Youth Inclusion Lead: TVET and Skills Project

About the project

The British Council is part of a consortium preparing a bid for the Department for International Development’s (DfID) Eastern Caribbean Skills for Economic Growth Project which is expected to start in late May 2017.

The main purpose of the programme is to develop relevant market skills amongst young people in the Eastern Caribbean, in order to promote greater youth employment, productivity and inclusiveness in the labour market, providing better training and employment access for disadvantaged youths and those with disabilities. The programme is also intended to help promote improvements to the quality, reach and sustainability of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in the beneficiary countries.

The three areas of work that the project will focus on are:

1. Support for skills training for growth: training will be in sectors with good economic or growth potential, and will be relevant to the needs of employers (possible sectors of focus include renewable energy, tourism and construction). Training can be provided directly to eligible job-seekers, and support for training will also be open to firms according to specified criteria, to upskill existing staff to boost productivity and promote growth. 
2. Focused support and training for disadvantaged young people: under this component, the programme will provide basic skills training (basic technical and life skills training, as well as plugging literacy and numeracy gaps if appropriate/feasible) for disadvantaged young people (both men and women and including those with disabilities). Internships or placements will also be included. 
3. Technical assistance to improve national training systems: the programme will support targeted capacity-building and technical inputs to strengthen the national institutions and processes required to manage, certify and quality assure the delivery of skills training. This should support better functioning of the programme and skills system as a whole, and promote greater sustainability.

About the role 

British Council Caribbean is seeking a consultant to lead on Component 2 of the project which will focus on the inclusion of disadvantaged youth in the programme. The expert‘s main responsibilities are to: 

• oversee design of support to basic skills provision for disadvantaged youth 
• collect and analyse information for relevant countries on status of disadvantaged youth in employment, youth training programmes and government policy
• develop interventions to increase vulnerable youths’ participation in the workforce
• contribute to developing budget for programme activities
• develop relationships with key stakeholders relevant to inclusive skills training provision
• conduct stakeholder interviews 
• contribute to overall attainment of programme objectives. 

Please note that the successful consultant will be required for 80% of the Design Phase (8 months) and full time during the Implementation Phase.

Timeline

Consultants will be required to make in-country visits over the four years of the project. 

Please note that the opportunity is not confirmed and all appointments are subject to contracts being awarded to the British Council via a competitive tendering exercise.

Qualifications and experience required

Essential

• experience in designing interventions focusing on engaging vulnerable youth into the work force
• strong understanding of TVET and Higher Education structures in the Eastern Caribbean 
• experience of working on donor funded programmes working with disabled and disadvantaged youth

Desirable

• experience of working in the Caribbean 
• excellent analysis and communication skills, ability to write reports and analyse information both quantitatively and qualitatively

Applications should include:

• a covering letter tailored to the above requirements and which includes your fee rates
• an updated CV

Please send the above to enquiries.development@britishcouncil.org with the title ‘Eastern Caribbean Skill Consultants – Youth Inclusion’. 

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