Consultant to Conduct Assessment for 'Seeds of Hope' (SoH) Project and Provide Assessment Report

Terms of Reference for

ASSIGNMENT INFORMATION

CONTEXT

There is an urgent need to reduce the rate of unemployment among young people in Vietnam, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds; and to bridge the gap between vocational training curricula and market needs due to the rapid social and economic changes currently happening in Vietnam. Furthermore, vocational training should not only be attractive to young male & female students but also lead to exciting job opportunities.

In the fields of Residential & Industrial Electrical and Automotive maintenance, many exciting job opportunities are available in both local and international companies due to a high demand for a qualified labor force. However, there is still a large gap between the companies’ requirements – technical and life skills – and the competencies of the young graduates.

In order to respond to these needs, IECD Vietnam launched the 'Seeds of Hope' (SoH) project in 2017. This project aims to support young boys and girls between 15 and 18 years old to access qualified market-oriented vocational training programs. These, in turn, will match students’ skills with the companies’ requirements and thereby maximize the students' opportunities for accessing promising jobs in the labor market. To this end, in partnership with both companies and vocational schools, the SoH project focuses on the following four main objectives:

To upgrade the vocational training curricula in-line with the competency-based approach;

1. To provide practical workshops with adequate equipment, in line with the upgraded curricula;
2. To strengthen the capacities of the selected training centers (training of the trainers);
3. and develop 'Guidance & Employment' activities.

The SoH project is currently in partnership with three public vocational training schools in Ho Chi Minh City:

• The Thu Duc College of Technology, TDC – in Thu Duc district
• The HCMC Technical and Economic College, HOTEC – in district 6
• The District Twelve Technical & Economic College, DTTEC – in district 12

PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT

Currently the Seeds of Hope (SoH) project is in transition between its first deployment phase (2017-2019) and a second phase of consolidation, transfer of methodology and scaling-up. Therefore, it is essential that the project conducts an assessment in order to:

Review the project's achievements in terms of upgrading the vocational training curriculum for the two target sectors - electrical & automotive maintenance; improving practical workshops with equipment identified in the upgraded training curriculum;  Training the Trainers (ToT) to ensure good delivery of the upgraded training curriculum; and implementing 'Guidance & Employment' activities to equip students with the required soft-skills and life-skills.

• Identify the impacts of the project as a whole and the impacts of individual activity (considering the relation between the impact and investment needed). Then develop methodology (specific tools) to measure the impact of each project activity against investment needed (Investment means time, human resource, money, energy, environment etc.)
• Identify and examine significant changes in teachers’ pedagogical methodology.
• and last but not least, make recommendations for the future direction of the project, the way to optimize the project impacts in relation with the investments needed.

In specific, the assessment will address a list of questions given below:

• To what extent has the project achieved its objectives?
• What works well and what needs further improvement?
• What are the impacts of the project on the vocational centers, teachers, students and labor markets?
• What are the significant changes in teachers’ pedagogical methodology and students' professional integration?
• How to maximize the project achievements and impacts in relation with the investment needed?
• What areas should the project focus on in terms of future strategies and directions?
• What investments are needed for implementing the strategies and directions recommended (e.g. time, financial support, human resources, etc.)?

SCOPE OF WORK

The consultants conducting the assessments will need to carry out following main activities:

Activity 1: Desk-based reviews of the feasibility study, the existing upgraded training curriculum at the three partner schools, 'Training of trainers' (ToT) activities including competency-based approach training, utility of equipment, 'Guidance & Employment' activities and other relevant documents. The existing regulations, policies, national and sub-national government plans in relation to vocational training in the two target sectors: Residential & Industrial Electricity and Automotive Maintenance,formation relating to the needs of the labor market within these two sectors.

Activity 2: Formulate a set of questionnaires to assess the achievements of the project's objectives, and identify the project’s impacts by documenting significant changes in teachers’ pedagogical methodology and the students' professional integration. The analysis will draw on a series of interviews and focus-group discussions with relevant stakeholders.

The consultants will be expected to use these interviews and focus-group discussions to identify the future focuses and direction of the project

A provisional list of stakeholders to be interviewed for comparison analyses is given below:

1. Board of Directors of the partner schools.
2. Department of academic affairs of the partners schools.
3. Heads of the Electrical and Automotive departments at the partner schools.
4. Teachers involved in the upgraded curriculum, ToT training, and 'Guidance & Employment' activities.
5. Students (current and alumni) studying electrical and automotive maintenance at Trung cap level.
6. International and national experts involved in the SoH project.
7. Experts working within the fields of electrical and automotive maintenance.
8. Partner electrical and automotive companies involved in the SoH project.
9. NGOs and institutions working in the fields of electrical and automotive maintenance.
10. Government authorities in relation to educational management, vocational training, etc.
11. The Seeds of Hope (SoH) team in Vietnam.

Activity 3:

The key findings and recommendations must be presented to the Regional Program Director, Country Delegate and the SoH Project Manager in Vietnam for feedback and comments before drafting the full report.

Compile a draft assessment report (not more than 30 pages, excluding the annexes). The draft report must include the following sections: Cover page, Acknowledgements, Table of Contents, Report Summary, Assessment methodology, Results from the questionnaires, Recommendations (including possible improvements, future directions for the project), Conclusion plus photographs.

The full draft report must be submitted to the Regional Program Director, Country Delegate and the SoH Project Manager in Vietnam for final feedback and comments.

Activity 4: With the agreement and guidance of IECD VN representatives and SoH project manager, the consultant may conduct consultation meetings with relevant stakeholders to discuss the draft assessment report. 

The stakeholders' inputs must be summarized into a brief report (not more than 5 pages).

Activity 5: Compile a Final Assessment report incorporating comments received from the Regional Program Director, Country Delegate and the SoH Project Manager in Vietnam and all relevant stakeholders. Submit the final assessment report (both PDF and Word versions) and all of the collected datasets (including raw and processed data) to the Regional Program Director, Country Delegate and the SoH Project Manager in Vietnam.

EXPECTED OUTPUTS AND DELIVERABLES

• Develop and submit a proposal which meets the ToR’s requirements.
• Develop a detailed assessment plan/agenda in consultation with the SoH team in Vietnam.
• Work closely with, and under the guidance of, the SoH team in Vietnam, the Country Delegate and/or Regional Program Director.
• Ensure the rules and procedures of IECD’s financial guidelines are followed
• Ensure that all of the expected outcomes/deliverables stated in the ToR are achieved to a high quality within the agreed timeframe.
• Create a positive and respectful working environment and maintain a professional relationship with the partner schools, companies and stakeholders.
• Travel to the partner schools and companies to conduct interviews and consultations.
• Be in charge of their own private/personal health insurance and make sure all legal obligations (insurance, declarations, taxes etc.) related to this activity are fulfilled.
• Be in charge of their own travelling costs inside and outside Vietnam, living costs and accommodation throughout this mission.

IECD’S RESPONSIBILITIES

• Provide consultants with project documents and other relevant documents.
• Prepare the contracts and other relevant documents.
• Support consultants in developing a detailed assessment plan/agenda.
• Communicate with partner schools, companies and relevant stakeholders to schedule interviews and meetings.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS OF THE CONSULTANTS

APPLICATIONS

Applications must include: 

1. Proof of relevant experience and qualifications.
2. Technical proposal including: outline and methodology for undertaking the assignment and a detailed work plan showing the assignment’s key activities and expected results.
3. Financial proposal including detailed quotations for consultant related fees and costs including the consultant(s)' transportation and accommodation costs.

CONTACT DETAILS

Applications must be sent to [email protected] [1] by 15^th January, 2021.

For inquiries and further information, please email Ms. Tran Phan Thai Giang at [email protected] [1]