Iraq: CfP-Quality Assurance and Accreditation Expert for Technical and Vocational Education and Training

UNESCO OFFICE FOR IRAQ

Call for Proposals from Individual Consultants

IRQ/CONS/18/10

Quality Assurance and Accreditation Expert for Technical and Vocational Education and Training

(Iraq)

Deadline for submission: 30 September 2018 (18h00 Baghdad local time)

Submission email address: baghdad.proc@unesco.org and h.mamorry@unesco.org

10 September 2018

Dear Sir or Madam:

UNESCO Office for Iraq is inviting written proposals from Individual Consultants for the work assignment described in (Annex A).

Your proposal and any supporting documents must be in English.

Your written proposal/s should include the following parts:

1) A Technical Proposal/s (maximum of 10 pages excluding the CV – P.11) should consist of:

a) A description of your proposed approach and methodology for undertaking the assignment;

b) Description of the main deliverables and milestones related to the assignment;

c) A work plan with a detailed time frame, including information on expected number of missions estimated and duration of each mission to Iraq;

d) Comments on the Terms of Reference, if any (in brief);

e) An up-to-date curriculum vitae based on CV template & P11 form (Annex B1 and Annex B2)**.

Collective applications from two or more consultants will be considered, but the technical must clearly specify who will be responsible for specific tasks and outputs.

2) A completed vendors’ form (Annex C).

3) A signed price schedule form. Fee should be based on as lump sum amount to be charged for the assignment. Estimated cost for travel, accommodation and subsistence costs. Cost should be quoted in United States Dollars or in Euros. Please fill and sign the price schedule form (Annex D).

Applicants must indicate clearly number of working days (home-based) and number of working days (field-based).

4) UNESCO's Contract template for individual consultants for reference (Annex E)

5) A completed Declaration of Compatibility of the Professional Status (Annex F)

6) Confirmation that applicant consultant has registered himself/ herself in the UNESCO’s consultants’ roster (link: https://careers.unesco.org/careersection/roster/joblist.ftl ). Please indicate your registration number/ ID.

TERMS OF REFERENCE

Quality Assurance and Accreditation Expert for for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (Iraq)

1. Background

Iraq is a federal state comprised of 18 provinces or governorates. Within Iraq, the Kurdistan is a semi‐autonomous region in the northern part of the country comprised of three governorates, Duhok, Erbil and Sulaimanyah governed by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). The Iraqi TVET system has formal and non‐formal components administered by different government ministries. Vocational Education is provided by Ministry of Education (MoE) to secondary students (grades 10 to 12).Technical Education is provided by Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MoHESR) through the Technical Institutes which offer two‐year programmes leading to a technical diploma and the Technical Colleges which offer 4‐year programme leading to a technical Bachelor (BA, B.Sc. and B.Eng.). The Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs(MoLSA) runs a large number of training centres in specialised centres all over the country. A number of other ministries such as the Ministry of Industry, the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Transport and Communications, the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation, and the Ministry of Oil either operate institutes or run vocational courses dedicated to different purposes and target groups. The MoE is responsible for establishing and managing vocational schools and has responsibility for elaboration of the educational policy; planning and monitoring of implementation; curriculum development; management of teachers and other educational personnel; educational research and innovation; development of standards for vocational guidance and counselling; development of standards for assessment and examinations; and coordination and cooperation with local, national and international partners and stakeholders. The General Directorates of Education in the 18 governorates are in charge of the delivery of educational services, teacher training and employment, rehabilitation and maintenance of schools, and coordination with the Provincial Education Committees. There are also Education Offices at the district level. The MoHESR sets higher education policy and supervises the administration and organization of the higher education system. With regard to TVET, there are 7 polytechnic universities running the technical institutes and colleagues across Iraq. Those universities are administered by MOHESR. MOLSA is responsible for all aspects of training delivery and management in a large number of training centres workshops in specialised centres all over the country. Iraq has strongly established traditions and institutional arrangements that define how the different strands of the TVET system are managed. Government rules and regulations tend to be rigid and based on highly centralised approaches to management with little autonomy devolved to more local levels. Furthermore, management procedures often lack transparency Page 4 of 21 and are not sufficiently well developed to serve the TVET planning and decision‐making process. There is lack of coordination between the different ministries operating in the TVET sector with regard to policy setting and strategy development. The private sector, social partners and civil society are largely absent from the TVET sector and there are not appropriate mechanisms to facilitate their participation. In 2010, the Cabinet established the TVET Permanent Advisory Higher Committed headed by the Deputy Head of the Prime Minister’s Advisory Commission. This committee includes high ranking representatives of the line ministries (MoE, MoHESR, MoLSA, and MoP) and private sector but it plays only an advisory role with no decision‐making power or authority and not allocated budget. Besides a dysfunctional governance structure, the TVET system in Iraq suffers from many years of insufficient policy development and limited budget allocation. Some symptoms of the current situation are poor and obsolete educational infrastructure and equipment, irrelevance of curricula in relation to labour market requirements, lack of substantial practical training, fragmentation of responsibilities into different ministries, very low quality of teachers with no updated knowledge and skills, decreasing number of students, weak or inexistent vocational career guidance orientation and counselling, inadequate opportunities for youth and adults in life‐long professional education and training, weak organizational structures and partnerships, and inefficient resource mobilization, distribution and utilization. In order to address these issues, over the past few years the Government of Iraq (GoI) and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) have shown renovated interest in improving the TVET system and adopted several national policies that support the expansion and improvement of TVET opportunities. In particular, the National TVET Strategy 2014‐2023 provides an overall assessment of the current situation and outlines key strategic objectives including the need to develop an effective, decentralized government model to increase the effectiveness, efficiency, coherence, transparency, accountability and performance of TVET policies and systems in Iraq. To support the GoI and the KRG on these on‐going efforts, UNESCO with funds of the European Union is currently implementing the project ´Reforming TVET in Iraq´ which aims at increasing access to and improving the quality, relevance and responsiveness of the TVET system to the needs of the labour market and transform TVET in a key driver for Iraq’s economic growth, increased employment and improved social cohesion. TVET is a complex policy area, situated at the intersection of education, training, social, economic and labour market policies. It is expected to address a range of issues such as the present and future skill demands of the economy; individual citizens’ needs for short‐ and long‐ term training and lifelong learning opportunities, employability and personal development; and society’s requirement for active citizens among others. As such, successful TVET systems and their reforms should be based on the implementation of a whole series of interconnected policies, rather than a single‐policy solution.

Accordingly, UNESCO has developed a multi‐dimensional Reform Project with four specific objectives:

· Specific Objective 1: TVET quality system improved and revised governance model operationalized 1 TVET strategy 2014‐2023 (2014), National Development Plan 2013‐2017, National Employment Policy, National Strategy for Education and Higher Education 2012‐2022 (2012), KRG Vision 2020, Private sector development Strategy of Iraq 2013‐2030 Page 5 of 21.

· Specific Objective 2: A modern, demand driven TVET sub‐sector supported by comprehensive interpretation of the current and expected future needs of the labour market.

· Specific Objective 3: Improved capacities and competencies of TVET stakeholders.

· Specific Objective 4: School to work transition of TVET graduates facilitated with working opportunities of vulnerable groups improved.

2. Scope of Work

The current Request for Proposals for individual consultant will contribute to the first specific objective of the TVET reform Project and continue the work of development of new infrastructure and system for the governance and management of TVET at national level.

The proposed governance structure, in accordance with the draft TVET Law, includes a Quality Assurance and Accreditation body (QAA); the individual consultant will build on work being undertaken to perform the below duties and responsibilities working with the Quality Assurance Working Group QAWG (21 Members), the TVET line ministries and wider stakeholders.

The following work on governance has complete or underway:

· The QAWG conducted 6 major meetings and produced the QA Inception Report and the Accreditation Manual which includes QA approach, evaluation questions, standards and methods

· 19 TVET pilot institutes across the country have been selected to participate in the QA capacity building workshops

· Capacity building delivery plan developed

· Three QA capacity building workshops (out of 6) were delivered to pilot institution staff. Materials covered activities for developing internal QA system, collecting feedback from stakeholders and how to prepare self-evaluation.

For the period between November 2018- March/April 2019; UNESCO will continue the QA capacity building for the 19 TVET institutions and will identify 6 TVET institutions for pilot accreditation. To support this, UNESCO office for Iraq is seeking to hire a qualified QA expert to lead and support the TVET reform project team in delivery the QA piloting and do the necessary adjustment to the QA standards and system.

3. Duties and Responsibilities

Under the overall supervision of the Director of UNESCO Office for Iraq and the direct supervision of the Senior Project Officer, the consultant shall undertake execute the following responsibilities, in close collaboration with consultants team leaders, TVET reform project team, QAWG members, officials and delegate from line ministries; MoE, MoHESR, and MoLSA:

3.1 Lead the delivery of the remaining 3x3 days QA capacity building workshops for the pilot institutions.

3.2 Coach and mentor QAWG members to be able to deliver these workshops independently in the future.

3.3 Contribute to identifying six institutions for pilot accreditation.

3.4 Plan the accreditation events including rotating the members of the QAWG so each person participates in at least one accreditation.

3.5 Prepare Code of Conduct for accreditation panel members (team leader will provide example)

3.6 Identify (from UNESCO database of experts) subject experts for the accreditation panels in the fields of training offered by the pilot institutions for accreditation (e.g. expert cooks, farmers, bricklayers… etc).

3.7 Deliver 1-2 days training for subject experts (using QAWG members as co-facilitators). Material includes introduction to the accreditations system and training in Audit methodologies.

3.8 Lead six pilot institutional accreditations in six locations (3-4 days on site for each event)

3.9 Build the capacity of the QAWG members to participate in these events with increasing responsibility.

3.10 Review the pilot accreditations and make necessary adjustments to the standards and system.

3.11 Finalise the Accreditation Handbook and Code of Conduct for Accreditation panel members.

3.12 Present the ‘lessons learned and hand -over of the project to TVET Board Representatives.

3.13 Contribute to the final report of the QA part of the project.

4. Deliverables/ expected outputs

The following deliverables are required:

4.1Inception Report demonstrating understanding of the assignment and showing a proposed methodology, deliverables and an assignment action. The Inception Report will be deliver within 15 days of the start date of the assignment.

4.2Five Monthly Reports describing work undertaken, deliverables and outcomes achieved, the work plan for the coming period, feedback collected, lessons learnt, project issues and risks.

4.3End Assignment Report the will contribute to the final QA report of the TVET reform project.

4.4 In additional to Monthly Report further specific deliverables will be agreed on the basis of the inception report and the responsibilities set out above.

5. Other Information including information on timelines

· Total duration of the assignment will be 5 months between November 2018- March 2019

· Expected contract start date will be November 2018 and shall be valid till 30 April 2019

· Remuneration will be paid monthly according to qualifications and experience

· The consultancy will require regular missions to Erbil, Baghdad and other provinces in Iraq as per the UN security standards and procedures in Iraq.

6. Qualifications/Requirements

· Advanced university degree in Education, Higher Education, Quality Assurance or other related field, with demonstrated expertise at national and international levels

· Minimum 10 years of relevant professional experience working in TVET/educational Quality Assurance, Accreditation in education and TVET reform.

· Working experience with senior officials within government and educators

· Excellent planning and reporting skills

• Good facilitation skills; excellent communication capabilities; ability to adapt to dynamic environments
• Previous experience in the Middle East would be an advantage
• Excellent knowledge of English; knowledge of Arabic would be an advantage

· Ability to work effectively in a multicultural/multinational environment

· A commitment to UN values of non-discrimination on the basis of race, gender, economic status, or religion.

7. Language of submitted reports/materials

Language: English

8. Reporting

Under the overall supervision of the Director of UNESCO Office for Iraq the consultant will report to the Senior Project Officer.

Submitted reports and material to be provided by the selected Consultant should be in English.

For more details and annexes please visithttp://www.unesco.org/new/en/iraq-office/about-this-office/vacancies/

Note on Travel Costs:

UNESCO Office for Iraq will cover all the travel cost including airline tickets (at economy class), and daily substance allowance covering costs of accommodation, meals and internal transportation in Iraq according to UNESCO’s established rules and regulations.

Applicant must indicate the estimated cost of airway ticket from home country to Iraq (round ticket/ most direct and at economy class).

UNESCO places a great emphasis on ensuring that the objectives of the work assignment, as described in the Terms of Reference, are met. Accordingly, in evaluating the proposals for the assignment, attention will focus first and foremost on the technical elements. From those proposals deemed suitable in terms of the criteria in the Terms of Reference, UNESCO shall select the proposal that offers the Organisation best value for money.

NB. UNESCO will evaluate the proposed fee against its standard international consultant rates for similar assignments.

Your proposal should be submitted by e-mail no later than close of business on or before 30 September 2017 (18:00 Iraq time) at the following email addresses ONLY:

baghdad.proc@unesco.org and h.mamorry@unesco.org

Email proposals should not exceed 10MB.

To ease the email tracing and facilitate quick processing, kindly use the following script “Submission of Proposal: Quality Assurance and Accreditation Expert for TVET reform project – Ref: IRQ/CONS/18/10” in the email subject.

It is the individual’s responsibility to ensure that his/her proposal is received by the deadline.

Potential experts contacted should not treat this letter in any way as an offer. However, their proposal may form the basis for an eventual contract with UNESCO.

Any expert receiving this letter is requested to acknowledge its receipt and to indicate whether or not s/he will be submitting a proposal. For this purpose, and for any requests for clarification, please contact: Mr. Hussein Mamorry at email: h.mamorry@unesco.org.

Submissions will be acknowledged by email upon receipt but ONLY selected expert will receive further notification and correspondences.

Thank you for your eventual interest in this UNESCO assignment. We look forward to receiving your proposal.

On behalf of UNESCO Office for Iraq:

Rory Robertshaw (Mr.)Senior Project Officer

For more details and annexes please visithttp://www.unesco.org/new/en/iraq-office/about-this-office/vacancies/*