Background

Under the framework of the ‘Promoting Inclusive Labour Market Solutions in the Western Balkans II” regional project, UNDP Albania is committed to establishing an Integrated Case Management model (ICM), which provides targeted and inclusive social and employment services, in line with the specific and individual needs of the vulnerable communities. The main target of this intervention are the individuals who receive economic aid and supports to create an enabling environment from social assistance to employment. UNDP Albania has agreed to support the national institutions through the design of an ICM model, train the respective staff of both the social and employment services at the local level and conduct an evaluation on the impact of the intervention.

In the recent years, UNDP Albania has been engaged and has actively supported the employment services reform process outlined in the National Employment and Skills Strategy (NESS 2019-2022). More concretely, the National Agency for Employment and Skills (NAES) has been supported to optimize its Employment Promotion Programmes (EPPs) portfolio and provision, as set out in the objectives of the NESS 2019-2022. The NAES aims to develop and deliver a service portfolio that is based on a balanced demand and supply oriented approach, recognizing and fostering the potential of various groups of job seekers through tailored action plans and mediation measures. 

UNDP Albania has provided technical expertise to NAES on the finalization of the employment service portfolio. The reform of the Public Employment Services, aim to (1) Introduce an early intervention approach based on econometric profiling techniques to identify individuals at risk of long-term unemployment; (2) Expand the coverage of EPPs and support it by a three-tiered service delivery system and modern programme referral methods; (3) Deploy specific services and programmes to ease the transition of individuals from economic aid to employment.

During 2019, the EPPs were thoroughly evaluated in terms of the degree to which they addressed the needs of the client base of NAES and the implementation procedures. Comparing to the best practices in the EU and the region, the main bottlenecks identified with the typology and the implementation of the EPPs were:

• Employer driven implementation, not addressing the needs and the added vulnerabilities of the unemployed jobseekers;
• Creaming effects of targeting, where jobseekers who were easier to integrate to the labour market were mainly engaged in these programmes;
• Limited typology of programmes, and limited type and number of partner employers;
• The majority of the EPPs funds were disbursed on employer subsidies and on training, and the general range of EPPs offer was limited.

In addition to the services delivered in-house and considering the limited human capacities of the Public Employment Services (PES) staff and the limited outreach to some more rural areas, MFE is considering outsourcing some of the more specialized treatment packages to third parties. Such a modality is being considered for vulnerable groups, who require intensive employment counselling and coaching, combined with social services that address unmet social needs.

As such, UNDP in close collaboration with the employment offices, non-public providers, vulnerable jobseekers has designed an ICM model, which combines employment and social services, tailored to the needs of people who are recipients of social assistance, and supports an enabling pathway from economic aid to employment. This approach is in line with the national goals to support the process of the transition period of exiting the cash assistance programme, outlined in the exit strategy and Action Plan for social assistance beneficiaries. The exit strategy focuses on labour market integration, i.e., sustainable employment, and thus NAES is considered as the institution who will need to provide all the necessary individual support to this group.

In order to institutionalize the model, UNDP is partnering with non-government organization to pilot integrated case management models, in order to gain insights from the implementation, gather evidence and prepare all the necessary tools needed. The activities should be implemented in close collaboration with the respective Employment Offices and VET providers. The end of objective of this intervention is to inform policy makers on preparing a new Employment Promotion Programme (EPP), which will diversify the portfolio of NAES and ultimately improve the employability of its clients

Duties and Responsibilities

The purpose of this assignment is to undertake a capitalisation of the experience of implemented interventions by the selected NGOs. The consultant is expected to provide a detailed methodology for the consultation process, identifying the procedures and tools utilized by the provider, and monitor the programme indicators periodically. The purpose of this exercise is to better understand the ICM models developed by selected NGOs and inform the process of developing a new EPP, targeting beneficiaries of social assistance.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the overall guidance of the UNDP Programme Specialist and Programme coordinator and in close collaboration with the national institutions, the consultant is expected to contribute to the following tasks:

1. Prepare a workplan which outlines the overall process of the capitalisation experience, including tasks that need to be assisted by UNDP, the National Agency for Employment and Skills, or the service providers (NGOs);
2. Plan and organize meetings with the relevant stakeholders, namely, the selected service providers, beneficiaries of the programme, UNDP, NAES structures etc. Organize weekly meetings with each provider.
3. Draft a report in the form of operational procedures, to document the process that the organisation applies during each stage of service implementation: initial assessment, setting goals (Individual Development Plans), services offered, referral processes to other providers (Employment offices, Vocational Training Centres, Social Services, mediation, and referral to employers etc.) monitoring, evaluation. The operational procedures should include all the forms used by the staff during each stage.
4. Present the report to the NAES working group and address all the comments that are discussed.
5. Design a monitoring tool, in consultation with the providers, to capture the progress of the individual from social assistance to employment and, together with each service provider, monitor the progression indicators before, during and after the services are delivered.
6. Prepare a final monitoring report on the impact of the programme to the beneficiaries.

Deliverables

1. Inception report on the methodology, the workplan and structure of the deliverables expected
2. A draft report on the procedures (assessment, typology of services provided, duration, frequency) and tools (forms utilized in each step, job description of involved staff etc.)
3. Final monitoring report on the progress of beneficiaries on the pathways from social assistance to employment.

Competencies

Corporate Competencies:

• Demonstrating integrity by modelling 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 favouritism.

Core Competencies:

• Planning & Organizing – Develops clear goals in line with agreed strategies, identifies priorities, foresees risks and makes allowances accordingly;
• Leadership;
• Empowering others to translate vision in results;
• Managing performances – make sure that roles, responsibilities, and reporting lines are clear, regularly discuss performance and provide feedback and coaching to staff;
• Judgment/Decision Making – identify key issues in a complex situation, propose a course of actions or make a recommendation based on all available information.

Required Skills and Experience

Education

• Masters’ degree (or equivalent) in a relevant field (such as Social Policy) or in a general field (Law, Business Administration, Economics, Social Sciences),

Experience

• Minimum 2 years’ experience in working with employment or social service policy design in Albania;
• Proven previous experience in conducting assessments, review, mapping exercises, evaluation reports in relevant fields;
• Proven knowledge of the Albanian civil society organisations.

Language requirement:

• Excellent communication and report-writing skills in English

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 70 points

Criteria A: Masters’ degree (or equivalent) in a relevant field (such as Social Policy) or in a general field (Law, Business Administration, Economics, Social Sciences), – max 10 points

Criteria B:  Minimum 2 years’ experience in working with employment or social service policy design in Albania – max 20 points

Criteria C: Proven previous experience in conducting assessments, review, mapping exercises, evaluation reports in relevant fields – max 20 points

Criteria D: Proven knowledge of the Albanian civil society organisations – max 10 points

Criteria E:  Full working knowledge of English and report-writing skills – max 10 points

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

Application Procedure

Qualified and interested candidates are requested to apply by August 16th, 2021 midnight.

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.
• Completed and signed UN Personal History Form (P11)  for Service Contracts (SC) and Individual Contracts (IC) – Blank form Download here.or latest Curriculum Vitae.
• Letter to UNDP Confirming Interest and Availability - please complete the attached form...
• Financial Proposal - specifying a total lump sum amount (working days, travel, per diems, and any other possible costs) for the tasks specified in this announcement. Please note that the financial proposal is all-inclusive and shall take into account various expenses incurred by the consultant/contractor during the contract period (e.g. fee, health insurance, vaccination and any other relevant expenses related to the performance of service, etc.).

* Kindly note that Letter to UNDP Confirming Interest and Availability and Financial Proposal are two separate documents and should both be part of your application. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

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), 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.

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.

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.