REQUEST FOR CONSULTANTS**

The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) is a global humanitarian organization with a mission to work with people in poverty and distress to create just and positive change. ADRA Somalia belongs to the world wide network, comprised of more than 130 supporting and implementing country offices. ADRA Somalia is seeking to recruit a consultant to conduct feasibility assessment study for professional technical secondary schools.

PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVE OF THE CONSULTANCY

The purpose of the consultancy is to generate comprehensive baseline information on the feasibility and viability of establishing professional technical secondary schools in Somalia, in particular the regions of Hirshabelle, Southwest and Galmudug. Specifically, the feasibility assessment will aim to identify existing labour market needs/skills in the target locations, to determine the supply of students and teachers/instructors, and to present the basis for decision-making for development of secondary education infrastructure development and professional technical secondary schools’ implementation in Guriceel, Barawe and Jowhar Districts in South Central Somalia.

The assessment will among other issues, analyse demand and supply factors to assist in choice of pilot skills for each of the pilot professional technical secondary schools. The feasibility study will further review the overall market chain especially demand and supply factors and generate data to guide in investment of the pilot professional technical secondary schools. In addition, the assessment will confirm needs as well as the physical locations of the schools.

The information generated through this assessment will provide evidence to establish the need for professional technical secondary schools, curriculum, labor market needs (skills) supply of students and teachers/instructors. The assessment findings will make certain that the action is up to date with any recent developments with regards to participation in secondary education by relevant age-groups. Importantly, the assessment will present the basis for decision-making on inclusion of a site for secondary education infrastructure development and professional technical secondary schools’ implementation. This being a new concept being promoted by MOECHE, there is need to map out all the factors that the action will need to consider.

Further, the feasibility study will identify, outline and analyze a range of methodologies by which the SETS EA Consortium (MOECHE, ADRA and ARC) could potentially use to measure the uptake and outcome of the project, in addition to identifying the types of skills, and market demand. Where relevant, findings or recommendations of the assessment will be directed towards Somalia government and key development partners.

1. SCOPE OF WORK

The consultancy falls under the SETS Expanded Action project funded by the European Union, implemented by ADRA and ARC, in partnership with the Ministry for Education, Culture and Higher Education in Mogadishu, and Federal Member States of Jubbaland, Southwest, Hirshabelle and Galmudug.

The consultant will be expected to undertake the following tasks:

1. Participate in briefing and consultative meetings on the assignment in Mogadishu, Somalia with key Ministry officials.
2. Review extensively all relevant reports, studies and surveys on the secondary education sector in South Central Somalia as well as existing information on technical schools in Somalia and synthesize the information to ensure that data collection focusses on areas not covered by current literature.
3. Interviews with relevant government ministries, subject experts and local businesses, economic cooperatives, community leaders and youth in target communities.
4. Extensive mapping of labour market needs through primary data collection.
5. Key informant interviews (KII): the consultant shall conduct in-depth interviews among key informants including line ministries, regional government agencies, private sector employers, youth, centre managers or teachers, parents of IDP children.
6. Focus group discussions (FGDs) with employed and unemployed youth in target communities.
7. Evaluate the project log-frame in detail, and propose revisions to the proposed indicators where necessary, based on the findings of the feasibility assessment.
8. Assess the overall design strategy and implementation approaches for the professional technical secondary schools and propose methods of ensuring that this component is implemented in a relevant, effective, efficient and achieves maximum impact and complementarity with other actions.
9. Design and deliver a 2-day training for the education project staff (and partners) on key aspects of the needs assessment including how data will be collected (process, methods, and tools), analyzed, interpreted, and reported.
10. Constitute the survey team (in agreement with Ministry and consortium staff).
11. Set off the survey team to pre-test and refine the data collection tools and to collect required data.
12. Enter and analyze the feasibility assessment data (jointly with select education project staff partners – for learning purposes). Relevant data analysis software such as SPSS will be used.
13. Debrief education project management staff from the consortium agencies and the respective Ministries on the process and preliminary findings of the feasibility assessment.
14. Prepare and submit comprehensive, well-structured report of the feasibility assessment.

The assessment should give comprehensive answers to the following questions, grouped below by relevant objective:

1. Identify types of jobs available in Guriceel, Barawe and Jowhar Districts that can be filled by Technical Secondary School graduates, with a special focus on highly demanded skills:
2. What are the potential marketable technical and non-technical skills trainings that could be provided to young women and men to improve their access to decent work?
3. What are the most employable skills training courses that can be offered?
4. What is availability of skilled teachers for each one of the proposed skill training courses that would allow trainees to reach an adequate level of knowledge and/or experience to enter the job market at an advantage?

Assess the feasibility and relevance of the identified technical and non-technical skills training courses:

1. How relevant and feasible is each one of the identified skills training courses in terms technicality?
2. What training equipment and inputs would be needed to deliver the proposed skills training course?
3. Are there qualified trainers available locally for the proposed skills training course? Where the qualified trainers could be recruited and at what cost?
4. What is the current market demand for each skills type? How many trainees could the local market absorb without market saturation for each one of the proposed skills?

Identify and recommend specific additional services and support needed by trainees after they complete the TVET courses:

1. What supplementary topics or specific services would enhance a trainee’s likelihood of finding gainful employment? What entrepreneurship skills might be useful as part of the skills training courses?

Profile of the consultant

Essential

· Post graduate degree in education from a recognized institution of higher learning.

· Extensive experience in research including designing and conducting (education) baseline surveys and feasibility assessments.

· Knowledge and experience of using participatory methodologies in monitoring and evaluation of education work in a developing country context.

· Knowledge and understanding of education management systems.

· Proficiency in computer skills.

· Understanding of education in a developing country.

· Excellent facilitation and report writing skills in English language.

· Extensive experience of delivering training workshops.

· Familiarity with the Somali context and education sector in particular.

Desirable:

· Experience of working in a politically insecure environment.

· Familiarity with donor funded education programmes in Somalia.

· Experience with previous work on technical secondary schools will be an added advantage.