Call for Proposals – Implementation Agreement for improving youth digital skills and employment opportunities in Lebanon

Unemployment, including amongst youth has been on the rise as a result of the multiple crises. According to the follow-up Labour Force Survey (LFS) 2022, the unemployment rate has substantially increased from 11.4 percent in 2018-2019 to 29.6 percent in January 2022 and the youth unemployment rate (15–24 years old) increased from 23.3% in 2018-2019 to 47.8% in January 2022. At the governorate level, the unemployment rate has increased in all governorates without exception. The largest increase has been in Baalbek-Hermel followed by South-Lebanon. Some 29.6% of the unemployed had been seeking employment for two years or more in January 2022, and another 19.2% had been seeking employment for between one and two years. Thus, in total, 48.8% of the unemployed were in long-term unemployment in January 2022.

The skills mismatch has long hindered progress towards full and productive employment in the country, with the skills provided by training and education institutions not adequately and fully responding to the labour market needs. The investment in human capital in tune with labour market’s present and future demands remains central to facilitate the transition to the world of work and offset the immediate and long-term impacts of the multiple crisis the country is facing.

The digital economy has presented increasing job opportunities globally and nationally, particularly for youth. With considerable support of the government and private sector investments, the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector in Lebanon has witnessed a giant leap in terms of expansion and reform in the last two decades. Technology software and services is an emerging and highly diversified market segment in Lebanon with a significant export potential. This growth is reflected in the booming tech community, placing Lebanon among evolving ICT markets in the region. The government’s support to the sector, including extensive investments in ICT infrastructure as well as new funding mechanisms for the digital economy, also attracted investment from various multinational corporations.

In 2018, 60 new foreign and local investors benefited from different governmental schemes through various investment projects that were expected to create approximately 3,500 direct jobs. Many of these developments have significantly improved sector’s contributions to the country’s economy and the labour market which reached in 2018 around 2.1 per cent of the nation’s GDP (equivalent to approximately USD 1.1 billion). Before the COVID-19 pandemic, ICT sector’s total direct and indirect impact on GDP was forecasted to reach USD 7 billion by 2025.

In addition, a number of start-up incubators emerged in the recent years. Lebanon ranked 23 of 141 countries regarding the ‘Digital skills among active population’ indicator.

Furthermore, the Office of the Minister of State for Administrative Reform (OMSAR) launched “Lebanon Digital Transformation Strategy 2020-2030” and committed USD 260 million for it to create a favourable business environment by streamlining governmental procedures and making citizen centric digital services provided from a common digital platform. Furthermore, a collaborative effort between UNICEF, the World Bank, and IFC within the framework of the first phase if the PROSPECTS partnership aimed at enhancing youth employment within Lebanon's digital economy. Nammi Skills seeks to improve the transition from learning to earning for marginalized young job seekers by addressing both the supply and demand aspects of the labour market. Key elements of the project include developing an online (and offline) labour market platform for micro-credentials to enhance employability, skills matching, and connections with the private sector. The project also involves delivering industry-certified digital skills training to vulnerable youth through partnerships with companies like Microsoft and Amazon. The initiative specifically targets vulnerable youth, including Lebanese and non-Lebanese individuals, with a focus on women and refugee youth, aiming to reach approximately 23,000. This intervention intends to build upon this program and existing programs and create a more equitable and systematic pathway from skills training to employment in the digital economy.

The COVID-19 pandemic was a wake-up call for companies around the world, including in Lebanon, to adopt digital technology to ensure business continuity and it has promoted the acceleration of digitization in many social and economic activities.  The pandemic also expanded the market for technologies like Artificial Intelligence, video conferencing software, video streaming platforms, team collaboration software, mobile security technology, video on demand (VoD) market, cloud gaming market, cybersecurity, data security, Virtual private networks (VPN) and some others.

The e-commerce sector is also expected to witness a significant growth because customers’ preference for shopping digitally which has also fuelled the growth of digital payment during the pandemic. Additionally, the market for Voice over Long-Term Evolution (VoLTE) grew at a noticeable rate owing to the rapid increase in the adoption of WhatsApp, messenger, hangouts and other platforms.

An EU supported study by National Employment Office (NEO) and UNESCO in 2019 noted that the digital sector in Lebanon is one among other hidden opportunities for the Lebanese economy with potential to increase 15% employment in the sector. The study estimated the need of more than 33,000 workers for all levels of skilled workers such as riggers and cable splicers, and electronics mechanics and servicers for craft and related trade workers (secondary and post-secondary technical education), broadcasting and audio visual technicians and associate professionals (short and medium duration higher education) and ICT sales professionals, system analysts, software developers, database designers, IT security engineers etc. in professional and associate professional category skilled workers. Around 2000 university ICT graduates join the ICT sector every year, but one of the weaknesses that the employers point out is their lack of experience in the application of ICT in the fields of business service provision, retail, finance and health.

A MENA talent map 2023 examined opportunities to supply talent for outsourced jobs noting that Lebanon had great potential to become a talent hub for offshore work with its highly qualified, multilingual, and cost competitive labour force. Outsourcing prospects included six areas: customer relationship management services, software/applications development and integration, engineering design and consulting services, marketing services, business consulting and market research services, and telemedicine and remote education.

In addition, there is a demand for soft skills that are specific to global and collaborative working environments. It is therefore an opportune time to harness these potentials and expand training and skills development in the digital economy for both Lebanese to gain decent employment in their country, as well as for Syrian refugees to gain portable skills that they can apply in Syria should they wish to return, or to benefit from a growing outsourcing industry and obtain remote work opportunities.

Objective

The ILO is planning for a partnership with an experienced implementing partner to train and enhance employment opportunities in the digital sector for at least 1,000 young women and men in North of Lebanon and Greater Beirut (60% Lebanese and 40% Syrian refugee youth) and facilitate employment opportunities for at least 50%. This will be achieved by:

• Developing and submitting 1 mapping report, based on desk research and KII including related educational and skills requirements, skills gaps at local level and trends at both local and global levels, map out potential digital training providers and related training programmes available.
• Designing and implementing tailored training programmes based on the findings of the mapping report at local and global levels for the following target groups:

1. individuals seeking employment in local tech jobs available in Lebanon.
2. individuals seeking employment in online jobs
3. individuals seeing freelance jobs in Lebanon or abroad
4. individuals seeking entrepreneurship opportunities in the gig economy in Lebanon

• Hold a 12-week mentorship programme inclusive of guidance on rights at work and decent working conditions for employment for both Lebanese and refugees, job-specific core skills, specialized training on the ILO tool “Exploring the Gig Economy: Challenges and Opportunities”.  The toolkit has three components: 8 videos (available in Arabic), self-guided resource, and a slide deck) and provide job placement support.

Scope of Work

The assignment will be delivered over a period of 18 months. The detailed scope of work is as per the following:

Inception phase

The implementing partner needs to implement desk research and KII to map the jobs and skills gaps for full and part time employment within Lebanon; and the global demand for online tech jobs and remote gig-based opportunities. During this phase, the IP will undertake KII with the private sector (such as companies, job portals, recruitment agencies), government entities existing county digital hubs and other digital economy stakeholders as well as PROSPECTS partners, including UNICEF and the WB, which have been working on the aforementioned Nammi skills programme in order to ensure complementarities and synergies.

The mapping for employment opportunities should include self-employment, wage-employment and freelancing. The assessment must highlight the related educational and skills requirements, update skills shortages at local level and trends at both local and global levels, map out potential digital training providers and related training programmes available. The assessment must be completed 4 months from the start date of the agreement.

Design Phase

Based on the findings from the market assessment, the implementing partner will either develop new training program or tailor their existing ones to ensure they are competency-based and market relevant. This needs to be done in close coordination with ILO for final decision on the way forward and with relevant government entities and stakeholders (e.g DGTVE, employers, practitioners, vocational trainers/instructors, etc) to support the process.

Implementation Phase

The implementing partner will work closely with the ILO to train at least 1,000 young women and men 60% Lebanese and 40% Syrian refugee youth) and facilitate at least 50% of them into employment in North of Lebanon and Beirut in suitable training facilities with all needed equipment and connectivity. The implementing partner must align with other ILO interventions and foster synergies with identified Lebanese market needs, where participants can attain employment in the country. The digital training must be followed by an on-the- job training related to their field of training undertaken.

Training Syrian refugees in specialized skills in areas identified with developed programs where they can attain online jobs. The training must be followed by an on-the-job training

The ILO identifies three interrelated categories of core skills essential across all occupations:

• Basic Digital Skills – These include fundamental digital literacies such as using online platforms, managing information, and ensuring digital safety.
• Cognitive & Metacognitive Skills – These enable independent learning, critical thinking, problem-solving, planning, and reflection—essential for adaptability in rapidly changing environments.
• Social & Emotional Skills – This domain encompasses effective communication, teamwork, empathy, emotional self-regulation, and resilience, supporting interpersonal collaboration and workplace wellbeing. The trainees must be provided with training on 3 core skills related to the selected technical training and must be provided with 2 half day sessions on rights at work in Lebanon and decent work conditions.

Mentorship and Job facilitation phase

The implementing partner will facilitate linkages for the graduates with decent employment opportunities through a 12-week mentorship program which includes coaching, support with certification, linkages to job fairs, co-working spaces, and referrals to other PROSPECTS activities (such as the ILO’s entrepreneurship development programs, and the Job Search Clubs).

Post-training Phase

The implementing partner is required to conduct a tracer study to systematically track outcomes following the completion of training activities.

The implementing partner(s) will be required to conduct a mid-term review following completion of 50% of the training (reflecting on what worked and what did not, what needs to be improved, what should be done differently). Building on these lessons learned, the necessary adjustments should be made in close coordination with ILO for the implementation of the remaining 50%.

The implementing partner will be required to exchange with other PROSPECTS interventions in other countries and might be required to conduct necessary adjustments and adapt approach based on best practices.

Visibility

In the area of project’s visibility, the implementing partner will be required to:

• Ensure all necessary visibility of the intervention is done in close coordination with the ILO, respecting all requirements of the donors and ILO’s visibility (e.g announcements for the outreach, roll up banners and flyers during the training, training materials and tools, and social media posts)
• Facilitate field visits for the ILO and donors where and when relevant
• Coordinate with ILO communication officers and facilitate their work for any visibility activity related to the intervention including provision of data (e.g. testimonies from beneficiaries, video recordings and documentaries, interviews with implementing teams, trainers and others)

Required Qualifications

Interested bidders should be a registered non-profit organization with experience in the sector of youth training and established credibility in the following areas:

• Proven experience in developing, managing, and implementing skills training, vocational training programmes, and work-based learning programmes; have demonstrated technical experience and sustainable results, with a minimum of 7 years of practical experience in market-oriented skills training, work-based learning, and employment (self and wage employment), or income-generating programmes for disadvantaged groups.
• At least 7 years of experience and a proven track-record in on demand-driven digital curricula development and sound knowledge of the current trends in the digital economy space with a key interest in skills development and market linkages.
• Practical experience in, and the capacity to address gender issues/dimensions in training and employment.
• Experience in digital training delivery through different methodologies not limited to remote, in person and the use of users-friendly learning management system.
• Should have a physical presence in Lebanon, particularly in North of Lebanon and Greater Beirut, with a good understanding of the areas of this assignment and in good standing with statutory laws and regulations.
• Demonstrated success in managing partnerships with governments institutions, local organizations, including digital innovation hubs, NGOs, community-based organizations, and mentors’ platforms.
• Significant network and knowledge of digital job providers and partners either on-platform or local with experience in placing graduated youths into the digital jobs providers platforms/networks and business opportunities.
• Knowledge of the local Lebanese context, culture and language.
• Previous experience or partnerships with UN agencies and INGOs is an advantage.