Individual Consultancy (International Consultant) To Provide Support For Unicef Maldives Country Office To Roll Out Upshift

UNICEF

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, a future

ADVERT - International consultant to provide support for UNICEF Maldives Country Office to roll out UPSHIFT

Background and rationale:

Maldives has made significant progress in improving access to education with gender parity (at primary and lower secondary level) over the last decades. However, nationwide, 25 per cent of males and 30 per cent of females (aged 15–24 years) are not in employment, education, or training, compared to 33 per cent of males and 35 per cent of females in the atolls. Challenges include the lack of career guidance and work-readiness programmes, and insufficient resource allocation for developing labour market-relevant skills, including technical and vocational training and skills for a green and blue economy. Social norms influencing gender roles impact the skills and employability of girls and young women. While formal labour force participation among women has declined in recent decades informal labour force participation is significantly higher among women than men.

To address the situation of adolescent skills and employability, UNICEF Maldives Country Office is in the process of formulating Adolescent Skills and Employability (ASE) programs in collaboration with UNICEF Regional Office, Government and Civil Society partners. In an effort to push the skills and employability agenda forward, UNICEF introduced to Maldives a global good practice, UPSHIFT, a programme centred around human centred design to promote social innovation and entrepreneurial initiative among young people. The programme, that is part of a regional initiative, will be piloted in 2022 in selected schools and in state care institutions for out of school adolescents. To prepare the ground for this, a multi-stakeholder steering committee has been set up to guide the roll-out and orientations on UPSHIFT methodology was provided to the steering committee and the managements of the selected schools for the pilot phase.

How can you make a difference?

The purpose of this consultancy is to seek technical support for the implementation of UPSHIFT in the Maldives. Specifically, it aims to support the country office and Government partners in developing a roadmap for the implementation and scale up of UPSHIFT in the Maldives in non-formal learning settings for vulnerable adolescents and young people.

Duty station: The Consultant will work with UNICEF and the Government counterparts. UNICEF Maldives Country Office.

Travel to the Maldives (one trip) is required within the contract period. For the rest of the period, support will be provided remotely.

Supervisor: Program Specialist, Education, supported by UNICEF Regional Office and UNICEF Office of Innovation

Major tasks to be undertaken by the consultant/facilitator and deliverables:

Major tasks	Key Deliverables	No of days and location
In consultation with UNICEF Maldives Country team and relevant partners, assess the current level of readiness (capacities and institutional requirements and availability and suitability of potential lead implementor) for the implementation of UPSHIFT. Identify the available resources and missing components and pre-requisites. Advice the team to develop a comprehensive country-specific procedures and roadmap for the implementation of UPSHIFT in the non-formal education context.	A 2–3-page report on the findings of the assessment	3 days in Male’ / Maldives
Provide an information session to the key stakeholders on how UPSHIFT was implemented and scaled up in selected countries that have successfully institutionalized UPSHIFT in formal and non-formal learning settings. Include their challenges, and lessons learned in their implementation journey.	a) Power Point Presentation for the Information session on UPSHIFT in selected countries. b) Conduct the in-person information session. c)Report on the information session containing main conclusions and recommendations.	1 day in Male’ Maldives
In consultation with UNICEF Maldives Country Office, develop the content for a 2-day UPSHIFT Bootcamp for vulnerable adolescents, including the training agenda and PowerPoint presentations, required handouts/ digital material.	a) Concept Note for the 2-day Upshift Bootcamp. b) Training Agenda c) PPT presentations, handouts and digital materials.
In collaboration with the local team, review the UPSHIFT manuals and content and support the team to contextualize the content to Maldives and to school education and non-formal settings. The contextualization requirements will be identified by the local team. The team requires guidance in the process of contextualization so that a balance is maintained between the global concept of UPSHIFT and relevance to the local context.	a) Report on the 3-day contextualization workshop delivered (7 hours per day). b) A package of contextualized UPSHIFT content	3 working days in Male’ Maldives
In collaboration with the local team, orient for 2 days a core group of facilitators to deliver the contextualized content. The local team will co-facilitate the sessions. The content will be further revised if needed.	a) Report on the 2-day orientation provided on the contextualized content.	2 days in Male’ Maldives
Support selected schools (2 schools) to implement an UPSHIFT 2-day bootcamp for selected groups of students	a) Report on the 3-day bootcamp	3 days in Male’ Maldives
Provide a 4-day USPHIFT master training for the Maldives Red Crescent team and volunteers. Hand hold/guide the Maldives Red Crescent in pre, during and post bootcamp in Addu Atoll (a geographical area in the south of Maldives, where UNICEF has an adolescent skills and employability program). The bootcamp will be targeted for a group of 30 adolescents between the ages 15-20 years.	a) Report on the 4-day master training delivered using the contextualized content and materials. b) Report on the Bootcamp conducted with up to 30 participants. Planning and all preparations for the bootcamp done by the team under the guidance of the consultant.	8 working days in Addu/ Maldives
Based on existing UPSHIFT guidance, and the knowledge obtained from working with the local team, support UNICEF team and partners to revisit and recalibrate the draft roadmap and associated procedures and checklists for the Maldives to implement and scale up UPSHIFT.	A complete and final implementation manual consisting of: a) Detailed roadmap for implementation b) Procedures for each phase of the UPSHIFT including logistical preparations for bootcamps and bootcamp delivery agenda etc. c)Check lists for compliance with the necessary procedures. d)Relevant templates for documentation e) Any other guidance deemed necessary.	7 working days in Male’ Maldives.
Remotely support the delivery of one additional UPSHIFT bootcamps lead by the Maldives lead implementor and provide advice to UNICEF and the implementing partner on ongoing delivery as well as conduct weekly debriefings with the team during planning and implementation. It is envisaged that this support would be required for about one month.	Report on the guidance provided through virtual calls and emails.	2 days per week for 5 weeks (10 days)

Estimated duration of contract: 4 months from 15^th June – 15^th October 2022. (Approximately 40 working days during the contract period)

Official travel involved: One official trip to Male’ Maldives will be undertaken, with possible domestic air travel to the venue of the bootcamp.

Qualifications or specialized knowledge and/or experience required:

Excellent knowledge of youth-lead human centred design approach
At least three years of experience delivering UPSHIFT with partners as part of a UNICEF supported program
Excellent facilitation and training skills.
Excellent interpersonal, time management communication skills and ability to participate effectively in multi-disciplinary teams.
Must be able to manage diverse viewpoints and work in demanding situations.

Fluency in written and spoken English and excellent report writing skills in English

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA).

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

Remarks:

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. The candidate may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid).