Public Call for Tender nb. 83452432 STE as Field officer 18.2208.9-001.00 QuA-VET

1. Brief information on the project

The project "Improving the Quality and Attractiveness of Vocational Education and Training in Lebanon" aims to increasingly align vocational education and training in sectors with sustainable employment potentials with the needs of the Lebanese economy. Emphasis is placed on improving the partnership between vocational training institutions and the private sector, strengthening human resource capacity in vocational training institutions, and developing practice-oriented training programs. The target groups of the project are young people, unemployed and underemployed adults who want to improve their employment prospects through qualifications relevant to the labour market. The implementing partner is the Directorate General for Vocational and Technical Education (DGVTE), which lacks capacity at various levels to involve the private sector in vocational education and training. This concerns curriculum development, teacher training and the expansion of practical elements in teaching.

2. Context

Within the above-mentioned frame, QuA-VET organises Competence Based Trainings (CBT) at the public partner schools, which are followed by Work Base Learning (WBL) periods in companies. The CBT includes 40 hours of practical training in schools, while the WBL consists of 80 hours within the companies, where participants will be able to practice what they have learnt in the CBT, acquire additional practical competences and boost their work experience. WBL aims at supporting trainees to apply the learned competences by matching them with businesses, and hence strengthen the cooperation between the schools and the private sector. After the completion of the training, an assessment is conducted by a third party to evaluate the competence acquired from the trainees.

To be able to achieve the CBTs, the TVET teachers need to be trained on the curricula developed by GIZ. In this framework, Training of teachers (TOT) is organized to deliver quality competence-based training effectively and sustainably. The approach adopted for the ToT course is that the teachers should undergo through all practical activities and assessment that also students will go through, which, in turn, equips the teachers to deliver the same training effectively to the future participants during the CBTs.

The target group for participants to the CBT consists of interested women and men aged from 16 to 64, residing in the surrounding of the schools (within a radius of maximum 20km), who are not enrolled in an educational system (school or university), but rather school drop-outs from the BT or TS, unemployed or employees (or self-employed) seeking to improve their practical competencies in the sector. In order to select potential participants, QuA-VET organises an orientation session with interested candidates at the school premises. During the orientation session, the potential participants will get introduced to the project’s approach and the CBTs and WBLs. Also, at the end of the session, a small test will be conducted to evaluate the previous level of knowledge since the courses will be given at either BT or TS level depending on the sector.

To achieve the WBL, preliminary company visits are arranged ahead of the training program to establish a clear understanding of the procedures and to promote a conducive work environment for participants during their WBL experience.

The CBTs will be implemented inside the premises of public TVET schools all over Lebanon, while WBL will be hosted by companies in the schools’ vicinities. The purpose is to train interested participants on various practical training modules in the two sectors: “Maintenance of manufacturing machines” field on Baccalaureat Technique (BT) level and “Health Inspection and Food Safety” field on Technician Superieur (TS) level.

the contractor shall provide the following work/service:

The Short-Term Expert (STE) should prepare a field report template at the beginning of the mission and send it to the QuA-VET team for approval. The template should not exceed 1 page with brief information about the visit. At the end of each field trip, the STE is to fill the field report template, including challenges, success stories, recommendations, suggestions, complaints, etc, (if applicable).

Competency Based Training (CBT) at school:

Orientation session (before the start of the CBT)

• As a precondition for independent implementation, the Short-Term Expert (STE) shall attend at least 2 orientation sessions hosted by the QuA-VET team to understand the approach.
• Conduct at least 1 orientation session with the onsite supervision of the QuA-VET team.
• After the QuA-VET team agrees on the implementation procedure, the STE shall conduct orientation sessions in the schools after coordinating with the director and the teachers and report back to the Qua-VET team.
• At the end of each orientation session, the STE should conduct a test (provided by the QuA-VET team) to the potential participants to assess their knowledge level about in the field. The STE provides the filled tests to QuA-VET for assessment and grading.
• The STE should answer the questions or concerns related to the CBT and WBL from the potential participants, and if in doubt refer back to the QuA-VET team.
• At the end of the orientation session, the STE should assist the director in registering the interested candidates on the template provided by the QuA-VET team.

Assessment (last day of the CBT)

• The STE will be provided with the templates of the attendance sheet, invoice, CBT evaluation sheet and the payment for the participants for transportation.
• He/She shall attend the assessment session, facilitate the distribution of payments to the participants in line with the project rules and regulations, and ensure the designated persons' signatures are obtained on the necessary templates.
• The STE ensures that every participants fills the evaluation sheet for the training and takes time to discuss with the teachers and students on challenges, problems faced and success stories, and reports findings to QuA-VET
• The STE provides the signed and filled attendance sheets, evaluations, and invoices back to QuA-VET in a timely manner.

Work-Based Learning (WBL) at the companies:

Visits to companies (before the WBL)

• The Short-Term Expert (STE) shall attend at least 2 company visits with the QuA-VET team to understand the approach of identifying WBL providers.
• Coordinate with the director and establish contact with prospective companies via telephone to arrange appointments for the visits. And for some regions, company mapping by QuA-VET will be utilized.
• Visit potential training companies and based on the visits, fill template with the requested information for the evaluation sheet provided by the QuA-VET team (e.g. safety in the company, insurance during working hours, the presence of PPE for interns, ISO certification).
  • Inform the company about the curriculum that is planned to be implemented and the learning outcomes expected through the WBL and what tasks the participants are capable of doing (introduction to the training curriculum and sharing the curriculum to be studied).
  • Clarify the WBL conditions with the company (tasks, skills to be acquired, working conditions, identify the company trainer/supervisor in charge of monitoring the student during the WBL).
  • Explain the CBT approach using a PowerPoint presentation shared by the QuA-VET team to make sure that the trainer/supervisor from the company is aware of the approach.
  • Distribute all the needed documents to the companies (flyers, factsheets, attendance templates)
• Prepare MoM (Minutes of the Meeting) for each visit of a company and send it to QuA-VET.

Visit companies (during the WBL)

• Visit participants during WBL implementation. Coordinate the visit with the responsible teacher and make sure that the attendance sheets are being filled regularly. Exchange with the teacher to support them in their role of academic supervisor and interface between the school and the private sector
• From the participants’ side: Meet with students to understand their tasks, responsibilities, and challenges. Assess the relevance of the work to the participants' educational goals. Encourage students to ask questions and seek clarification
• From the company's side: Evaluate the quality and effectiveness of the participants' supervision and mentorship within the company. Verify that participants are receiving feedback and guidance for their professional development. Encourage communication between participants and in company trainers or supervisor

Outputs/Results

The outputs / results expected from the STE are the following:

From each orientation session (All names of the potential CBT participants should match on the 3 templates)

• Filled attendance sheet, filled knowledge tests, filled registration papers

From the assessment (all names should match on the 3 templates)

• Filled attendance sheet, filled invoice, filled evaluation sheet

From companies’ visits (Both pre WBL and during WBL)

• Minutes of the Meeting (MoM), evaluation sheet of the company

The STE should fill the (previously approved by the QuA-VET team) field report template and send it after each field visit to the QuA-VET team by email.