Key Expert, Policy & Legislation: EU VET Project Support

About the project

Azerbaijan lacks a qualified workforce with adequate skills and knowledge to meet the growing demands of the labour market. The number of graduates of vocational schools is significantly below the demand of the labour market; and those graduating may not necessarily have the required skills due to the many challenges the Vocational Education Training (VET) sector faces, including a lack of quality. In recent years, only 11% of students attending general schools chose to go to vocational schools, indicating a low interest in VET and showing its lack of attractiveness for young people.

British Council has been shortlisted for the European Union (EU) Support to VET in Azerbaijan project. The overall objective of this project is to enhance the attractiveness and labour market relevance of all levels of VET. The purposes of this contract are as follows:

1.  To improve VET policy and regulatory framework, thereby promoting lifelong learning opportunities and activating participation of social partners
2. To improve VET multi-level management system and governance including sector coordination at the central and local level of the Ministry of Education
3. To develop VET qualifications (educational standards) and curricula linked to occupational standards and introduce them in priority sectors
4. To support the Ministry of Education in the monitoring of VET reforms

About the role

We are seeking a full-time international Key Expert VET Policy and Legislation with expertise in VET Policy and Legislation to ensure implementation of the project purpose 1. This includes:

1. Result 2) Developing VET policy documents for mid-term and long-term periods for example: 

• Developing an Initial VET and life-long learning concept
• Preparing a plan on how to optimize the VET sector
• Drafting a policy document on teacher/instructor training
• Creating planning mechanisms for VET enrolment, linked with existing information about labour-market needs

2. Result 2) Developing, consulting on and getting agreement to VET law and secondary legislation 

• Carry out gap analysis of current VET legislation, draft new laws and propose amendments to various “bylaws”, regulations or normative acts which will aim to contribute to the implementation and the development of the goals stated in the Action Plan of the State Education Programme
• Elaborate a mechanism which will facilitate and encourage the involvement of private-sector representatives or related associations in the planning and management of VET
• Prepare proposals on how to best integrate apprenticeships into VET, including legislative amendments 

3. Providing policy and legislative support to other Result areas as necessary

The Key Expert will be supported by a full-time non-key expert also working on Purpose 1.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

Essential

• At least a Master’s degree in Law, Education, Vocational Education and Training or in a field relevant to the project such as, for instance, Human Resource Development; or a Bachelor degree in an unrelated field and specific professional experience in legal approximation or the education sector of at least 15 years;
• Minimum 10 years, and preferably 15 years, of professional experience, of which at least three years living and working abroad;
• Experience with and ability to work in teams of experts, demonstrated by at least one project of minimum one-year duration where the key expert was a team member;
• Five years’ experience in the development and/or implementation of VET reform, VET policies or VET legislation;
• At least one project experience where the key expert was in charge of legal reforms in the area of education, preferably VET;
• Fluency in oral and written English (at least level 2 on a scale of 1 [excellent] to 5 [basic]).

Desirable

• Experience with existing best practices regarding the systematic involvement of social partners in VET;
• Experience with existing best practices regarding apprenticeship systems;
• Three years working experience in the public administration of an EU Member State or an international organisation related to VET;
• Previous experience with development projects funded by the EU or other international donors;
• Command of Azerbaijani, Turkish or Russian language would be an asset.

Interested applicants should send a copy of your most recent CV in EU format tailored to the above requirements to Leyla.Hasanova@britishcouncil.az with the subject title “KE2 VET Azerbaijan”, by Monday 19 September 2016, 9 am (UK time)

Please note that we can only respond to successful applicants and only within three working days of the application deadline.