PROSPECTS Kenya: Capacity Strengthening for Digital Jobs Intermediation Services

Country: Kenya (with Garissa, Turkana and Nairobi as priority counties)

Duration of assignment: 8 months

Level of effort:

The ILO is seeking an implementing partner with the capacity to strengthen the capacity of local digital labour intermediation institutions to support digitally skilled refugee and host youths in Turkana, Garissa, and Nairobi Counties to access decent jobs in the digital economy in line with the implementation of activities of the ILO PROPSECTS project in Kenya.

Deadline for application: 15 July 2024

Context

Technical context

Kenya’s young population continues to face socio-economic pressures as economic growth has not realized a sufficient number of decent jobs leading to high youth unemployment. According to the most recent Kenya Population and Housing Census report, youth unemployment in Kenya stood at 38 percent in 2019. Almost one in seven (13.7 percent) young people in Kenya were Neither in Employment, Education, or Training (NEET, SDG Indicator 8.6.1) as of 2016. Further, the report indicates that young women find themselves twice as often (18.2 percent) in this group than young men (9.2 percent).

Simultaneously, the world is witnessing the highest levels of displacement. In recent years, forced displacement has increased in scale and complexity. According to UNHCR , Kenya host at least 744,000 refugees from different nationalities and increase by 5% of the previous year figures. Almost half of the refugees (43%) reside in Dadaab, 41% in Kakuma, and 16% in urban areas (mainly Nairobi), alongside 18,500 stateless persons. Poverty remains a major problem among refugees and their hosting communities and UNHCR estimates unemployment rate among refugees in Kenya to be around 70%. This is significantly higher than the national average unemployment rate in Kenya, which is estimated to be around 40%. While forcibly displaced persons face specific vulnerabilities, including psychological trauma, lack of opportunity, and protection risks, host communities struggle to pursue their development efforts in an environment that has been transformed by a large influx of newcomers. The responses to these challenges are becoming more focused on durable solutions to support more dignified, inclusive, and comprehensive programmes for refugees and the communities that host them.

Technology has always been a driver of productivity and efficiency at work and in businesses. With the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, it has become even more essential for businesses to invest in digital solutions to remain competitive. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, the digital economy had emerged as a key driver for the creation of decent jobs, especially for Kenya’s youth. The country has adopted the Digital Economy Blue Print of 2019 providing a framework to leverage digital government, digital business, infrastructure, innovation-driven entrepreneurship, and digital skills and values. This also presents opportunities for refugees and host community members to access jobs in the digital labour market. Fully harnessing these opportunities requires improved access to quality education and skills development as well as stimulating labour demand and access to digital labour markets within and beyond refugee camps. For young refugees to benefit from the transformative power of information and communication technologies (ICTs), they must be equipped with a range of in demand digital skills and have affordable access to connectivity.

The current digital transformation has far-reaching implications for forcibly displaced persons and many other migrants who are in search of employment and come under pressure to secure a livelihood for themselves and their families. Without coordinated action, a digitized and increasingly cashless future of work poses existential threats to the displaced and uprooted, whose livelihood often depends on informal jobs, who are frequently excluded from access to bank accounts or electronic payment mechanisms, and who must often accept exploitative working conditions in exchange for any kind of income.

Operational context of the assignment

In response to the challenges facing both host communities and refugees, a partnership initiative titled: PROSPECTS Partnership for improving Prospects for host communities and forcibly displaced persons’, was launched by the Government of the Netherlands in 2019 that brings together the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the International Labour Organization (ILO), the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Bank.

The overall outcome of the PROSPECTS project in Kenya is “improved sustainable living conditions for women, men, girls, and boys in refugees and host communities in Kenya”. This is to be achieved through “increased number of refugees and host community people with enhanced livelihoods and/or employment in safe/decent work”. The employment pillar triggers the availability of employment services to support transition to work, as well as the labour market demand that is needed to let refugees and host communities’ transition to various forms of employment, and finally, mechanisms to promote enhanced quality of work. Barriers to business start-ups and scale-ups are identified and addressed to unlock the entrepreneurial potential that exists in the targeted areas. Young refugees and host communities are supported in accessing employment opportunities in the digital economy through enhancing and digitising local employment services, provision of vocational and career guidance in schools, capacity development of employment service providers as well as offering youth-to-youth coaching services.

Through PROSPECTS the ILO in close partnership with UNHCR works with local governments, schools, and training institutions serving youth in Turkana and Garissa, as well as employers and other key stakeholders to better understand and promote decent work opportunities for young refugees in the digital economy.

ILO has been instrumental in advancing digital labour market intermediation services to refugee and host community youth in Turkana, Garissa, and Nairobi. Through the digital job intermediation services, a digital job human skills development training program, and a mentorship guide have been curated to provide soft skills and 1:1 mentorship necessary for youth to navigate the digital job landscape, supporting youth with digital job and internship placement opportunities in the recent past. Further, this initiative has mobilized a significant number of devices to support online workers with the necessary digital tools to pursue online jobs conveniently which is often a challenge for those working online and more so in displacement contexts.

Intermediation services have delivered promising results in enhancing the transition to digital jobs with 80 young men and women being supported with human skills development with over 60% transition to digital jobs and internships. ILO therefore seeks to scale these services to strengthen the Local Digital labour market Intermediation Service Providers to deliver similar intermediation services through a Trainer of Trainers (ToT) program. This program will engage technical and vocational education and Training (TVET) institutions, Community-Based Organizations (CBOs), local NGOs, innovation hubs/co-working space operators, and Business Processing and Outsourcing centres (BPOs) fostering youth employment in the digital economy.

Objective

The objective of this assignment is to strengthen the capacity of the Local Digital Job Intermediation Service Providers to provide comprehensive digital job intermediation services in Turkana, Garissa, and Nairobi. These digital Jobs Intermediation Services include a Trainer of Trainers (ToT) component focusing on capacity enhancement for these providers to roll out human skills development, mentorship as well as digital job placement services. These providers will be directly identified in collaboration with ILO.

Scope of the Assignment

The scope of the assignment comprises the following tasks and areas of work:

1. Training of Trainers (ToT) Training Manual: The partner in consultation with ILO will develop a comprehensive training guide for Trainer of Trainers (ToT) programs tailored to TVET institutions, Community-Based Organizations (CBOs), local NGOs, innovation hubs/co-working space operators following a capacity assessment of the identified local digital job intermediation services. The manuals should encompass training modules on Human skills development and effective mentorship strategies relevant to the digital economy. The partner will collaborate with stakeholders, including ILO to ensure alignment with best practices as well as adaptability to diverse learning environments and technological platforms.

• Deliverable 1: A Trainer of Trainers (ToT) manual on Human Skills Development and Mentorship validated by relevant stakeholders and benchmarked against established standards.

2. Training of Trainers (ToT): The partner in collaboration with ILO will identify and recruit trainers from TVET institutions, Community-Based Organizations (CBOs), local NGOs, innovation hubs/co-working space operators etc. who will undergo the ToT program and provide comprehensive training sessions on delivering human skills and mentorship training to target beneficiaries. This ToT should be used to gather feedback about the Training of Trainers (ToT) Training Manual for its finalization.

• Deliverable 2: To complete ToT sessions with 25 recruited trainers from TVET, local digital job supporting organizations, and digital platforms ensuring they are equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills to deliver human skills for digital jobs and the mentorship program.

3. Digital Job Intermediation Services: The partner will work with ILO to develop a selection criterion and select 2-3 local digital jobs intermediation service providers. The partner will consequently collaborate with 2-3 identified Local Digital Job Intermediation Service Providers to prepare 100 youth through the rollout of human skills development and mentorship. These engagements should ensure that the local digital job intermediation service providersshadow the digital job intermediation services of the partner, as an institution rather than at the trainer’s level, and adopt organizational behavioural change strategies that align with the demands of the digital economy. This should also support the institutionalization of the Training of Trainers (ToT) Training Manual and digital job intermediation model. Post-human skills development training, the partner should then work together with the selected local digital job intermediation service providers to place the 100 youth internship and job placement opportunities.

• Deliverable 3: 100 youth complete human skills development training and mentorship program
• Deliverable 4: 100 youth secure digital jobs through collaboration with training institution

4. Monitoring and Evaluation: The implementing partner will work closely with ILO to evaluate the program and recommend changes or adaptations to overcome identified gaps. The partner will be required to evaluate the capacity of the training institutions to deliver human skills development programs, mentorship progress, and work-based/job engagement outcomes and advise any modality for adaptation if need be. Requirements for report and data collection, including post-training and placements tracer survey, will be discussed with and supported by the ILO during the program inception.

• Deliverable 5: Reports and data on post-intervention outcomes of beneficiaries are available (as defined during the program set-up with the ILO)

5. Reporting: ILO will require progressive reports from the implementing partner and will revolve around the KPIs set- out during the beginning of this assignment.

Deliverables, duration and fees

Key Deliverables

The main deliverables of this engagement are as below:

Timeline, Output and Deliverables

1. August 2024 (TBC): Training of Trainers (ToT) Training Guide
   1. Deliverable 1: A Trainer of Trainers (ToT) guide on Human Skills Development and Mentorship validated by relevant stakeholders and benchmarked against established standards.
2. September 2024 (TBC): Training of Trainers (ToT)
   1. Deliverable 2: ToT sessions with 25 recruited trainers from TVET, local digital job supporting organizations, and digital platforms completed e nsuring they are equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills to deliver human skills for digital jobs and the mentorship program.
3. September – March 2024 (TBC): Digital Job Intermediation Services
   1. Deliverable 3: At least 100 youths complete human skills development training program
   2. Deliverable 4: At least 100 youth secure digital jobs through collaboration with training institution
4. March 2024 (TBC): Monitoring and Evaluation:
   1. Deliverable 5: Reports and data on post-intervention outcomes of beneficiaries are available (as defined during the program set-up with the ILO

Deviations from these deliverables can occur according to the evolution of the assignment; however, any changes observed or anticipated should be consulted with the focal person at the ILO.

A comprehensive report will be documented showcasing the key activities that are done and areas of improvement for future collaborations.

Payment Terms

The ILO will only pay for services that have been performed and for deliverables that are completed to the satisfaction of the ILO. The payments will be made according to the following schedule:

• The first payment of 30 percent of the contract volume (or a maximum of USD 30,000 whichever sum is smaller) will be made upon signing of the contract and receipt of the invoice.

Further payments related to deliverables 1 and 2, 3 and 4, and 5 will be made as follows. These payments can be requested individually or combined:

• Second payment of 25 percent of the contract volume will be made upon receipt of Deliverables 1 and 2 to the satisfaction of the ILO and the presentation of the invoice.
• Third payment of 25 percent of the contract volume will be made upon receipt of Deliverables 3 and 4 to the satisfaction of the ILO and the presentation of the invoice.
• A further and final payment of 20 percent of the contract volume will be made upon receipt of Deliverables 5 to the satisfaction of the ILO and the presentation of the invoice.

When submitting invoices for payments the implementing partners will also submit to the ILO:

• A technical progress report (to be continuously updated)
• A financial report

Staffing, Roles, and Reporting

ILO will require from time to time based on agreed timelines comprehensive reports to highlight work done. Reports will be reviewed to ensure conformance with ILO operations before acceptance.

The implementing partner will report directly to the ILO Chief Technical Advisor. The ILO Kenya PROSPECTS team will offer technical support and will coordinate closely with the Skills Digitalization specialist at HQ, the Youth Employment Officer at the Regional Office for Africa and the Decent Work Skills specialist at Pretoria to facilitate mainstreaming and standardization of the approach across the project.

Specific Clauses

Throughout this assignment, the implementing partner will report on a bi-weekly basis to the ILO for coordination and follow–up. All communication with other relevant stakeholders should be coordinated with the ILO. If it appears necessary to modify the tasks of work or exceed the time allocated, the implementing partner must discuss the circumstances with the ILO and obtain prior written approval. ILO may disclose the draft or final documents and/or any related information to any person and for any purpose the ILO may deem appropriate.

Required experience and qualifications

• The Implementing Partner, as an organization, should have at least 5 years of experience and a proven track record in digital jobs intermediation services.
• Vast network and knowledge of digital job employers and partners either on-platform or local with experience in placing digitally skilled youths into the digital jobs providers’ platforms/networks as well as private sector engagement for mentorship matchmaking.
• Demonstrable experience in strengthening the organizational capacities of institutions, especially in the context of TVET institutions, Community-Based Organizations (CBOs), local NGOs, innovation hubs/co-working space operators etc.
• Experience in developing comprehensive training guides and conducting Trainer of Trainers (ToT) programs, particularly those focused on human skills development and mentorship for the digital economy.
• Experience in digitizing learning content so it is available on different platforms not limited to computers and phones either online or offline.
• Sound knowledge of the current trends in the digital economy space with a keen interest in systematically blending digital soft skills, mentorship programs, and market linkages.
• Experience in interactive digital training delivery through different methodologies not limited to remote, in-person, and the use of mobile-friendly learning management systems.
• Demonstrate internal capacity (e.g., personnel, operational tools, etc.) to carry out this assignment.
• Contextual understanding of the areas of the assignment (Turkana, Garissa, and Nairobi counties in Kenya) and in good standing with statutory laws and regulations.
• Knowledge of the local context, culture, and language is an added advantage. However official language within the area is English & Swahili