Consultant at Colleges and Institutes Canada

CONTEXT/ BACKGROUND

The Kenya Education for Employment Program (KEFEP), an Education for Employment (EFE) program of Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan) working in collaboration with the Kenyan Ministry of Education will support Kenya in the revitalization of the Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) system, which has historically run on low capacity and minimal interest from potential students.

KEFEP is a five-year (2016-2021) program funded by the Global Affairs Canada. The program will work at the national level with the Directorate for TVET of the Ministry of Education and at the institutional level with the ten national polytechnics across Kenya. It will also engage industry stakeholders in the identification of skills gaps, the development of relevant occupational standards and curricula, and the improvement of training facilities to improve the capacity of Kenyan institutions and agencies to implement TVET reform initiatives; increase the effectiveness of partner institutions to deliver industry-response skills training; and strengthen the quality of industry-responsive skills training programs.

KEFEP’s ultimate outcome is to provide increased economic opportunities for male and female graduates from TVET institutions in Kenya.

The three intermediate program results are:

• Improved quality and relevance of skills training programs at partner institutions
• Increased effectiveness of partner institutions in delivering accessible and gender responsive skills training programs that meet private sector needs to trainees
• Increased effectiveness of national Kenyan agencies in implementing TVET reform

CURRENT SITUATION

Colleges and Institutes Canada is currently hiring a consultant as a Gender Equality (GE) Specialist to support the integration of gender considerations in all project activities to ensure that gender targets are being met. The GE Specialist will act as the principal resource on gender equality issues, practices and policies relevant to TVET. The first deliverable for the consultant will be to conduct a detailed Gender Analysis for the program. The Consultant is expected to assess the current state of the integration of gender considerations in all project activities and to identify which gender targets are being met and which gaps remain.

Under the direction of CICan, the Consultant will interact with KEFEP partners, including government ministries, agencies and programs, industry employers, Kenyan technical and vocational institutions and their Canadian college partners. The specific deliverable is a stand-alone Gender Analysis Report which summarizes the key GE gaps related to TVET in Kenya and summarizes those addressed by KEFEP. The Gender Analysis Report should be informed by secondary sources including publicly available materials and KEFEP project documents. The consultant will additionally support the other GE activities of the project as detailed below.

PROPOSED WORK PLAN

General

This consultancy is in support of the integration of gender considerations in program activities supporting the implementation of KEFEP. Specifically, the consultant will work with the KEFEP team to:

• Guide/Oversee/Develop and coordinate the continuous improvement of KEFEP’s gender mainstreaming approach and tools.
• Keep abreast of current global trends, developments and innovations in gender equality and related fields (i.e. women’s economic empowerment, women’s rights, etc.).
• Collaborate with program and Canadian college/Kenyan national polytechnic staff to ensure gender work is integrated throughout KEFEP, including planning, project/program design and implementation, and organizational learning.
• Ensure integration of gender in project activities through the development and use of gender-sensitive monitoring and evaluation, and results-based management tools (i.e. Logic Model, Performance Measurement Framework, Risk Register, etc.).
• Oversee and participate collaboratively in the development and implementation of gender-sensitive programming, including work planning, reporting, and capturing lessons learned/best practices.
• Provide input into program budget planning for gender project activities.
• Provide technical assistance, including training and advice, for gender mainstreaming and gender equality programming to staff, consultants, and project partners, including government institutions, non-governmental organizations, academic institutions, civil society organizations, and private sector partners as needed.
• Develop guidelines for partners on GE issues and suggestions on how they can integrate these in teacher training and teaching materials.
• Contribute to the development of KEFEP’s monitoring and evaluation framework and provide feedback and assistance on ongoing monitoring activities.
• Contribute to the development of KEFEP communication materials, including web-based and print media.

Gender Analysis

Specific activities for the gender analysis will include:

• Summarize and aggregate KEFEP partnership GE action plans in consultation with implementing partners.
• Conduct a rapid gender analysis to Identify key GE gaps that exist within the TVET sector in Kenya.
• Visit each Kenyan KEFEP partner institution as part of the assessment
• Summarize the GE gaps addressed by KEFEP and how they are being addressed.
• Identify remaining gaps that are beyond the scope of the program and provide justification, in consultation with the project management team, on why KEFEP is not focusing on these gaps.

Key questions to consider for the gender analysis:

• How will KEFEP integrate the recommendations presented in the baseline report?
• How will KEFEP address specific and systemic gender inequality obstacles with regards to access to TVET training and to the job market?
• What actions could KEFEP undertake to address the gender gaps in TVET curricula?
• How does KEFEP’s target beneficiaries align with the objective of empowering women and girls from a feminist/gender perspective?
• What efforts are being made to reach more women in TVET?
• What factors that to gender variations in post graduate employment for those completing TVET in Kenya?
• What institutional or infrastructure gender barriers exist at KEFEP partner national polytechnics and how well are those barriers addressed by the institutions?
• How effectively do KEFEP national polytechnics integrate gender into teaching and learning?

The gender analysis should be informed by various sources including:

• The current KEFEP Gender Equality strategy in the Project Implementation Plan
• The KEFEP Baseline Report
• Global Affairs Canada’s
• Current global trends, developments and innovations in gender equality and related fields (i.e. women’s economic empowerment, women’s rights, etc.)
• Official Government of Kenya documents relating to gender equality and women’s empowerment

REPORTING

The Consultant will work under the direction of the Director, Caribbean and Anglophone Africa, CICan or their designate. The Consultant is expected to work with a high degree of independence and autonomy.

LEVEL OF EFFORT

1 March 2018 to 30 September 2018: 80 days

Subsequently renewable

RATE

Please provide a suggested daily rate in Kenyan shillings when applying.

DURATION

The deadline for applications is February 23, 2018. It is expected that the contract will be awarded and that the consultant will begin work on March 1, 2018 and that the contract will be completed no later than September 30, 2018 with report submission to CICan.

The draft gender analysis report is expected to be completed by March 31, 2018.

LOCATION

The Gender Equality Specialist will be based in Nairobi, Kenya. Travel reimbursement for field activities will be based on rates from Nairobi to the city of assignment.

DELIVERABLES

• Consultant workplan for the Gender Analysis Report (submitted with the application)
• Gender Analysis Report to include the following:
• A summary of global GE trends and priorities that relate to TVET
• An analysis of key gender gaps in TVET in Kenya
• A summary of KEFEP’s GE focused activities including partnership GE action plans
• A summary of the gender analysis completed for each KEFEP partner institution
• A summary of gender gaps addressed by KEFEP and how they are being addressed by the program
• Recommendations for how future TVET projects can address outstanding GE gaps
• Draft report to be submitted by March 31, 2018
• Consultant workplan for April – September 2018 (submitted by March 31, 2018)
• Support to KEFEP partners in the implementation of GE approaches in teacher training, curriculum development and leadership and management training
• Integration of GE concepts into marketing materials and outreach campaigns
• Review and input into semi-annual reports, annual reports and annual workplans
• Submission of consultant reports and invoices

QUALIFICATIONS

• At least Bachelor’s Degree in a related subject area.
• At least eight (8) years of progressively responsible professional experience working on gender responsive programming in development settings.
• Familiar with development cooperation and working with international organizations.
• Practical knowledge of results-based management (RBM) approach.
• Proven experience combining formal expertise on gender mainstreaming and gender equality with experience of applying these concretely to specific development sectors, plans, policies and business processes.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong problem-solving and adaptability/flexibility capabilities.
• Fluency in English; Swahili considered an asset.
• Good knowledge of TVET or the higher education sector is highly desirable.