Delivery Of Training On Literacy

The majority of Syrian refugee youth in Lebanon face barriers to accessing formal education and are offered few skill-building opportunities as an alternative. These youth need a productive outlet that will prepare them with tools to tackle these challenges, position them to return to school, eventually earn a safe income, and also help to rebuild their self-confidence. Enrolment and school retention among displaced Syrians across the region are critically low amongst older children and youth. Attendance estimates are as low as 2% at secondary level, which means approximately 86,625 young people aged 12-17 are not receiving any education or training. Before the conflict, the enrolment rate in Syria was 95%. In Lebanon alone, more than 300,000 refugee children are out of school. The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is developing a programme that provides a tailored language and literacy, and business and life-skills curriculum for out-of-school Syrian refugees and Lebanese youth. The curriculum will be delivered at an IRC-operated Livelihoods Centre in Mount Lebanon District. The training here described focuses on Literacy. Literacy is the ability to read and use written information and to write appropriately, in a range of contexts. It is used to develop knowledge and understanding, to achieve personal growth and to function effectively in our society. Literacy also includes the recognition of number and basic mathematical signs and symbols within text. Literacy involves the integration of speaking, listening and critical thinking with reading and writing. Effective literacy is intrinsically purposeful, flexible and dynamic and continues to develop throughout an individual’s lifetime (Australia’s Language and Literacy Policy Companion Volume to the Policy Paper, 1991). Literacy is crucial to the success of individuals in both their career aspirations and their quality of life. The need for similar training was requested by several jobseekers of the IRC’s livelihoods centre. Based on the above, this training is proposed for youth Lebanese residents and Syrian refugees living in the Mount Lebanon region.  1.   Learning Objectives and Delivery Methodology By the end of the 84 training hours, trainees should be able to Speak and listen for a wide range of purposes in different contexts Read a wide range of texts on screen and on paper Understand basic everyday expressions and short, simple texts Engage in simple oral and written communication in order to provide and obtain information Construct very basic and simple sentences Demonstrate limited control of essential grammatical structures The 25 youth participants will be organized in one training group divided between Lebanese and Syrian males or females.  2.   Indicative Contents of the Training The topics covered throughout the training should include: predicting the content of a text using headings, visual clues, known words and cognates using illustrations to confirm meaning using pictures and diagrams to predict meaning classifying information cross-referencing information interpreting cognates and using them to infer meaning making links between spoken and written forms reading ahead to infer meaning recognizing the association between print and sound scanning to locate key words using a monolingual dictionary using known words and sounds to understand and read new words identifying, understanding and applying punctuation identifying grammatical patterns and features placing key words in context constructing a text for a specific purpose understanding language as a system collaborating with others to identify clues to meaning recognizing speech melodies and varying tones recording information on an appropriate form recounting facts in oral or written form skimming for general meaning Understanding basic texts and forms relevant to life in Lebanon 3.   Period and location of training delivery The training should be delivered to 25 youth male and female trainees over a period of 12 weeks consecutive from March till June 2016, and will last for 84 hours as a minimum. The training should be delivered in the Livelihoods center in Mkallis. Participants can come from different villages in Mount Lebanon.  4.   Target audience and profile (age, literacy level) The target group will consist of 25 trainees, Syrian and Lebanese youth males and females, who shall all be registered at the livelihoods center. The training will be delivered to mixed groups (Syrian and Lebanese), in an attempt to promote social cohesion among the two communities. Beneficiaries’ selection will be carried out by the livelihoods centre. The Contractor should meet the participants before the training and verify the suitability of the selected candidate trainees. The criteria for selection will include: Youth men and women within the age range of 15 to 24 Low literate or literate Either Lebanese or Syrian nationals Interest and commitment to attend the whole training with an active participation Already registered at the Livelihoods Centre.  5.   Pre- and post-training test requirements The contractor will be entrusted with developing pre- and post-test questionnaires through which the level of knowledge and skills of the beneficiaries vis-à-vis the English level will be rated. The pre-test and post-tests are the same questionnaire delivered before the training starts and after the last session. The contractor will be expected to collect the data, to analyze the results of the pre and post-test questionnaires and to document them in a “Technical Training Report” to be submitted one week after the last training session to IRC 6.   Arrangements Expected from Contractor The contractor is expected to ensure the following: Attend the entire contract period: The Training would run over 2 days of the week, with 3,5 hours per day, in the morning or after noon The trainer would finalize the Training across a period of 12 weeks for a total of 84 hours. Provide samples of Training books/material for distribution Certification of graduation, based on attendance and learning (measured against an entry and exit test) In addition to the above, kindly note the following: The beneficiaries’ drop-out is to be taken into account. For this reason, the Contractor must make sure that trainees meet the basic requirements to meaningfully engage in the training. Training hours must be decided in consultation with interested beneficiaries to maximize attendance and avoid drop outs; based on previous experience, IRC anticipates that selected candidates will be available to attend the training during the morning and afternoon. 7.   Expected Deliverables One literacy curriculum of the duration of 84 hours for the period of 12 weeks A facilitator’s guide, including: The training calendar with session titles; The Facilitator’s Guide organized by training sessions describing: Session topic Learning objectives, Duration of the session, List of key contents and talking points, Sequence of steps to deliver the session, Required materials The pre and post-training test questionnaires, to verify competences and learning Attendance sheets of each training day Delivery of the 24 training sessions of at least 3,5 hours each, over 12 weeks. In total, the Contractor will deliver 84 training hours over a period of 12 weeks. A training report including the results of pre- and post-tests of each trainee with a baseline and an end-line score, and recommendations on areas for improvement. The template for the training report is in Annex 1. Photos of the training sessions on a CD to IRC Annex 1: Table of Contents of the Training Report Table of Contents 1. General Training Overview 2. Training Objectives. 2.1 Learning Objectives Statement 2.2 Achieved Results. 3. Workshop Delivery. 3.1 Overview of the workshop Agenda and Activities Day By Day. 3.2 Training Materials. . 3.3 Delivery Methodology. …………... 4. Participants’ Feedback. . 4.1 Summary of Informal Daily Evaluations. 4.2 Summary of the Final Evaluation Results (using questionnaire) . 5. Lessons Learnt and Remarks. 5.1 Remarks. . 5.2 Recommendations for Future Trainings. . 6. Participants and Learning Achievements. . Annexes. I. Pre- and Post- Training Test (Questionnaire) . II. Agenda of the Training . III. Session plan. IV. Participants’ Evaluation of the Training . V. Findings of Participants’ Evaluation. .