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.

UNDP globally and regionally has built a strategic vision that recognizes the importance of creating employment opportunities 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.

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

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 (further referred to as NESS 2020). The main objective of the NESS 2020 is the identification and design of proper employment promotion policies including the vocational training of the labour force, in order to create quality jobs and skills opportunities during the whole cycle of their lives.

This Strategy is aligned with the Europe 2020 Strategy[1] objectives and targets, which aims at promoting smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, as well as with the South Eastern Europe 2020 Strategy[2] – Jobs and Prosperity in a European Perspective.

The NESS 2020 covers four broader strategic priorities:

• Pillar A: Foster decent job opportunities through effective labour market policies
• Pillar B: Offer quality vocational education and training to youth and adults
• Pillar C: Promote social inclusion and territorial cohesion
• Pillar D: Strengthen the governance of the labour market and qualification systems

Within these four strategic priorities, the NESS has identified 16 sub-objectives and 52 actions to be implemented until 2020.

At the request of Ministry of Finance and Economy of Albania UNDP is planning to conduct the mid-term review of the implementation of NESS 2020.

To this end, the SD4E programme, seeks to contract a team of consultants to conduct the mid-term review of the implementation of NESS 2020 and deliver relevant report with recommendations.

[1] http://ec.europa.eu/europe2020/index_en.htm

[2] http://www.rcc.int/files/user/docs/reports/SEE2020-Strategy.pdf

Duties and Responsibilities

The main objective of the assignment is to conduct mid-term review of the implementation of the National Employment and Skills Strategy for Albania 2020.

The purpose of the mid-term review is to inform key stakeholders (MoFE, NES, NAVETQ, social partners) and the development partners about the achievements of results on action-, output- and on outcome-level.

The mid-term review of the NESS 2020 shall assess the state of implementation of all objectives and measures in the action plan through the implementation period of 2014-2017. The recommendations of the review will feed into the remaining implementation period (2018 – 2020) of the current Strategy, and enable adjustments/adaptations where needed.

Under the direct supervision of UNDP Programme Specialist and in coordination with the evaluation Team Leader the Consultant will support the review of the implementation the NESS 2020. The overall evaluation process will be organized in three phases as described below:

1. Inception phase:

• Participate in a kick-off meetings with UNDP team, MoFE and other stakeholders for the clarification of all aspects of the assignment.
• Contribute to design of evaluation questions which should be developed in full scope based on the conceptual framework of this evaluation in line with DAC criteria described below.
• Familiarize with key documents, reports and assessments.
• Contribute to preparation of interviews with selected representatives of MoFE, NES, NAVETQ any other related institutions.
• Contribute to analysis of NESS overall implementation arrangements and processes.
• Contribute to preparation of the inception report (up to 20 pages) which shall outline the focus of evaluation; the evaluation design and analytical framework (including evaluation matrix and questions) and the detailed methodological approach including the limitations of the exercise.

2. Implementation Phase:

During the implementation phase, the Consultant will work to collect primary and secondary data for evaluation of the NESS 2020 as follows:

• Desk analysis of the available secondary data and statistical reports to track the NESS 2020 implementation progress against the defined indicators (e.g. annual progress reports on the implementation of NESS).
• Interviews with implementing agencies, including MoFE, INSTAT, NES, employment offices, NAVETQ, social partners.
• Interviews with VET schools and private training providers.
• Interviews with key informants from the private sector.
• Interviews with the representatives of the development partners working in VET sector to analyse contribution of international technical assistance to implementation of NESS 2020 and relevant Action Plan.

• The Consultant shall prepare relevant draft sections to be incorporated into the general evaluation Report. The draft section of the Report for strategic priorities A and B should contain:

              - Analysis of NESS implementation

              - An assessment of the percentage of implementation

              - Findings

              - Recommendations for the implementation period 2018-2020 (and beyond)

• General assessment of the NESS 2020 list of actions and achievements, including a table summarizing the percentages of achievement by the strategic priorities A and B;
• Conclusions, recommendations and priorities for action in 2018, 2019 and 2020.

3. Reporting Phase

The main task during the reporting phase is the finalization of the relevant sections of the report based on the feedback from UNDP and MoFE. The final Report will be prepared by evaluation Team Leader based on the inputs of the Consultant.

Methodology

The Consultant will analyse the NESS 2020 implementation against the following criteria and tentative questions:

1. Relevance

• How relevant is the current results logic and the implicit theory of change that underpins the NESS 2020 given overall changes in the programming context?
• Which major changes in the programming context have taken place since 2014 and what are their implications for implementation of NESS 2020 and relevant Action Plan?
• How well does the NESS 2020 link to other country strategy documents and frameworks?
• How relevant is the action plan?

        2. Effectiveness

• Are the definitions of expected NESS results on action-, output-, and outcome level adequate?
• To what extent have the targets been reached and Action Plan implemented?
• Which direct positive (or negative) results have been achieved?
• Which factors have promoted (or encumbered or even prevented) the achievement of results?

        3. Efficiency

• Is the allocation of resources adequate in light of the actual role of distinct outputs for the achievement of the NESS 2020 outcomes
• Could the implementation of NESS 2020 and the Action Plan be done in a more cost-effective manner?
• If so, where and how?
• Is NESS 2020 implementation supported with adequate coordination structure and processes? What needs to be improved at the institutional level?

        4. Impact

        Since the implementation of the 5-year NESS 2020 has started in 2014, the impact cannot be adequately evaluated yet. However, the    evaluation may indicatively address the following questions:

• Has the NESS 2020 resulted in improvement of ‘quality jobs and skills opportunities for all Albanian women and men’? To which extent?
• Which interventions under which NESS 2020 pillar are likely to produce the most significant impacts?
• What are the prospects for a full and timely implementation of NESS 2020?
• Which risks and potentials are likely to materialise after the termination of the NESS 2020 in 2021? How can the potentials be strengthened and the risks be mitigated?

        5. Sustainability

• How is the sustainability of the NESS 2020 achievements interpreted?
• How probable is it that the positive changes and results are sustainable?
• Which factors promote (or encumber) the sustainability of the NESS 2020 implementation results?

To ensure the delivery of the above tasks, the Consultant will:

• Liaise and ensure constant communication/coordination with UNDP project team regarding all aspects of the assignment;
• Submit all the deliverables for review, comments and approval to UNDP project team as requested;
• Hold consultations with UNDP project team as requested.

Deliverables

Competencies

Core Values

Integrity:

• Demonstrate consistency in upholding and promoting the values of UN Women in actions and decisions, in line with the UN Code of Conduct.

Professionalism:

• Demonstrate professional competence and expert knowledge of the pertinent substantive areas of work.

Cultural sensitivity and respect for diversity:

• Demonstrate an appreciation of the multicultural nature of the organization and the diversity of its staff;
• Additionally, the individual should have an international outlook, appreciating difference in values and learning from cultural diversity.

Core Competencies:

Communication:

• Facilitate and encourage open communication and strive for effective communication.

Planning & Organizing:

• Develops clear goals in line with agreed strategies, identifies priorities, foresees risks and makes allowances accordingly.

Organizational Awareness:

• Demonstrate corporate knowledge and sound judgment.

Teamwork:

• Demonstrate ability to work in a multicultural, multi-ethnic environment and to maintain effective working relations with people of different national and cultural backgrounds.

Accountability:

• Takes ownership of all responsibilities and delivers outputs in accordance with agreed time, cost and quality standards.

Functional Competencies:

• Theoretical and practical familiarity with employment / self-employment / rural employment in a developing country context;
• Demonstrated capacity and expertise in doing policy research;
• Ability to work under pressure;
• Effectively coordinate and advise a research team; and
• Meet tight deadlines without compromising on the quality of work, and being flexible;
• Excellent presentation skills;

Required Skills and Experience

The consultant should possess the following qualifications:

Education:

• Advanced University Degree in economics, business administration, labour economics, socio-economic studies, development studies or a closely related discipline.

Work experience:

• Substantial technical knowledge on employment issues, and at least 5 years of relevant working experience particularly in relation to analysing statistical data on socio-economic development, labour market, employment;
• Prior experience in evaluating implementation of national development programmes, strategies and projects is highly desirable;
• Previous experience/familiarity with UNDP or other UN agencies in a similar assignment is desirable;
• Excellent communication and report-writing skills in English

Evaluation Procedure

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: Knowledge and experience with statistics and data collection, analysis and reporting – max points: 25

     Criteria B: Educational background– max points: 20

     Criteria C: Previous experience in similar assignments – max points: 25

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

Application Procedure

Qualified candidates are requested to apply online via this website. 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-please fill in the attached form...http://www.un.org.al/doc/PSU_%20Individual%20Contract_Letter%20to%20UNDP.docx
• Filled P11 form including past experience in similar projects and contact details of referees, please upload the P11 instead of your CV. Download here.
• Financial Proposal in ALL* - specifying a total lump sum in Albanian Lek  for the tasks specified in this announcement.  The attached template may be used - http://www.un.org.al/doc/Financial%20Offer%20template.doc Please note that the financial proposal is all-inclusive and shall take into account various expenses incurred by the consultant during the contract period (e.g. fee and any other relevant expenses related to the performance of services).
• Copy of Diplomas and copy of Passport.

* 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:

How 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.

• 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

UNDP retains the right to contact references directly. 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.

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