UNDP Jobs - 60123- Best Practices Guideline and Toolkit for Private S

Best Practices Guideline and Toolkit for Private Sector Engagement in Skills Development

Location :

Home Based

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

05-Oct-15 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

60 working days

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

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. UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

Background

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Istanbul International Center for Private Sector in Development (IICPSD) has a mandate to leverage the role of the private sector in development. One of IICPSD’s thematic areas of work is the private sector’s role in skills generation. In this framework, IICPSD is conducting research aiming at identifying successful examples of private sector-led or PPP-based skills generation initiatives for the purpose of generating knowledge; completed one in Turkey and another ongoing in India.

Rationale of the Assignment

Productive capacities are the pathways towards sustainable incomes for the disadvantaged as well as increased productivity for the companies. 2008 Growing Inclusive Markets report of UNDP has identified the absence of necessary knowledge and skills as one of the key constraints that limit the growth of inclusive markets. Without the required skills, integrating the disadvantaged to the market as consumers, entrepreneurs and employees is challenging. Despite this vital role, skills development continues to face serious challenges worldwide, including shortfalls in physical and educational infrastructure; the absence of win-win cooperation between the private sector and education and training providers; and financing issues.

Private sector has a crucial role to play both in the design and delivery of skills development. The engagement of private sector actors such as companies, chambers, business associations and the like, can enhance the integration of labor market signals to the training cycle and ensure that the market-relevant employability skills are acquired by students and trainees, especially the disadvantaged groups like the youth.

The overall target of the consultancy is to develop A Best Practices Guideline and Toolkit on Engaging Private Sector in Skills Development that distill the findings from the series of case analysis conducted by IICPSD to identify good practices at the macro, meso (skills ecosystem framework and sector, region, cluster or value chain specific) or micro level and transform the research results into a scalable best practices guideline that could be further upgraded in the future with new research inputs.

The guidelines and toolkit will guide governments, local authorities, training providers, civil society actors and other key stakeholders on developing effective partnerships with companies, chambers and other business support organizations to improve the results of skills education and training. It will offer a contextual framework with applied examples, insights and lessons from the findings of the 5 completed and 10 in-progress case studies by IICPSD, covering private sector-led and public private partnership skills development models from Turkey and India.

The guidelines and toolkit should be structured in a way to absorb new evidence from research on other initiatives/in different countries. The content should also be organized in conformity with the requirements of an interactive digital knowledge platform, conveniently deployable to various multimedia platforms including websites.

The guidelines and toolkit will also outline how the private sector can contribute to active labour market measures to complement the UNDP’s work that address lack of employability skills for the disadvantaged youth, women and other marginalized groups.

The consultant should focus on providing in-depth guide/toolkit that will provide instructions on the focus and structure of and content for partnerships with the business community (chambers, business associations, firms, etc), along with standardized implementation materials on engaging private sector in skills development. To this end, s/he should consult with international organizations that possess significant experience and know-how on private sector engagement in skills development, such as the ILO, OECD and others. The structured expert consultations should provide inputs to enhance the framework of the guidelines and toolkit, ensure that they reflect current prominent practices and facilitate its uptake by practitioners.

All the suggestions should follow best practices on public-private dialogue with clear risk/benefit analysis, diagnosis, design and implementation as well as effective monitoring and evaluation. For each step and procedure, the consultant should also provide the necessary guidelines and tools.

Duties and Responsibilities

Scope of Work

This consultancy intends to develop a finished product of A Best Practices Guidelines and Toolkit on Engaging Private Sector in Skills Development as a key deliverable for expanding on the findings of IICPSD research activities in Turkey and India on prominent models of private sector engagement in the design and delivery of skills. The consultant will work in consultation with and under the guidance and supervision of the UNDP IICPSD Deputy Director and Technical Specialist.

The proposed pillars of the initiative-specific guidelines and associated toolkit should include but not be limited to:

Executive Summary:

Brief overview of the best practices guideline and toolkit, summarizing key aspects.

Introduction:

Overview of the best practices guideline and toolkit and the topic of private sector in skills design and delivery; target audience; purpose and ways to implement the guideline and toolkit.

Background:

Overview of relevant background information including:

Skills for productivity, competitiveness and growth;
Basic information on PS engagement towards a competitive skills development system;
Relevance of skills to global economic and development agenda;
Skills for SDGs;
Relation of skills to UNDP and inclusive markets concept;
G20 skills development and inclusive business strategies;
Employability skills development for disadvantaged groups.

Component 1

Context of macro-level strategies and international best practices, highlighting examples from the case studies of IICPSD and significant approaches of private sector engagement in skills development around the world, and providing guidance to the target audience for further technical knowledge and information through providing the approaches of and a reference list from dedicated institutions such as ILO and OECD. This includes: legal/institutional/policy frameworks for private sector to engage in skills design and delivery; enabling environment including factors (regulations, incentives, etc.) that increase the participation of business community in skills development; legal framework for skills partnerships; linkages of skills development approaches to macro level policies; practical approaches for skills to contribute to broader business and economic development goals; and ways to tap the full potential of the government, private sector and community to leverage skills for innovation, productivity and earnings.

All content should also be organized and ready to be uploaded to an interactive platform (including key terms to be linked, highlights, summaries, etc.).

Component 2

Meso-level prominent practices on private sector’s involvement and engagement towards building multi-stakeholder partnerships which incorporate workforce development for industry, cluster, sector or value chain-wise skills partnerships, alliances and local governance frameworks; lessons and highlights on implementation pulled out from IICPSD case analysis. This includes: market studies, supply-demand identification and placement linkages; categorizing and strengthening the relationships and engagement for workforce development among the key players of the skills ecosystem, including both formal and informal networks; employer responsibilities in skills development and industry ownership;

business settings, institutional and policy frameworks, modes of engaging labor, structure of jobs, level and type of skill formation and other contextual factors that affect skills development in a specific ecosystem; dual focus (skills acquisition for the disadvantaged and skilled human resources for the employers) solutions; the role of bodies such as sector skills councils in assessment, quality assurance and certification; strategies for sectoral skills development plans, etc. All content should also be organized and ready to be uploaded to an interactive platform (including key terms to be linked, highlights, summaries etc.).

Component 3

Micro-level models of how to partner with businesses for effective skills development throughout the training value-chain and overcome barriers to employer participation in training; applied examples of implementation for each step from IICPSD research. This includes: A) private sector engagement in sourcing in the form of market studies, supply-demand identification and placement linkages in partnership with the business community; strategies and ways to integrate labor market signals as inputs for more demand-driven skills design and delivery, such as structured labor market information systems, and skills needs assessment studies and projections for the future in cooperation with the private sector B) role of private sector in developing training standards and content including contributing to identification of required skills and competencies; curriculum development and training of trainers through sectoral expertise and know-how with modules targeting employability of the disadvantaged, such as industry-relevant skills and life skills C) demand-oriented training delivery covering community mobilization through active private sector involvement; strategies for overcoming mobilization barriers for the poor, especially rural populations, etc; prominent practices for training of trainers through integrating private sector knowledge and know-how; private sector support to counseling and choice of training; the acquisition of practical and industry-relevant skills through internships/apprenticeships, on-the-job trainings, mentorship, etc. by the private sector; life skills; and other innovative practices of the business community in skills delivery, such as the leveraging of technology for access, quality and scale D) contributions of businesses and business support organizations to assessment & certification, particularly private sector engagement in the assessment and certification of skills and skills trainings, including developing quality assurance procedures E) placement, including employment linkages and partnerships with the private sector; and innovative solutions, especially for the base of the pyramid, tapping the private sector’s innovation and entrepreneurial capacity F) post-placement support in cooperation with businesses, covering hand-holding activities, private sector’s contribution to career progression and career ladder such as workplace coaching G) cross-cutting issues in skilling, including innovations; financing; training for impact (private sector-led and industry oriented skills delivery to the disadvantaged, gende mainstreaming, life skills, CSR initiatives on skills development, private sector-civil society partnerships); governance and partnership approaches. All content should also be organized and ready to be uploaded to an interactive platform (including key terms to be linked, highlights, summaries, etc.).

The associated tool sections are expected to be annexes to chapters. Each tool should have at least the following main components: goals; description including strategies, stakeholders, assumptions; engagement stage(s) best supported; expected outputs; key activities and reporting; other resources.

Target audience

The guidelines and toolkit is aimed to facilitate the work of the following target audiences:

Policy makers and donors to obtain information on how to coordinate efforts through partnership policies and allocate resources to leverage the role of the private sector in skills development and to support the skills acquisition of the disadvantaged.
Companies and other private sector decision makers, including chambers and business associations: to comprehend how to work with training providers and other key stakeholders towards effective skills development solutions.
Local authorities and practitioners to access knowledge and expertise on the provision of employability skills at the local level, especially with regards to overcoming skills development challenges through local governance and partnership frameworks.
Training providers: to understand which good practices to adopt and how, along with strategies for building partnerships with different stakeholders in divergent contexts.

Deliverables

An approach to work document on how to address the objectives, detailed outline of the guidelines with sub-headings and paragraph summaries, brief methodology (criteria and questionnaire for the framework for best practices, which should be representative of different contexts), tentative reference list and names of the institutions and experts that will be interviewed, along with the outline of the consultation/interview process and consultation questions to validate and improve the guidelines and toolkit.

Estimated Duration - 2 working days Target Due Date: 06.10.2015.

Component 1

Context of macro-level strategies and international best practices, highlighting examples from the case studies of IICPSD and providing guidance to the target audience for further technical knowledge and information from dedicated institutions such as ILO and OECD.

Estimated Duration - 6 working days Target Due Date: 14.10.2015.

Integrate all the comments and feedback of IICPSD and from structured expert consultations for Component 1.

Estimated Duration - 2 working days Target Due Date: 16.10.2015.

Component 2: Meso-level prominent practices on private sector’s involvement and engagement towards building a multi-stakeholder partnerships which incorporate workforce development for industry, cluster, sector or value chain-wise skills partnerships, alliances and local governance frameworks; lessons and highlights on implementation pulled out from IICPSD case analysis.

Estimated Duration - 13 working days Target Due Date: 04.11.2015.

Integrate all the comments and feedback of IICPSD and from structured expert consultations for Component 2.

Estimated Duration - 2 working days Target Due Date: 06.11.2015.

Component 3 Micro-level models of how to partner with businesses for effective skills development throughout the training value-chain and overcome barriers to employer participation in training; applied examples of implementation for each step from IICPSD research.

Estimated Duration - 15 working days Target Due Date: 27.11.2015.

Integrate all the comments and feedback of IICPSD and from structured expert consultations for Component 3.

Estimated Duration - 2 working days Target Due Date: 01.12.2015.

An approach to work document on the proposed tools for each component, with goals; description including strategies, stakeholders, assumptions; engagement stage(s) best supported; expected outputs; key activities and reporting; other resources.

Estimated Duration - 2 working days Target Due Date: 04.12.2015.

Submit tools for Component 1 as per the approach to work document and further IICPSD guidance.

Estimated Duration - 4 working days Target Due Date: 11.12.2015.

Submit tools for Component 2 as per the approach to work document and further IICPSD guidance.

Estimated Duration - 5 working days Target Due Date: 18.12.2015.

Submit tools for Component 3 as per the approach to work document and further IICPSD guidance.

Estimated Duration - 4 working days Target Due Date: 25.12.2015.

Finalize the guidelines and toolkit with the Introduction, Executive Summary and Background sections, with additional information based upon IICPSD’s request, share all key reference materials and background documents, submit the final, print-ready and digitally compatible manuscript edited for substance, technical quality and consistency of style.

Estimated Duration - 3 working days Target Due Date: 31.12.2015.

Reporting Line

The consultant will be responsible to the IICPSD Technical Specialist for the completion of the tasks and duties assigned under the scope defined in Article-C. The reports shall be submitted to the IICPSD Deputy Director for final approval. All of the reports are subject to approval by the IICPSD Deputy Director in order to realize the payments to the consultant. Without submission and approval of the deliverables, the consultant shall not receive any payment even if he/she invests time for this assignment.

Reporting Language - Deliverables should be prepared and submitted in English.

Reporting Line

Title Rights: The title rights, copyrights, and all other rights whatsoever nature in any material produced under the provisions of this ToR will be vested exclusively in UNDP.

Competencies

Corporate Competencies:

Commitment to UNDP’s mission, vision and values;
Sensitivity to cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age differences;
Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP;
Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
Treats all people fairly without favoritism.

Functional Competencies:

Strong analytical and research skills in private sector and skills development issues;
Understanding of how could skills design and delivery contribute to human development and inclusive growth;
Sound understanding of private sector’s role in the area of skills development with a focus on multi-stakeholder partnerships;
Ability and experience to deliver quality reports within the given time with forward-looking conclusions and recommendations;
Ability to produce high-quality outputs and in a timely manner while understanding and anticipating the evolving client needs;
Ability to focus on impact and results for the client, promoting and demonstrating an ethic of client service;
Ability to work independently, flexibly and under pressure utilizing initiative;
Sound judgment, strategic thinking and the ability to manage competing priorities;
Flexibility in responding to changing priorities in a fast-paced environment.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Master degree in relevant fields : international development, international relations, business administration, vocational education and training;
PhD in a related research area is an asset.

Experience:

At least 10 years of relevant international experience with minimum of 5 years in issues related to skills development;
Proven track record of publications, preferably in the skills development area, based upon excellent writing and analytical skills in English (samples may be requested as reference);
Proven track record of quality reports within the given time with forward-looking conclusions and strategic recommendations;
Previous research/analysis experience related with skills development programmes that aim to empower the disadvantaged or focusing on partnerships with the private sector is an asset.

Language:

Fluent in English.

Notes:

Internships (paid/unpaid) are not considered professional experience;
Obligatory military service is not considered professional experience;
Professional experience gained in an international setting is considered international experience;
Experience gained prior to completion of undergraduate studies is not considered professional experience;
Documents that demonstrate participation to project cycle management are not considered an internationally recognized project management certificate.

Application Evaluation Process

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on the cumulative analysis methodology (weighted scoring method), where the award of the contract will be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

Responsive/compliant/acceptable; and
Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.

Technical Criteria weight: [70%]

Financial Criteria weight: [30%]

Only Individual Consultants obtaining a minimum of 49 points (70%) on the Technical evaluation would be considered for the Financial Evaluation.

Technical Criteria - 70% of total evaluation – max. 100 points:

Sound understanding of private sector’s role in the area of skills development – 30 points;
Proven track record of publications, preferably in the skills development area, based upon excellent writing and analytical skills in English – 20 points;
Proven track record of quality reports within the given time with forward-looking conclusions and strategic recommendations – 30 points;
Previous research/analysis experience related with skills development programmes that aim to empower the disadvantaged or focusing on partnerships with the private sector is an asset – 20 points.

Financial Criteria - 30% of Total Evaluation

The following formula will be used to evaluate financial proposal:

p = y (µ/z), where

p = points for the financial proposal being evaluated;
y = maximum number of points for the financial proposal;
µ = price of the lowest priced proposal;
z = price of the proposal being evaluated.

UNDP is applying fair and transparent selection process that would take into account both the technical qualification of Individual Consultants as well as their price proposals. The contract will be awarded to the candidate obtaining the highest combined technical and financial scores.

UNDP retains the right to contact references directly.

Payments will be made only upon confirmation of UNDP on delivering on the contract obligations in a satisfactory manner.

The assignment is home based and the IICPSD will not provide equipment or facilities to the consultant during the assignment. UNDP will provide project documents and background information, and facilitate meetings with the stakeholders. All documents and data provided to the consultant are confidential and cannot be used for any other purposes or shared with a third party without any written approval from UNDP.

Individual Consultants are responsible for ensuring they have vaccinations/inoculations when travelling to certain countries, as designated by the UN Medical Director. Consultants are also required to comply with the UN security directives set forth under dss.un.org.

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