required in follow-up on requests.
• Ability to meet tight deadlines through excellent time management, organization and multi-tasking skills.
• Priority will be given to candidates who have participated in the process of developing a Continued Learning Platform for Educators.

How to apply:

The application must include a financial proposal in RSD as a separate document, providing the following information:

1. Daily rate (all costs included e.g. health insurance, pension, usage of mobile phone).

Important notes:

Incomplete applications will not be taken into consideration.

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

For every child, you must demonstrate UNICEF's core values of Care, Respect. Integrity, Trust and Accountability and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on sexual exploitation and abuse, and on any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will therefore undergo reference and background checks.