Background

Albania’s vocational education and training (VET) and vocational skills development (VSD) system all too often has failed to equip students with the req­uisite knowledge, competences and skills for a suc­cessful transition into the labour market. This has resulted in an unsuitably qualified labour force, skills shortages and soaring youth unemployment. Recognizing the need to systematically address em­ployment by re-orienting the vocational education and training and vocational skills development sys­tem towards labour market needs, and modernizing and extending outreach of employment services, the Albanian government adopted the National Employ­ment and Skills Strategy 2014-2020.

UNDP globally and regionally has built a strategic vision that recognizes the importance of creating employment opportunities as a means to addressing both poverty reduction and inequalities and exclusion. Indeed, the first outcome of the recently adopted United Nations Youth System Wide Action Plan focuses on Employment and Entrepreneurship with the intention to ensure greater opportunities for youth to secure decent work and income over the life-cycle, contributing to a virtuous circle of poverty reduction, sustainable development and social inclusion. To support the integration of various youth employment policy objectives through coordinated action, UNDP Albania, in collaboration with other UN agencies has designed and implemented several skill development / employment related interventions.

After six years of experience addressing labor supply interventions, UNDP Albania’s strategic vision is to contribute to building a labour-market focused skills development system that is suited to enhance the employment and entrepreneurship aspects of the unemployed in urban and rural areas, while simultaneously addressing the skills needs of those employed in the formal and informal sectors and emerging entrepreneurs.

The ambition of the Swiss funded Skills Development for Employment (SD4E) Programme is to make a systemic contribution to the modernization of Al­bania’s VET/VSD system by addressing several key challenges: skills mismatch and unequal access to employment and training services; labour market challenges in rural areas; insufficient governance of funding for employment and training; lack of coor­dination / collaboration in the system; inadequate labour market information; and insufficient quality and relevance of VET and VSD providers and their programmes. The overall goal of the programme is that “more young women and men in urban and rural areas in Albania are employed or self-employed.” In order to achieve this goal the programme focuses on four outcomes:

Outcome 1:       Improving and diversifying employment promotion measures, and advancing their governance

Outcome 2:       Improved environment and regulatory framework for up-scaling work-based learning schemes (elements of dual system)

Outcome 3:       Quality assurance and accreditation of VET/VSD providers

Outcome 4:       Anticipating skills needs in the short and medium term

Duties and Responsibilities

The two Outcome Coordinators (1 – on Work-Based Learning and 2 – on Quality Assurance and Accreditation of VET providers) will work under the guidance of Programme Specialist / Advisor and the direct daily supervision of the Deputy Team Leader. The Outcome Coordinator is expected to contribute to strategic decision making for programme purposes and is responsible for the operational management of the specific outcome.

The General Tasks of the two Outcome Coordinators which are relevant for the overall management of the programme include:

• Flag any (potential) risks, bottlenecks, challenges vis-à-vis Outcome and/or Technical Committee, and/or Programme Specialist/Advisor;
• Ensure quality and timely documentation of Outcome implementation, progress and experiences as well as regular financial and narrative reporting to UNDP.
• Prepare progress and ad-hoc reports as and when required;
• Work closely with the CO team for resolving any implementation issues or sharing information on progress of implementation;
• Assume other duties as assigned;

The Specific Tasks of the Outcome Coordinator on Work-Based Learning which are relevant for the management of the Outcome 2 of the programme include:

1. Overlook, coordinate and manage the programme activities in his/her own area of responsibility, including (but not limited to) the following:
   • Oversee the feasibility study on work-based learning schemes in Albania, inclusive of cost-benefit analysis, advantages and disadvantages of different schemes.
   • Facilitate the functioning of the sector working groups on scaling up best practices in work based learning, elaboration of short to medium term implementation plans
   • Support capacity building interventions at all levels (individual, institutional and systemic), particularly to the private sector;
   • Oversee the assessment and provide technical assistance for school and company related reforms (in priority occupations);
   • Support and oversee legal research and follow up on the proposed legislative changes.
2. Ensure the flawless running of the programme activities, including the proper administration of all resources in his/her own area of responsibility;
3. Coordinate research and needs assessment activities in the area of responsibility;
4. Contribute to the outcome implementation with e.g. research, fact-finding, information sharing etc.;
5. Ensure good collaboration and working relations with the working group members;
6. Offer coaching and support for working group members;
7. Support and closely collaborate with consultants mandated by UNDP for purposes related to the programme;
8. Contribute with ideas the capitalization of experience, e.g. by contributing to the drafting of documentation;
9. Ensure good collaboration and networking with other national and international institutions concerned issues related to the  area of responsibility;
10. Coordinate the work and find synergies whenever possible at with other donor or GoA funded interventions in order to increase the impact generated by the programme.

The Specific Tasks of the Outcome Coordinator on Quality Assurance and Accreditation of VET providers which are relevant for the management of the Outcome 3 of the programme include:

1. Overlook, coordinate and manage the programme activities in his/her own area of responsibility, including (but not limited to) the following:
   • Oversee comparative research on quality assurance and accreditation in Albania, models of a National Quality Assurance Framework for VET and their relative strengths and weaknesses;
   • Support the selection of an appropriate model for Albania, and the identification of legal gaps / needed regulatory changes;
   • Oversee the work on defining standards, mechanisms, tools and instruments for the quality assurance and accreditation framework
   • Facilitate the functioning of the working group on quality assurance and accreditation of VET providers;
   • Support capacity building interventions for NAVETQ and other relevant institutions;
   • Support the identification of needs of stakeholders and interested groups, and oversee the design and implementation of needed awareness raising campaigns;
   • Support and oversee legal research and follow up on the proposed legislative changes.
2. Ensure the flawless running of the programme activities, including the proper administration of all resources in his/her own area of responsibility;
3. Coordinate research and needs assessment activities in the area of responsibility;
4. Contribute to the outcome implementation with e.g. research, fact-finding, information sharing etc.;
5. Ensure good collaboration and working relations with the working group members;
6. Offer coaching and support for working group members;
7. Support and closely collaborate with consultants mandated by UNDP for purposes related to the programme;
8. Contribute with ideas the capitalization of experience, e.g. by contributing to the drafting of documentation;
9. Ensure good collaboration and networking with other national and international institutions concerned issues related to the  area of responsibility;
10. Coordinate the work and find synergies whenever possible at with other donor or GoA funded interventions in order to increase the impact generated by the programme.

Competencies

Core Competencies:

• Demonstrating/safeguarding ethics and integrity;
• Demonstrate corporate knowledge and sound judgement;
• Self-development, initiative-taking;
• Act as a team player;
• Creating synergies through self-control;
• Conflict resolution skills;
• Learning and sharing knowledge;

Functional Competencies:

• Knowledge and expertise in employment promotion and/or skills development;
• Analytical skills including presentation of analysis for decision-making and knowledge sharing;
• Strong communication skills (written, spoken, composing, presentation) and ability to share expertise for capacity building;
• Political and cultural sensitivity and commitment to UNDP’s development objectives in the country.

Required Skills and Experience

Education/Academic Qualification:

• University Degree in International Development, Economics, Education Social Sciences or closely related field of studies

Work experience:

• At least 6 years of management and coordination experience in complex, multi-stakeholder environment Technical knowledge in the field of employment promotion, skills development, private sector and;
• Demonstrated leadership abilities and organizational capacity;
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills;
• Prior experience in employment related programmes is desirable;
• Previous experience/familiarity with UNDP or other UN agencies is desirable;
• Excellent analytical skills

Language requirement:

• Excellent communication and report-writing skills in English and Albanian

Application Procedure:

Qualified and interested candidates are requested to apply by 30 March, 2015.

Please submit the following to demonstrate your interest and qualifications by explaining why you are the most suitable for the work:

• Completed and signed UN Personal History Form (P11) for Service Contracts (SSC) and Individual Contracts (IC) – Blank form Download here.
• Financial Proposal - The financial proposal shall include the consultancy monthly rate expressed in ALL.

Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please make sure you have provided all requested documents.

UNDP applies a fair and transparent selection process that would take into account both the technical qualification of Individual Consultants as well as their financial proposals. The contract will be awarded to the candidate whose offer:

• Is deemed technically responsive / compliant / acceptable (only technically responsive applications / candidates will be considered for the financial evaluation)
• And has obtained the highest combined technical and financial scores.

Technical Criteria - 70% of total evaluation – max points: 70

Criteria A: Technical knowledge in the field of employment promotion, skills development, private sector   – max points: 30

Criteria B: Educational background– max points: 15

Criteria C: Management and coordination – max points: 15

Criteria D: Analytical skills – max points: 10

Financial Criteria - 30% of total evaluation – max points: 30

UNDP retains the right to contact references directly.

Due to a large number of applications we receive, we are able to inform only the successful candidates about the outcome or status of the selection process.

How to Submit the Application:

To submit your application online, please follow the steps below:

• Download and complete the UN Personal History Form (P11) for Service Contracts (SCs) and Individual Contracts (ICs)
• Merge your UN Personal History Form (P11) for Service Contracts (SCs) and Individual Contracts (ICs) and cover letter into a single file. The system does not allow for more than one attachment to be uploaded;
• Click on the Job Title (job vacancy announcement); Click “Apply Now” button, fill in necessary information on the first page, and then click “Submit Application;” Upload your application/single file as indicated above with the merged documents (underlined above);
• You will receive an automatic response to your email confirming receipt of your application by the system.

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.