The Kingdom of Cambodia is the most youthful country in South East Asia with more than 50 percent of the total population under 25 and 21 percent between 15 and 24 years of age. Although, unemployment rate in Cambodia is low, migration out of Cambodia (predominately to Thailand) is high. Youth migrate in hope of better paid jobs and better skills, but there are evidences that they have faced unintended negative impacts such as trapping into unwarranted jobs which have less or no protection, or in worse case scenarios, they could become victims of exploitative and abusive employment practices, including human trafficking and forced labour.

Despite the recorded low unemployment rate of 3.8 percent among persons aged 15-24, young Cambodians are up to three times more likely to be unemployed than adults (aged from 25).  Moreover, it is found that the working poor and insecure informal employment sectors are also alarming. About 81 percent of all jobs are considered vulnerable; 80 percent of enterprises are informal and most people employed in agriculture rely on subsistence farming. Therefore, the country needs to create decent and productive employment opportunities for the young people including an estimate of 270,000 new entrants to the labour market every year.

While Cambodia has reached the level of development and rapid growth it knows today, and as the country transitions into the middle-income country category and faces increased regional and global competition, it is imperative to bring the human capital base to a higher level, with a skilled workforce that is responsive and adaptive to the changing labour market needs.

To address these critical issues of youth skills and employment in rural Cambodia, a United Nations Joint Programme (UNJP) proposes to provide assistance to the Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC). It intends to focus on facilitating young people’s entrance to the labour force while reducing inequalities – particularly for disadvantaged and vulnerable groups- and ensuring young women and men are better able to meet labour demand.

This proposed UN Joint Programme capitalizes on the complementary mandates and areas of UN expertise, which, when pulled together can more effectively contribute to address the challenge of youth employment in Cambodia. Hence the programme will benefit from the combined strengths of ILO, UNDP, UNESCO, UNICEF and UNV.

UNDP brings a consolidated experience in capacity development and research for resilience building and human development.  It supports Cambodia toward achieving the simultaneous eradication of poverty and significant reduction of inequalities and exclusion. In addition, UNDP brings the added value of providing the Royal Government of Cambodia with policy advisory and research to link human capital and industrial policies and to improve the resilience of people employed in rural and informal jobs.

Under the UN Joint Programme, UNDP will fund two researches, one of which is on the economic returns of investment in education and training packages for rural entrepreneurship in Cambodia. The research will help young women and men evaluate their aptitude and interest to become entrepreneurs.  Those who realize they have a fit for entrepreneurship will in turn be better equipped to start-up businesses and to create decent jobs.  The research has a clear focus on rural communities which make up most of the country and where the opportunities for rural entrepreneurship have not yet been fully exploited.

The overall objectives of the research are to understand the impact of investments in education, including vocational training and to develop training packages, aiming to improve, upgrade and expand entrepreneur skills of young people (15-30) in Cambodia who are already entrepreneurs and who are becoming entrepreneurs or self-employed.

To achieve the research objective, the consultant is expected to perform the following tasks:

1. Assess the current situation of education and skill training in rural Cambodia by mapping and reviewing all existing and anticipated investments (including public, aid and private, national and international) policy and programs on education and training packages and programs for entrepreneur’s skills development. The consultant/researcher will:
   1. closely review policy implementation and strategic plans for industrialization and economic diversification
   2. closely review existing investments (public and private) and skills planning
   3. collect relevant initiatives (public and private) to strengthen entrepreneur education and training
   4. document and summarize all relevant forms and sources of interventions
   5. record any framework for recognizable qualifications: identify number of certified business training providers providing youth-specific training programs, identify number of young women and men who received tested/assessed/certified entrepreneurial and business skills
   6. Identify enterprise development trainings available nationwide in fostering an entrepreneurial ecosystem
   7. Estimate number or percentage of those trained initiating/starting business enterprises
   8. Identify number of youth led business registry nationally and at provincial level record employers’ engagement in entrepreneur education and trainings
   9. consult young people, employers, training providers, and government about the barriers, experiences, quality and benefits of current entrepreneur skills trainings
   10. Assess needs for social entrepreneurs
   11. Identify any enterprise development awareness
   12. Record employers’ engagement in entrepreneur education and trainings
2. Analyze costs and benefits for skills trainings to young people in rural Cambodia: Analyzing national policies and programs related to education and skills development for youth in rural areas, and cost of those programs particularly at institutional and individual level:
   1. examine the causal relationship between training and business performance results, such as improvements in sales volume, productivity and other profit measures of firms (noting there may be other factors besides training, that can influence these changes).
   2. evaluate the costs and immediate benefits to trainees, including earnings and employment chances for students upon completion / graduation from an entrepreneur education or training
   3. assess the cost associated with the completion of an entrepreneur education or training (formal and non-formal learning system)
   4. assess the benefits associated with completing an entrepreneur education or training (formal and non-formal learning system)
3. Analyze Strategic Policies related to rural development: To get insight on dynamics of rural youth labor market preparedness for national economy direction towards industrialization and economic diversification:
   1. identify enabling factors that are conducive to rural economic diversification
   2. identify enabling factors for fostering support ranging from access to finance; to financial literacy for young migrant workers; to basic business skills training and to innovative and creative skills training for young women and men including those who are unable to re-join the education system.
   3. suggest measures to promote the value and advantages of investment in rural youth education and training
   4. review the business and regulatory environment to facilitate the launch of enterprises at the provincial level.
   5. Identify burdens currently imposed on potential youth entrepreneurs
   6. point to how the future projects, programs and policies on youth employment may support and facilitate the RGC’s responses to youth employment in provincial level
4. Develop an entrepreneurship/business training package suitable for and response to the needs of rural youth: the package will shed light on a range of support ranging from access to finance; to financial literacy for young migrant workers; to basic business skills training and to innovative and creative skills training for rural young women and men.

Interested offeror must  read  the Individual Consultant (IC) Procurement Notice, which can be viewed at http://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_notice.cfm?notice_id=43493 for more  detail information about term  of references, instructions to offeror, and to download the documents to be submitted in the offer through online.

Functional Competencies:

• Up to date with new developments, concepts and theories in labour economics, employment vulnerability, informal economy etc.
• Possesses expert knowledge of advanced concepts in education, training, youth development, employment, socio- economic development and a broad knowledge of related disciplines, as well as an in-depth knowledge of relevant organizational policies and procedures
• Good understanding of the governance and traditional institutions, and culture of Cambodia
• Persuasive, convincing or influencing abilities
• Works with communities and a positive, constructive attitude
• Demonstrates excellent oral and written communication skills
• Results orientation
• High standards of integrity, gender sensitivity, age sensitivity, discretion and confidentiality

Corporate Competencies:

• 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;

Education:

• Advanced university degree (at least Masters) in a discipline relevant to business and industrial development, human resource development, vocational education, vocational training, education to youth, development studies, youth development, laws and regulations, and other related interdisciplinary.

Experience:

• Minimum of 7 years professional experience in research and design of training programs for youth, particularly related to successful of young entrepreneurs
• Experience in social and economic analysis on youth behavior toward employment
• Experience working with multilateral organizations and the UN system is preferred
• Experience in working with government, private sector and youth in Asia, preferably in Cambodia

Language Requirement:

• Fluency in English is required

Interested offeror must  read  the Individual Consultant (IC) Procurement Notice, which can be viewed at Interested offeror must  read  the Individual Consultant (IC) Procurement Notice, which can be viewed at http://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_notice.cfm?notice_id=43493 about term  of references, instructions to offeror, and to download the documents to be submitted in the offer through online.for more  detail information about term  of references, instructions to offeror, and to download the documents to be submitted in the offer through online.

UNDP reserves right to reject any applications that is incomplete.

Please be informed that we don’t accept application submitted via email.

Interested Offerors are required to submit application via UNDP jobsite system as the application screening and evaluation will be done through UNDP jobsite system. Please note that UNDP jobsite system allows only one uploading of application document, so please make sure that you merge all your documents into a single file. Your on­line applications submission will be acknowledged where an email address has been provided. If you do not receive an e­mail acknowledgement within 24 hours of submission, your application may not have been received. In such cases, please resubmit the application, if necessary. Please combine all your documents into one (1) single PDF document as the system only allows to upload maximum one document.

Any request for clarification/additional information on this procurement notice shall be communicated in writing to UNDP office or send to email pheara.lek@undp.org and cc procurement.kh@undp.org.  While the Procurement Unit would endeavor to provide information expeditiously, only requests receiving at least 5 working days prior to the submission deadline will be entertained. Any delay in providing such information will not be considered as a reason for extending the submission deadline. The UNDP's response (including an explanation of the query but without identifying the source of inquiry) will be posted in Individual Consultant (IC) Procurement Notice page as provided above. Therefore, all prospective Offerors are advised to visit the page regularly to make obtain update related to this Individual Consultant (IC) Procurement Notice.