International expert on establishment of National Skills Council (National Body for coordination of VET stakeholders) and Advisory Board (school board for coordination with stakeholders)

Background

The Government of Azerbaijan has recognized the importance of developing the VET system in the “Strategic Roadmap for Vocational Education and Training,” “Strategic Roadmap on SME development” (approved in 2016) and many other government programmes. The general objective of these policy documents is to reform Azerbaijan’s VET system and lead to better results through improvements in infrastructure, educational content, professional capacity, recognition of prior learning, internal quality assurance and social partnerships (including public-private partnerships).

The EU funded UNDP implemented project “VET for the future: Development of VET providers’ excellence in Azerbaijan” is intended to support the modernization of VET institutions in Azerbaijan to deliver competence-based training in order to increase the attractiveness and labour market relevance of VET.  Project activities will be piloted in seven VET schools/centers (four in Baku and three in the  

regions - Ganja, Jalilabad and Sheki). The selected regions are a top priority for the Ministry of Education, especially for State Agency on VE and have been selected based on factors such as labor market relevance, priority sectors for country development, private sector interest and the existence of required infrastructure. The project’s main target groups will be youth, adults, internally displaced persons, professional, administrative and management staff of the center and unemployed men and women. The project is also expected to increase public awareness, change occupational stereotypes, improve inclusivity and support for people with disabilities and attract more women to VET. The best practices derived through this project in the targeted locations with be later further replicated in other regions.

1. Objective of the assignment

At present, vocational education refers mainly to the activities of vocational education institutions subordinated by the SAVE. But at the same time, there are educational institutions under the auspices of other state institutions and agencies related to vocational education and training. In general, there is a strong need for coordination of VET service providers, private sector and other interested groups at the national level, both in terms of government funding and management of vocational education, as well as the close integration of other interested groups in this process. By creating a platform for information exchange and discussion at the sector level, it is possible to develop sector-level vision taking into account the views of all stakeholders and to discuss and resolve other related fundamental issues in the VET sector. At the national level, the project will support the establishment of the National Skills Council tasked with the coordination of matters related to vocational education. This includes the development/preparation of guidelines and regulatory documents, as well as facilitation of the work of the National Skills Council.

The National Skills Council will be a platform formed with the participation of key interested groups in vocational education across the country, where various topics (policy, regulatory, development, etc.) are discussed and recommendations are made to relevant agencies. Representatives of government agencies such as SAVE, MLSPP and etc., the private sector and their organizations (chambers, confederations), employees and other interested groups (international organizations, trade unions, etc.) will be presented in the National Skills Council. The work schedule and organization of the Council will be coordinated by SAVE. The Council will have its own secretariat and the topics, documents and issues to be discussed will be determined in advance. The Council will be a platform where the top management of the organizations will be represented.

The process should be consultative, to raise awareness of skills challenges in the country, develop possible solutions and achieve consensus on joint action. The process should be inclusive, involving coordination among all ministries and agencies engaged in skills development, and other relevant ministries, including finance for resource allocation.  It is nevertheless critical to identify a lead agency or ministry as responsible for overall implementation, reporting, monitoring and evaluation (e.g. the national apex agencies for skills development or TVET). 

At the national level, the project will support the establishment of the National Skills Council tasked with the coordination of matters related to vocational education. This includes the development/preparation of guidelines and regulatory documents, as well as facilitation of the work of the National Skills Council.

The National Skills Council will be a platform formed with the participation of key interested groups in vocational education across the country, where various topics (policy, regulatory, development, etc.) are discussed and recommendations are made to relevant agencies. Representatives of government agencies such as SAVE, MLSPP and etc., the private sector and their organizations (chambers, confederations), employees and other interested groups (international organizations, trade unions, etc.) will be presented in the National Skills Council. The work schedule and organization of the Council will be coordinated by SAVE. The Council will have its own secretariat and the topics, documents and issues to be discussed will be determined in advance. The Council will be a platform where the top management of the organizations will be represented.

The process should be consultative, to raise awareness of skills challenges in the country, develop possible solutions and achieve consensus on joint action. The process should be inclusive, involving coordination among all ministries and agencies engaged in skills development, and other relevant ministries, including finance for resource allocation.  It is nevertheless critical to identify a lead agency or ministry as responsible for overall implementation, reporting, monitoring and evaluation (e.g. the national apex agencies for skills development or TVET).

Duties and Responsibilities

The International consultant will set out key principles of sound policy formation in this context: 

• Social dialogue and social partner involvement

              The involvement and input of all stakeholders is essential.

• An informed but locally grounded approach

              The starting point for policy development should be grounded in the particular conditions, existing institutional setting and skills challenges of the country, rather than in an ideal model that is out of step with reality. Policy-makers should be well informed about international good practice and, to the extent that such data exist, be based on sound evidence regarding the challenges to be addressed by the policy. Policy design should be based on a realistic assessment of its feasibility, including the level of commitment of the key stakeholders.

• All efforts should be underpinned by continuous research

              Development of guidelines of the National Skills Council and review should be supported by continuous research into various aspects of human resources development (including identifying skill needs, learning and training methodologies, identification of barriers for accessing training, and international best practice etc.); Continuous monitoring and evaluation of the policy’s impact will provide key inputs for policy review

The international consultant will be responsible:

National Skills Council

1. Development of guidelines of the National Skills Council (NSC), including structure and functions of NSC in the basis of international best practices
2. Workshop to validate guidelines of NSC (Depend on developed guidelines one or two days’ workshop should be organised for staff of SAVE, Ministry of Education and other related stakeholders indicated in the guideline in Baku. After workshop the final version of guidelines should be prepared and submitted for SAVE and UNDP.
3. Identification of potential members of NSC and preparation of recommendations regarding members of NSC to VET Agency 
4. Establishment of NSC and Facilitation and coordination of meetings and events of NS

Advisory Board

The project also intending to establish “school advisory boards” to support managing staff and to ensure participation of industry sector in the school management. These boards will bring together representatives of the private sector, government agencies and VET providers at all levels.

1. Development of guidelines for Advisory Board
2. Establishment of Advisory Boards in one VET providers

Competencies

• Demonstrates integrity by modelling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
• Good problem-solving skill required;
• Demonstrates good oral and written communication skills;
• Ability to work efficiently in a team, and reporting;

Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude.

Required Skills and Experience

 Education:        

• At least master degree in Education, Economy, public policy or in social science.

Experience:

• 7 years working experience in Vocational Education and Training or private sector engagement;
• 3 years working experience as international expert in EU other donor funded projects 
• Ability to communicate effectively both orally and verbally, using generally accepted

Language:

• Excellent English written and communication skills, with analytic capacity and ability to synthesize relevant collected data and findings for the preparation of quality analysis for the project proposal;
• Sharing knowledge and experience, communicating ideas and managing information flow
• Good ability in partnering and networking
• Outstanding time management and organizational skills

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on the following methodologies:

1. Cumulative evaluation that takes into account both financial offer and the technical expertise of the potential candidates

A two-stage procedure will be utilized in evaluating the proposals, with evaluation of the technical component being completed prior to any price component being reviewed and compared.  The Price Component will be reviewed only for those individuals whose Technical Component meets the requirements for the assignment.  The total number of points which individual may obtain for both components is 100.

The technical component, which has a total possible value of 70 points, will be evaluated using the following criteria:

• At least master degree in Education, Economy, public policy or in social science; (10 points)
• 7 years working experience in Vocational Education and Training or private sector engagement; (20 points)
• 3 years working experience as international expert in EU other donor funded projects (10 points)
• Work approach; (30 points)

• If the substantive presentation of a technical proposal achieves the minimum of 49 points, the competitiveness of the offered consultancy expenses will be taken into account in the following manner:               

  The total amount of points for the fees component is 30. The maximum number of points shall be allotted to the lowest fees proposed that is compared among those invited individuals which obtain the threshold points in the evaluation of the technical proposal. All other proposals shall receive points in inverse proportion to the lowest fees; e.g;

                                    [30 Points] x [US$ lowest]/[US$ other] = points for other proposer’s fees

  Note: Having reviewed applications received, UNDP will invite the top 3 shortlisted candidates for an interview.

Travel: 

The assignment will be a combination of field and home-based works. 

The Expert should undertake at 3 missions to Baku within assignment. He/She will report to the Project management unit and UNDP CO Azerbaijan. The payment will be a lump-sum payment inclusive of consultancy fee, DSAs for in-country full consultancy days, round-trip tickets and concomitant terminal expenses.

The consultant should take into consideration the DSA rates in the country based on UNDP rules (USD 141 in Baku and USD 96 to the regions).

Interested candidates, along with their technical proposal, will have to submit their financial proposal by taking into account those expected travels, and showing in their financial proposals breakdown of financial expenses for consultancy fee.

The system accepts only one attachment, so please, send both technical and financial proposals as one attachment.