1.BACKGROUND
The Building Resilient Communities in Somalia (BRCiS) Consortium came together in 2013 to work on a four-year programme of support to hazard-prone communities in the south-central zone of the country. The intended outcome of the programme is that men, women and children in vulnerable communities are more resilient to shocks, both in rural and urban contexts. The five key areas of work that will contribute to this outcome are: (1) Community resilience-building; (2) WASH, (3) Shelter; (4) Food Security; and (5) Learning.
This study contributes to the achievement of the BRCiS Expected Output 4: Target groups have improved productive livelihoods capacity and increased food access and diversity. Communities with higher income levels are less vulnerable to shocks for many reasons, including: (a) they have capacity to invest in disaster risk reduction mechanisms, (b) in case of a disaster, they have a greater asset base, and therefore lower likelihood of falling below a threshold income level. Under Output 4, the BRCiS programme aims to support communities, particularly the extreme poor and vulnerable, in reaching resilience through development of their asset bases and improvement of return on assets. In the urban context of Mogadishu this includes micro enterprise development through the provision of small scale business inputs and training, and developing marketable skills amongst young men and women to increase their chances of finding paid work. BRCiS also provides social protection support to ensure that participants’ families have a source of income (safety net) while they focus on training or starting up their business, as well as support to Self-Help Groups for women, who also often use their savings to invest in small businesses and receive business skills training. The training needs to provide skills that are marketable, and identifying these is the purpose of commissioning this study.
With an extremely young population (over 50% of Somalis are under the age of 15 ), huge gaps in education services and employment opportunities, and an economy that relies almost entirely on private sector service provision, the future for the youth in urban areas is bleak without more attention being paid to their abilities to find and keep gainful employment. Economic empowerment of the youth through building skills is therefore essential, and women are a key target group for this since in Somalia they are primarily responsible for meeting domestic, economic and social needs. The 2012 Human Development Report for Somalia calls for a greater investment in the youth as a way of not only helping to bring the country out of its prolonged war but also as a way of achieving accelerated development. The report notes that there is a 67% rate of unemployment amongst the youth aged between 14-29 years, rising to 74% amongst women in this age group. The UN Youth employment Network, in collaboration with the World Bank and the ILO has also identified and recommended four critical areas for national action by the Somalia Government: Employability, Equal opportunities, Entrepreneurship and Employment Creation.
Vocational training has been going on in Somalia for some time however it is now three years since the last review of marketable skills in the city was done (DRC/Food Security Cluster Vocational Skills Training Labour Market Study, 2012). Therefore this study aims to update the findings of the 2012 study and identify any new areas of opportunity that vocational skills and business skills training providers could take advantage of.
2.CONSULTANCY OBJECTIVES
a) Identify, analyse, and recommend five to seven priority sub-sectors (and others if relevant) where opportunities exist in Mogadishu, ideally within the target districts/waax, to train young men and women in vocational and entrepreneurial skills that will enable them generate and diversify income;
b) Recommend appropriate or potential technical/vocational and business skills training service providers and any amendments (structural, physical, pedagogical, etc) that they would need to make in order to offer the kinds of training recommended by the study;
c) Identify packages of tools or relevant start-up materials that each group of trainees would need to be able to establish a business, bearing in mind accessibility, affordability, and profitability for the target group;
d) Explore, identify, and recommend appropriate strategies, approaches and processes, to strengthen apprenticeship and/or employment opportunities for the target group of trainees;
e) Identify main constraints and opportunities in the skills training and related business opportunities identified above, and recommend appropriate interventions;
3.LOCATION
Mogadishu, Somalia
4.METHODOLOGY
The consultant will employ both quantitative and qualitative techniques in undertaking the survey. Participation is a crucial element for any work undertaken within BRCIS, hence the consultant should ensure the inclusion of beneficiaries’ views and ideas in the survey. The consultant will train and involve the programme team in the data collection, processing and analysis, to enable them to carry out further analysis and monitoring of the situation in the selected markets and training centres during the life of the programme.
The market study will start with the analysis of relevant secondary information (including contextual analysis and programme documents, as well as available reports and publications) and go on to a series of semi-structured interviews, and, possibly, focus groups discussions and stakeholder meetings with key informants from:
· The main groups of market actors, and their associations, if appropriate, relevant government agencies,
· Support organisations (both private, government, or non-government), field staff of the BRCiS Consortium members and their partner organisations who work on TVET, and other stakeholders engaged in the sub-sectors under study who may have influence in them.
In advance of the field visit to minimum of five- (this can change) sites, the consultant will provide an information gathering framework and questionnaires for various groups of market actors; these will be discussed with the team in detail in a workshop at the start of the study. Together with the team, the consultant will review the questions, and make sure they are adequately translated in the local language and the team are equipped to collect and record information. The team will be responsible for making relevant appointments and arrangements with various market actors to ensure that meetings are scheduled and take place as per the information gathering framework. The consultant will make sure that data/ information gathered are periodically collated, processed and analysed, with the team’s involvement, and necessary adjustments are made. The consultant will also facilitate a workshop, to pull together and assess/validate the findings and work towards recommendations.
5.TIMELINE
The consultancy is for twenty five (25) re-chargeable days to be completed by 9th August 2015.
6.DELIVERABLES/EXPECTED OUTPUT
The consultant will be expected to produce the following outputs:
a) Inception report including the detailed methodology, locations to be surveyed and timeline that will be followed.
b) A report detailing the process, findings and analyses, conclusions and recommendations of the analysis in separate sections for each of the sub-sectors and skill sets. The recommendation section should outline approaches to project design and implementation providing concrete actions that BRCIS members can engage in.
c) Provide a separate document outlining the process or methodology to be applied in order to fully deliver the recommended actions.
d) Present the findings and recommendations of the market analysis at a validation workshop where the major stakeholders will participate.
e) Provide a soft copy of the final report and the document outlining process and methodology for application. The final copy should incorporate feedback from the validation workshop.
7.RENUMERATION
Agreed rates will be based on prevailing market competitive rates and value for money. In full consideration of the services performed by the consultant under the terms of contract, Concern Worldwide shall pay the consultant fees upon satisfactory completion of the assignment.
The Consultant(s) is not an employee of Concern Worldwide or its affiliates, thus no benefits or compensation are provided as part of this agreement.
8.WORKING CONDITIONS
The consultancy will be carried out under the leadership and guidance of the Assistant Programme Manager-Education and the Project Officer-Community Empowerment. Supervision shall include conducting spot checks during the trainings to ensure proper content and techniques are used and that training is delivered to all the targeted participants on schedule.
The consultant will work independently using his/her own laptop and office space.
9.CONSULTANT’S PROFILE
a) A Master’s Degree in in social sciences, economics, business or relevant field
b) At least five (5) years relevant work experience in research and micro-economic analysis. Experience in market and value chain analysis is essential. Relevant experience in public private partnership in micro-enterprise development is desirable.
c) Academic, research, or consulting experience in youth employment planning and/or investment programming is highly preferred.
d) Excellent communication, reporting and editorial skills Ability to work in and/or lead a team of surveyors in Mogadis
HOW TO APPLY:
Interested applicants who meet the above requirements must submit the following;
· A technical (indicate earliest date of availability to undertake and complete the assignment) and financial proposal quoted in USD (US Dollars)
· Cover letter and CV (Demonstration of Capability) If quoting for an organization attach the CV of the Lead Consultant and any other personnel to be involved in the assignment
· A list of previous work done (Work Completion Certificates can be attached) including telephone and email contacts of three (3) referees who can validate technical expertise
· A (1) report of a similar assignment carried out by the Consultant
All applications must be addressed to the HR Manager, Concern Worldwide, Nairobi to the following email address:nairobi.hr@concern.net with the subject of the email as ‘Market Analysis’
The closing date for applications is Sunday, 5th July 2015.
Only short-listed candidates will be contacted for presentations.
