Program Assistant

Introduction

This project aims to address pressing needs to create jobs and provide skills development in remittance dependent communities in Siem Reap and Battambang Provinces - targeting returned migrants and vulnerable households – to mitigate the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many households in Siem Reap and Battambang provinces depend on remittances from their internal or external migrant household members. Having lost their jobs as a result of the recent economic downturn, returning migrants enter into a fragile socio-economic environment. The UN estimates that poverty in Cambodia will almost double to about 17.6 percent and unemployment will rise nearly seven-fold – developments that will more significantly affect the two targeted provinces.

The overall project aims to address pressing needs to create jobs and provide skills development in remittance dependent communities in Siem Reap and Battambang Provinces - targeting returned migrants and vulnerable households – to mitigate the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 2’500 Job opportunities and 60’000 workdays will be created through employment-intensive rural infrastructure works (WASH facilities, flood protection, drainage, access roads, etc.), thereby improving livelihoods and climate resilience.  Simultaneously, blended (online and face to face) TVET training will be developed and upgraded in related construction skills and in other sectors in demand by the labour market. Their provision to 3’000 beneficiaries will increase the future employability of the labour force of returning migrants and vulnerable households.

Informality continues to affect the majority of workers and limits their opportunities to access decent work and learning opportunities. The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed the vulnerability and necessity of skills and lifelong learning systems. In a short span of time, TVET systems have been challenged to move to distance and blended learning modalities, which in many cases were not well designed or implemented. To tackle these challenges, ILO and the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training (MOLVT) have been cooperating since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis to support the digital transformation of TVET at both policy and operational levels.

Moreover, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and cooperatives are also particularly vulnerable and will inevitably be severely affected. This represents a major risk for as MSMEs and cooperatives play a crucial part in the Cambodian economy, contributing to both economic and social development. It is estimated that SMEs represent more than 90 per cent of the 510,000 enterprises registered in Cambodia, employing approximately 1,874,670 persons,  of which 58.4 per cent are women.

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The Program assistant for skills and enterprise development interventions will assist the national skills development coordinator to implement the following interventions:

I) Capacity building of public and private TVET institutions in developing and delivering blended training, through :

- Coaching and capacity building of DGTVET management, other relevant ministries, employers’ organisations and TVET school managers to design, develop, supervise, and assess online and blended modular vocational training programmes;

- Training and capacity building of TVET trainers and private sector representatives to deliver, facilitate and assess modular online and blended vocational training and recognition of prior learning programmes; All modules will include green and gender-responsive competencies and can be used to skills, upskill, or reskill targeted beneficiaries;

- Training and capacity building of TVET trainers and private sector representatives to deliver and assess on the job certified training construction modular programmes delivered to workers involved in infrastructure works of the project;

- Training and capacity building of trainers and facilitators on the implementation of gender-sensitive blended learning and support packages on entrepreneurship and business revival, including additional supports such as online peer-to-peer learning, practical skills, mentoring and awareness of rights and equality.

II) Development and delivery of online/blended vocational training, including :

- Development of no less than 20 online and blended vocational training certified curricula modules including participant and trainers’ guidelines for selected occupations of the construction sector (e.g., carpentry, masonry, plumbing) and other selected priority sectors/occupations;

- 3,000 returning migrants, workers and students including people with disabilities accessed certified online and blended modular vocational training and recognition of prior learning programmes;

- About 300-500 community members from the targeted rural infrastructure works communities will have received training on construction-related skills;

- No less than 100 local MSMEs of villages targeted for infrastructure works will have received training and coaching on enterprise management.

Description of Duties

  
1. Collect and organize information from records and reports of activities related to the implementation of the Project activities.
2. Organize data and information, prepare and maintain records and documents in preparation for policy dialogue and technical consultations with regard to the implementation of the project.
3. Assist in all programming functions in relation to the implementation of the project, providing support and collaboration with other technical cooperation project staff, and participating in project activities and needs identification and prioritization in relation to the project.
4. Assist in drafting portions of the concept notes of the project activities.
5. Liaise with partners on the implementation of the Project, follow-up on matters of urgency, coordinate with partners and respond to requests from these partners.
6. Maintain contacts, where appropriate, with representatives of employers' and workers' organizations, and relevant government officials who are counterparts of the Project.
7. Assist in promoting the project activities in the country by drafting, editing and/or translating into local language news releases, official correspondence, statements and speeches and other public information material.
8. Assist in the preparation, production and dissemination of documentation, publication, promotional material, including the preparation of the local media campaign of the project activities. Participate in the briefing of parties interested in the ILO activities.
9. Participate in the preparation and running of seminars, workshops, training sessions and meetings, including preparing draft agenda, distribution of relevant materials and notes of the meetings in connection to the Project.
10. Participate in the preparation, briefing and debriefing of visiting missions to the Project, and may be required to carry out specific administrative and operational follow-up for programme activities of the Project.
11. Assist in the administration of resources, assist to prepare budget estimates and expenditure forecasts by analysing and monitoring situation of resources as compared to planned activities.
12. Assist to prepare briefs, progress reports, financial reports, ad-hoc reports and statistical data on status of project activities.
13. Assist in drafting correspondence, reports and in the administrative processing of the project in connection to the request for assistance of the Government and the organizations of employers and workers, and take appropriate follow-up action.
14. Participate in monitoring and review of progress made toward attainment of Sida allocation on employment and in the planning of the activities and work to successfully deliver the objectives.
15. For specific enterprise development interventions of the project, the PA will coordinate all activities under the guidance of the national enterprise development officer based in Phnom Penh.
16. Undertake other duties/tasks that may be assigned by the supervisor(s).

Required qualifications

Education

Secondary school supplemented by technical or university course in a related field such as business administration, development project, social service or equivalent.

Experience

Six years of work experience in areas related to administrative work, community development and programme support activities, preferably with an international agency.

Languages

Excellent knowledge of Khmer and good level of English language.

Competencies

- Knowledge of technical cooperation programme and good administrative skills to provide programming support.
- Good knowledge of programme planning, implementation and evaluation principles, practices and procedures.
- Good computer applications skills using MS Office applications.
- Good organizational skills
- Good drafting skills
- Good communication skills, both oral and written.
- Ability to work and communicate with people in a polite, courteous and cooperative manner.
- Ability to prepare preliminary reports and draft correspondence.
- Ability to work in a team and to take initiative as well as working under pressure.
- Capacity to demonstrate responsible behaviour and attention to detail.
- Capacity to liaise and network with a range of stakeholders including staff, government officials, employer representatives, unions, UN and NGOs.
- High level of ethical conduct, honesty and integrity.
- Ability to work in a multicultural environment and to demonstrate gender-sensitive and non-discriminatory behaviour and attitudes.