Background

In the recent years, Albania has made efforts to undertake structural reforms that aim at equitable growth, raising productivity and competitiveness in the economy, creating more jobs and improving public service delivery. In addition, enablers of growth have been identified, such as regional connectivity and accress to regional and global markets, as well market diversification.[1]

 

While these efforts have been challenged by external shocks such as the earthquake of November 2019 and the COVID-19 pandemic, the government remains committed to continue the policy reforms and define the new policy and and strategic framework in the relevant sectors until 2030.

 

The current National Employment and Skills Strategy 2022 was developed in the period between 2013 and 2014 and adopted by the end of 2014[2], including four strategic pillars: 1) decent employment opportunities through active labour market policies; 2) quality vocational education and training for youth and adults; 3) social inclusion and territorial cohesion, and 4) governance of employment and vocational qualifications systems.  

 

Following a mid-term review in 2018, the implementation of the Strategy was extended to 2022. Whilst the strategic priorities of the NESS 2014-2020 remained relevant for the extended implementation period, revisions were undertaken at the level of immediate results and activities of the Action Plan.[3]

 

In the final stage of NESS 2022 implementation, analysis shows that significant progress has been made, especially on the adoption of the new regulatory frameworks for both the VET sector and public employment services and policy, as well as for establishing the new governance and institutional arrangements. Achievements, challenges and lessons learnt from the implementation of NESS 2022 will guide the process of designing and developing the NESS 2030.

The EU integration agenda of the country, including EU priorities and policies in Vocational Education and Training have played a significant role in defining the strategic vision and priorities in the Albanian VET system. Thus, the most recently adopted Recommendation of the EU Council on VET[4], the Osnabrück Declaration, as well as the EU Skills Agenda will define the vision for an Albanian VET system that is based on the principles of agility, flexibility, permeability and inclusiveness, as well as underpinned by a culture of quality assurance. In this regard, the country will rely on the support of the European Training Foundation (ETF), as the responsible EU Agency, has established support and monitoring mechanisms for all its partner countries with regards to the  afore mentioned policies and priorities.

Similarily, with regards to the design of public employment policies, the country can rely on EU best practices and collaboration platforms, such as the the Network of European Public Employment Services (PES Network).

 

National and sector strategies including the future sector strategy on employment and skills are developed in the frame of a comprehensive system for policy making and coordination, the Integrated Planning System (IPS), which provides the overall architecture for a comprehensive system for policy-making and coordination.The three cornerstones of the IPS are: the national and sector strategies providing guidance to high-level; the European integration agenda; and the medium-term budget process detailing the short and medium-term planning and financial arrangements for the delivery of policies by each Ministry and government agency.[5]

 

In this context, methodological support and tools to responsible Ministries and government agencies are provided by the State Agency  for Strategic Programming and Aid Coordination (SASPAC).[6]

The SD4E Programme is seeking to engage a team of experts to support the technical working group established by the Minister of Finance[7] in developing the New Sector Strategy for Employment and Skills 2023-2030.

 

The Skills Development for Employment (SD4E) programme, financed by the Swiss Government and implemented by UNDP Albania continues to support the Government of Albania in the national VET and Employment reform through a comprehensive approach of institutional capacity building on a macro/policy level, enabling key actors (MFE, NES/NAES and NAVETQ) to deliver coordinated and demand-driven services. Responding to national priorities and the objectives of the National Employment and Skills Strategy, this Swiss funded intervention has the ambition to make a systemic contribution where the Albanian VET system and Employment Service supply the labour market with a skilled workforce that contributes to sustainable and inclusive economic development of the country.

 

[1] https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/albania/overview#1, last retrieved April 18, 2022

[2] DCM No. 818, dated 26.11.2014, https://qbz.gov.al/eli/vendim/2014/11/26/818

[3] DCM No.659, dated 10.10.2019, https://qbz.gov.al/eli/vendim/2019/10/10/659

[4] EU Council Recommendation on Vocational Education and Training, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32020H1202(01)&from=EN, last retrieved April 18, 2022

[5] Regional Cooperation Council (2019): Albania: Report on the Preparation of Post-2020 Strategy, p.6

[6] Decision of the Council of Ministers No. 642, dated 29.10.2021 “On the Establishment, Organisation and Functioning of the State Agency for Strategic Programming and Aid Coordination”,

[7] Order No. 60, dated 18.02.2022 of the Minister of Finance and Economy “On the Establishment of the Working Group for the Development of the Document of the National Strategy for Employment and Skills 2023 – 2030”

Duties and Responsibilities

The objective of the assignment is to support the working group of the MoFE to develop the National Employment and Skills Strategy 2023 – 2030 (NESS 2030). The NESS 2030 will be the main strategic planning document for the employment and skills development sector, to be monitored regularly against progress measured on a yearly basis and to be updated on a medium term basis.  The international consultant is experted to work in a team of three experts that will guide and support the working froup established by the Minister of Finance and Economy. The objective of the assignment is to  support the development the monitoring and evaluation (M&E)  framework for the NESS 2030 and to contribute with technical expertise in setting the strategic priorities of the employment policy reform agenda on the country.

 

With the guidance of the Programme Specialist, under the supervision of the Programme Coordinator, the expert is expected to deliver the following:

 

DESCRIPTION OF THE ACTIVITIES

N° of WORKING DAYS

Preparatory phase

 

  • Review, discuss and validate the assignment plan, together with the team of experts

2

  • Review all relevant national and international documents in relation to employment policy reforms in the EU and the region

8

  • Analyse the current NESS 2022 and action plan in view of strategic priorities, objectives and measures planned and implemented in the field of employment policies and identify employment policy potential priority areas for the NESS 2030  

5

Issue(s) identification phase

 

  • Support the team of experts during (i) identification of key constraints and opportunities in the labour market with key performance indicators and (ii) during consultations with the working group of MoFE and relevant stakeholders to agree on challenges to be addressed (1st mission in Tirana)

5

Formulation phase

 

  • Support the team of experts and the working group of MoFE during development of the strategic vision, policy priorities and policy options for the new Stratregy
  • Based on this discussion develop draft intervention logic(s) for the National Employment and Skills Strategy

5

  • Support the team of experts and the working group of MoFE during formulation of key strategic objectives, expected outcomes and key policy interventions (2nd mission in Tirana)

5

  • Based on the discussion above, develop an early draft of the M&E framework for the draft National Employment and Skills Strategy with key performane indicators, means of verification, data collection methods, baseline and targets etc.

5

  • If necessary, support the team of experts, the working group of MoFE and wider stakeholders in definition of outputs and ensuring there is coherence between objectives, outcomes, outputs and proposed key activities during action planning phase

5

  • If necessary, support the team of experts in drafting the M&E section of the Strategy by proposing the system, tools and activities that can be used to monitor the implementation of the Strategy and achievement of results as well as by describe the mechanism that will be applied to evaluate the Strategy

1

Consultation and validation phase

 

  • Support the team of experts and the working group of MoFE to prepare and organize workshops with relevant stakeholders to discuss and validate the Strategy and proposed draft action plan along with M&E framework (3rd mission in Tirana)

5

  • Reflect results of consultations and finalize the M&E Framework document, aligned to the final Action Plan of the NESS 2030

4

Total

50

 

 

 

No

 

Deliverables

Timeline

1

Assignment plan detailing the approach to carry out the required analysis, aligned with the intervention of the two other experts from the team

May 2022

2

Analysis of strategic priorities, objectives and actions for employment policies in the current NESS 2022 and potential priority areas for the NESS 2030

June 2022

3

Draft document of the National Employment and Skills Strategy 2023 – 2030 (including intervention logic, logical framework and main strategic priorities)

July 2022

4

Final M&E Framework Document, as integral part of the Action Plan of the NESS 2030

November 2022

Competencies

Core Competencies:

 

  • Demonstrating/safeguarding ethics and integrity
  • Demonstrate corporate knowledge and sound judgement
  • Self-development, initiative-taking
  • Act as a team player and facilitate teamwork
  • Facilitating and encouraging open communication in the team, communicating effectively
  • Creating synergies through self-control
  • Managing conflict
  • Learning and sharing knowledge and encourage the learning of others
  • Informed and transparent decision-making

 

Functional Competencies:

 

  • Knowledge and expertise of data collection techniques and tools, and familiarity with M&E concepts
  • Strong communication skills (written, spoken, composing, presentation);
  • Prior experience in monitoring and evaluation of labour market policies
  • Political and cultural sensitivity and commitment to UNDP’s development objectives in the country.

Required Skills and Experience

Academic Qualification

  • Master’s degree in international development, Economics, Social Sciences or closely related field.

 

Work Experience

 

  • Minimum 10 years of professional experience in developing or conducting monitoring and evaluation systems and procedures;
  • Substantive knowledge of data collection techniques and tools.
  • Prior experience in supporting development and monitoring of labour market policies in Western Balkans is desirable.

 

Language

 

  • Full working knowledge of English is essential.

 

Evaluation Procedure

 

UNDP applies a fair and transparent selection process that would consider 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: Master’s degree in international development, Economics, Social Sciences or closely related field – max 20 points

Criteria B: Minimum 10 years of professional experience in developing or conducting monitoring and evaluation systems and procedures – max. 20 points

Criteria C: Substantive knowledge of data collection techniques and tools – max. 10 points

Criteria D: Prior experience in supporting development and monitoring of labour market policies in Western Balkans – max. 20 points

Criteria E: Technical Proposal outlining a methodology and tools for carrying out the assignment – max. 30 points

 

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

 

Application Procedure 

Interested applicants are advised to carefully study all sections of this ToRs and ensure that they meet the general requirements as well as specific qualifications described. Please make sure you have provided all requested materials. 

The application should contain: 

  • Cover letter explaining why you are the most suitable candidate for the advertised position. Please paste the letter into the "Resume and Motivation" section of the electronic application. 
  • Letter to UNDP Confirming Interest and Availability & Financial Proposal Form - please fill in the attached form. Download Here (kindly use FireFox Browser)
  • Example: (kindly refer to the example below when filling out the Letter to UNDP Confirming Interest and Availability

[INCORRECT] An all-inclusive daily fee of [state amount in words and in numbers indicating currency]

[CORRECT] (Select Here and elaborate) [X] A total lump sum of [state amount in words and in numbers, indicating exact currency], payable in the manner described in the Terms of Reference.

  • Filled P11 form including past experience in similar projects and contact details of referees, please upload the P11 instead of your CV. Download Here (kindly use FireFox Browser)
  • Financial Proposal in USD* - Specify Lump Sum in the United States Dollar for each of the tasks and at the bottom the Total Lump Sum for the Entire Job specified in this announcement. Please note that the financial proposal is all-inclusive and shall consider various expenses incurred by the consultant during the contract period (e.g., fee and any other relevant expenses related to the performance of services). 
  • Technical proposal – specifying the methodology which the consultant will employ to conduct this assignment.
  • Copy of Diplomas and copy of Passport. 
  • Beneficiary contact details (next of kin)
    • Beneficiary's Contact Person's Name:
    • Title (Mr/Mrs/Ms):
    • Address:
    • Telephone:
    • Email:

*Kindly note that Letter to UNDP Confirming Interest and Availability and Financial Proposal are two separate documents and should be both part of your application. 

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). 
  • In the P11 Form make sure to include Email Addresses of the Persons who are willing to provide References on your experience in working with them.
  • Merge your UN Personal History Form (P11) for Service Contracts (SCs) and Individual Contracts (ICs), Financial Proposal Letter to UNDP Confirming Interest and Availability 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. 

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

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.