Consultant

Background:

Human Appeal (HA), in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), is implementing a vital project in Nineveh Governorate, Iraq, aimed at enhancing the livelihoods and economic resilience of vulnerable populations, particularly youth and women. The project, titled “Employment Promotion through Skills Development and On Job Training in Mosul City, Ninewa Governorate- IRAQ,” targets two key areas within Nineveh: Mosul City and the Nineveh Plain.

In Mosul city, the project will provide vocational training to 200 beneficiaries, equipping them with essential skills aligned with market demands. Simultaneously, in the Nineveh Plain, another 200 beneficiaries will participate in on-the-job training, enabling them to gain practical experience and enhance their employability. These interventions are designed to foster economic recovery in these post-conflict areas, focusing on empowering women, promoting social cohesion, and strengthening community resilience.

HA’s approach is comprehensive, incorporating a range of methodologies tailored to the local context and prioritizing accountability, gender equality, value for money, and the capacity building of national institutions. The project also emphasizes the environmental and social impacts of its activities, ensuring sustainable development outcomes.

By facilitating income generation through skills development and employment, the project aims to contribute to peacebuilding efforts and the rebuilding of vital services in these communities. Engaging the community in this recovery process is central to HA’s strategy, as it fosters ownership, renews pride, and strengthens the relationship between civil society and government.

Objective(s)

The primary objective of this consultancy is to identify the professional skills currently lacking in the Mosul labor market and to select private sector entities in the Nineveh Plain that can host and train interns. This will involve conducting a rapid market screening, developing selection criteria, and engaging with potential host employers to ensure they meet the necessary requirements for participation in the project.

The consultant will be responsible for the following tasks:

Market Mapping and Screening:

• Conduct a rapid market screening to identify the skills gaps and labor needs in Mosul.
• Study and know the orientation of young people and graduates looking for work and what the most prominent sectors they desire and prefer.
• Develop a detailed business mapping of private sector entities in the Nineveh Plain that are potential hosts for OJT trainees.
• Identify and categorize businesses by sector, size, employee count, HR policies, and willingness to train interns.
• Identifying the most important vocational sectors that the youth and women desire and that the labor market can host, as well as projects in the private sector including the nature of work suits to youth and specific trades that can host women for on-the-job training.
• Identify the vocational in which the people with disabilities can easily work which is more accessible to their abilities, as well as the businesses in the private sector that have facilities to host PWDs.

Selection Criteria Development:

• In collaboration with HA, design selection criteria for private sector hosts. This should include considerations such as business size, current employee numbers, HR practices, official registration, and the willingness to train and provide stipends to interns in future.
• Submit the selection criteria to HA for validation and approval.
• Design MoU should signed between the host business and OJT beneficiaries.

Outreach to Private Sector Entities:

• Utilize online and offline outreach tools, including social media, chambers of commerce, directorates of trade, NGOs, unions, and cooperatives, to engage with potential host entities.
• Engage existing recruitment agencies, platforms, and youth groups with experience in employment promotion to support outreach efforts.
• Ensure the number of businesses assessed is sufficient to secure hosting opportunities for 200 OJT beneficiaries.

Market Assessment Reporting:

• Provide HA with a comprehensive labor market assessment report. The report should include:
• An analysis of the business sectors in Mosul and the types of skills required with high employment potential.
• A clear picture of the training facilities available in the target locations, including those providing formal certification.
• The identification of promising sectors for employment in the Nineveh Plain.
• Recommendations for the final list of vocations for training, in line with assessment findings and beneficiary requirements.
• identify the orientation of young people and graduates looking for work and what the most prominent sectors they desire and prefer.

Methodology

The consultancy will be conducted using a structured, multi-phase approach to ensure a comprehensive mapping, outreach, and selection process for private sector entities capable of hosting and training interns in the Nineveh Plain. The methodology consists of the following phases:

1. Rapid Market Screening Identify key skill gaps and labor needs within the Mosul market.

• Desk Research: Conduct a preliminary review of existing labor market data, reports, and studies related to the Mosul market to identify general trends and existing gaps in professional skills.
• Stakeholder Consultations: Engage with local stakeholders, including business associations, chambers of commerce, and industry experts, to gather qualitative insights into current market demands and skill shortages.
• Preliminary Survey: Design and implement a rapid survey targeting employers in Mosul to collect data on the most critical skills lacking in the local workforce.

2. Development of Selection Criteria Establish clear and objective criteria for selecting private sector entities to host and train interns.

• Criteria Design: In collaboration with Human Appeal (HA), develop a set of selection criteria based on factors such as:

• Business size and sector.
• Number of current employees.
• Gender of trainees to be hosted.
• availability of people with disability facilities.
• Existence of HR policies and labor contracts.
• Official business registration and compliance with local laws.
• Willingness to provide training and contribute to interns’ stipends.

3. Outreach and Engagement Identify and engage private sector entities interested in participating as host employers.

• Outreach Strategy: Develop a comprehensive outreach strategy that leverages both online and offline tools. This will include:

1. Online Outreach: Utilize social media platforms, email campaigns, and relevant online forums to reach potential host entities.
2. Offline Outreach: Engage with chambers of commerce, the Directorate of Trade, local NGOs, unions, cooperatives, and other relevant stakeholders to identify and reach out to potential host employers.

4. Business Mapping and Assessment Conduct a thorough assessment of potential host entities to ensure they meet the established criteria.

• Data Collection: Gather detailed information on each identified business, including their operational capacity, sectoral focus, and previous experience with training or internships.
• Site Visits: Conduct site visits where feasible to verify the information provided and assess the suitability of the business as a host for interns.
• Baseline Data Collection: Collect baseline data on the private sector’s needs, skill gaps, and other relevant factors during the assessment process.
• Commitment Letters: Secure signed commitment letters from businesses that meet the criteria, confirming their interest in hosting and training interns.

This phased approach ensures a thorough, data-driven process that aligns with the project’s goals and the needs of the local labor market, while also fostering strong partnerships with private sector entities committed to contributing to the economic recovery and development of Nineveh.

.

Deliverables and Timeframe:

#	Objective	1st Month				2nd Month	3rd Month
		Week 1	Week 2	Week 3	Week 4
1	kick-off meeting
2	Assessment tools development review
3	Selection Criteria Development
4	Market Mapping and Screening
5	Outreach to Private Sector Entities
6	Data analyses
7	Market Assessment Final Report
8	Addressing the comments from the donor.
9	Following the contracting with the private sector to resolve obstacles and following up on contract compliance as a mediator between the two parties

 

Note: The entire assessment and follow up on results must be completed in 90 days

Audience and End-users of Report

The main audience and users of the report will include UNDP, HA, relevant Ministries, JCF working groups and other key relevant stakeholders.

Report Format

The main report covering rapid market screening should not exceed 15 A4 pages Calibri Font 1:1 margin. The other two reports covering Market and businesses screening The reports should include

• Table of Contents
• Glossary and Abbreviations
• Definitions, if any
• Executive Summary
• Objectives, Scope and Methodology Adopted (including sample and sampling), including synopsis of the main components of the assessment
• Key Findings and Analysis
• Conclusions(s) and Recommendations
• Annexure
• Tools Employed for Data Collection
• Reference of Secondary Data Sources
• Data sets in electronic version
• PPT summarizing entire assessment (all three components) with pictures, maximum 20 slides in English.
• High Resolution Field Research Photographs and Video Clips
• Other Relevant Documents

Qualifications and Expertise:

The ideal consultant should possess the following qualifications and expertise:

• Education: A Master’s degree in Business Administration; Management; Marketing; Economics; Livelihoods and Employment; Social Development, or any related field.
• Four years’ experience in conducting market related analysis, market screening.
• Similar previous work experience in data management and data analyses.
• Proven expertise in qualitative and quantitative research methods, data analysis, and report writing.
• Familiarity with the local context and market dynamics relevant to the assessment.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to engage with diverse stakeholders.
• Excellent written and spoken Arabic and English are required. Additional languages are a bonus

Payment Schedule

• 40% on submission of assessment tools and selection criteria.
• 30% after the final market screening report is approved by HA and UNDP.
• 30% after completing the on-the-job training activity within the specified time.

Interested consultants are requested to submit:

• a simple technical proposal to ensure the approach, methodology, timeline, team composition, and a budget breakdown(financial proposal must include all expenses to be incurred for conducting the assessment including consultant fee, per diems, travel, lodging and boarding, stationary, etc).
• Share examples of similar completed assignments with other employers
• Updated CV
• Availability timeframe,
• Proposed Monthly Salary in IQD

 to:

recruitment.iraq@humanappeal.org.uk with (Consultant-HA-IRQ-2024-007) in the subject of your email

Reviewing the application will be on a rolling basis, therefore HA reserves the right to do the interviews for the position before the closing date(September 5,2024) of the job advertisement, only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

*Applications should submit their send in English.

* Only (Word+ PDF) format of applications will be considered.

* Application in JPGs format and links will not be considered