National External Collaborator (Excol) on Study of Multi-Party Partnerships in TVET towards Social Equity in Workforce Inclusion and Poverty Reduction

Location:  Manila, Philippines

Duration: The work on the assignment shall start on the estimated date of the contract signing, tentatively starting on April 12, 2021 to July 15, 2021, with July 15 being the deadline for submission of all Deliverables.

The legal duration of the contract shall be set from the signing date to August 15, 2021 in order to accommodate for the related internal requirements of the ILO.

I. Background Information

Increasing urbanization, a growing middle class and a large and young population position the Philippines as a country with strong potential for higher economic growth, global competitiveness and greater poverty reduction. The benefits of this growth, however, have yet to fully trickle-down to its workforce. Unemployment, inequality and skills shortages still hamper the country’s progress.

Meanwhile, this growth trend occurs at a time when technological development, climate change, demographic shifts, and the COVID-19 pandemic are transforming the world of work and creating immense opportunities for upgrading industries and workforce skills in the country.

With an average of two million enrollees each year, the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) system has potential to help the country reduce skills gaps and shortages and ultimately improve labour market outcomes. However, the mismatch between TVET graduates’ skills and industry requirements remains a challenge. Meanwhile, the ever-evolving technological advancements call for new sets of skills.

The Skills for Prosperity Project in the Philippines (SfP Philippines), funded by the UK Global Prosperity Fund and implemented by the International Labour Organization (ILO), works with key government agencies, employers’ organisations, trade unions and other stakeholders to further boost skills development and TVET systems in the country. SfP Philippines aims to enhance national capacity to increase inclusive, mutually beneficial economic development resulting from greater, more equitable employability and productivity by enabling policies and practices that ensure cost-effectiveness, access, and sustained quality of TVET. The Project has four areas of achievement:

• Enhanced equity. The Project shall facilitate broadening of access to skills development and TVET systems for marginalized groups – prioritizing youth and women – by incorporating gender and social inclusion as a key element in all activities, and by providing technical advice for the adoption of necessary changes in national, regional and provincial policies, strategies, regulations and institutional arrangements. Additionally, it also develops and applies training approaches that specifically meet the needs of marginalized groups to open up the TVET system to more people in the country.

• Improved quality of skills and TVET systems. It aims to assist in the process of developing upgraded competency standards and of their application to development of TVET programmes curricula, and competency assessment and certification to meet the increasing requirements of the economy for a higher skilled workforce. Additionally, it aims to enhance TVET competency assessment and certification through wider use of digital technologies.

• Enhanced industry relevance of skills and TVET systems. The Project seeks to contribute to labour market information system strengthening, particularly in data collection and analysis of job market demand for skilled workforce. Moreover, it also promotes adoption of lifelong learning principles and recognition of workers who gained professional qualifications through various skills development mechanisms. It also promotes a learner-centred approach in TVET.

• Improved cost-effectiveness of skills development and TVET systems financing. It will review the country’s practices on industry engagement and stakeholder participation in TVET financing, and assists in development and piloting a joint public-private financing mechanism, aiming for greater private sector participation in TVET financing. Ultimately, this initiative will bring about affordability and greater effectiveness of the TVET system.

Using an implementation approach that highlights gender and social inclusion, the Project focuses on three economic sectors recognized for its potential for employment creation particularly for marginalized groups. These are: agricultural sector with focus on food production; construction sector with focus on skills for green building practices; and, information technology and business process management (IT-BPM) sector with focus on skills for the digital economy. The Project also has an area-based project focus with activities to test models at the community level to be implemented in Visayas where development challenges still linger despite the area having registered brisk economic growth comparable to other fast-growing regions in the Philippines.

This Terms of Reference (TOR) is formulated to contribute to the achievement of the Project’s Equity outputs, particularly the development of a sustainable multi-party partnership model(s) that will mainstream gender equality and social inclusion in TVET. In seeking to achieve this output, SfP Philippines aims to support national efforts to address the TVET training needs of marginalised groups as discussed in the NTESDP 2018 to 2022. Directly and more vigorously addressing the workforce needs of the basic sectors in order to achieve greater social equity and economic inclusion is one of the strategic directions outlined in the NTESDP. This refers to formalization of a flexible system of qualification standards and training regulations adapted to the needs of marginalised groups; redesign of community-based training programs including on skills-preneurship and partnering with inclusive businesses and social enterprises as part of TVET training delivery.

The NTESDP 2018-2022 recognizes the importance of sustainable multi-party partnerships in TVET towards addressing the government’s mission of social equity in workforce inclusion and poverty reduction. Inclusive approaches to and models of partnerships at the national, sub-national and community levels shall aim to ensure the convergence and collaboration of government units entrusted with serving the basic sectors, industries, academe and pertinent organizations for a successful, holistic service output. Results of this proposed study aims to support the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) by establishing evidence base for the design and pilot implementation of enhanced models of multi-party partnerships that mainstream social inclusion in TVET.

II. Areas of required technical services

The National Consultant shall provide its expertise towards the enhancement of Philippines’ initiatives in building and sustaining stronger partnerships of stakeholders toward addressing social equity gap in providing relevant and responsive TVET to the marginalized sectors of society.

The Consultant’s responsibility shall consist of:

1. Reviewing of existing international TVET models which ensure access of marginalized groups (i.e. women, youth, Persons with Disability, Indigenous Peoples, etc.) into the TVET system
2. Reviewing existing policies and programmes in the Philippines supportive of sustainable multi-party TVET partnerships that ensure social equity in workforce inclusion and poverty reduction
3. Identifying good practices and replicable models of multi-party partnerships in the Philippines that ensure social inclusion of marginalized groups in TVET
4. Providing technical guidance in the design and conduct of validation and knowledge-sharing forums at the national and sub-national levels, on the findings of the research and on discussing models of marginalized groups’ inclusion in TVET
5. Recommending strategies for the development and pilot implementation of enhanced multi-party partnership models in TVET.

The scope of the assessment in this Terms of Reference will be a combination of national and sub-national information-gathering and analysis, with focus given to regions and TVET institutions in the Visayas area.

For all activities: Producing and submitting to the Project the completion reports on the contribution made to each of the activities. The reports shall describe in reasonable detail the process of the conducted design/planning and implementation activities, the achieved result and anticipated impact.

For any workshops, training sessions, meetings, and similar events, all non-technical aspects such as the organizational and logistics aspects, identification and ensuring the availability of national participants, etc., which are related to the organization of the events shall remain under the operational and financial responsibility of the Project. The Consultant’s responsibility shall remain for providing the required technical guidance to the design, preparation and delivery of the events, as detailed in the Annex to the present TORs.

Measures to promote International Labour Standards, Social Dialogue and Gender Equality

In delivering the work agreed upon under this Terms of Reference, the Consultant will ensure that activities promote the application of relevant international labour standards, including by taking into account the views expressed by any of the Supervisory Bodies of the ILO on the application of these standards by the Philippines, especially where they relate to Vocational Training and Skills Development. Also, in its interventions under the Contract, the Consultant will promote social dialogue by involving, wherever possible, the social partners in decision-making, delivery and/or as beneficiaries of activities. In promoting social dialogue, it will take into account the views of the ILO as to which specific Workers’ and Employers’ organizations to involve in activities. The Consultant will promote gender equality and inclusion by mainstreaming gender and inclusion aspects in all activities undertaken under the present Contract, including by using gender and inclusion -disaggregated data for research, training and knowledge-sharing activities, and ensuring, whenever possible, at least proportional participation of women in the activities.

Working Languages of the assignment

The Consultant shall provide all related services, deliverables, reports and communication under the present agreement in English language.

Specifications of the Consultant’s eligibility:

• Demonstrable knowledge and understanding of skills development and TVET system in the Philippines, with focus on mainstreaming of social equity in workforce inclusion and poverty reduction
• With minimum of five (5) years of experience of consultancies in the areas related to the assignment, and with the following minimum credentials:
   - Possession of at least a Master’s Degree in Economics, Education, Sociology,  Development Studies or related fields of specialization

   - Excellent command of English

• Ability to reach out to the public and private institutions at the national and subnational levels, particularly in Regions 6, 7 and 8, including with other organizations or entities considered as stakeholders in the TVET system of the country

• Ability to liaise responsibly with senior officials and staff of the ILO and key partner organizations

III. Deliverables

The Deliverables are summarized in Section VIII. “Annex”, which forms an integral part of these Terms of Reference.

In the event that for implementation of specific activities the Consultant requires technical resources which it does not have (e.g. specific technical and policy advice which may be available only at the social partners’ or any other specialised organizations), the Consultant may subcontract certain activities subject to obtaining prior written authorization to subcontract and the approval by the ILO of the subcontractor selected.

IV. Management arrangements

The Consultant will conduct its work under the overall guidance of the Chief Technical Adviser (CTA) of the Project and in close coordination with the designated Programme Officer(s) in the country.

V. Travel Expenses
Travel expenses to be incurred by the Consultant in the performance of tasks under this TORs shall form part of the total consultancy fees under the contract.

VI. Payments Schedule

The fee for the assignment is payable in one lump sum within the established timeframe following submission of all Deliverables and receipt of the invoice. Terms and conditions for the payment are as per the ILO rules and procedures for external collaboration contracts. Invoicing by the Consultant of fees shall be linked to the Deliverables as listed in the Annex to TORs

VII. Submission of Proposals

Interested individuals are invited to submit Proposals for the provision of services described in details in Section VIII. “Annex” on or before 12:00 noon Manila time zone on Monday, April 05, 2021.The Proposals must be signed and submitted via e-mail at the following address: mnlsfpproject@ilo.org.

Proposals and modifications to Proposals received after the proposal receipt deadline, or submitted by any other means will be rejected. Proposals must include at least the following documents:
 - a technical proposal describing in detail the activities to be undertaken for implementation of each of the outputs, which may be expanded by the Consultant as deemed appropriate, as well as the planned indicative completion timeframe
 - a financial proposal indicating the number of expert workdays required for implementing each of the tasks and related activities will be carried out and the daily fee rate. This information shall be provided either in the corresponding fields of the table in Section VIII. “Annex” of the present TORs, or as a separate spreadsheet document reflecting the same format. All prices shall be quoted in PhP (Philippine Pesos).

The submitted Proposals shall include an extended description/explanation of the way the Consultant would envisage implementing the Tasks outlined in the TORs and related activities.

The proposed dates of completion for each of the activities within the overall indicated timeframe for implementation shall be treated as indicative. The Consultant will have the flexibility to reasonably adjust them, in consultation with the Project Team, depending on the circumstances in the concerned Regions, as applicable.

A prospective bidding candidate requiring any clarification of the TOR document may notify ILO on or before 12:00 noon Manila time zone on March 22, 2021 via e-mail at the following address: mnlsfpproject@ilo.org. The ILO’s response will be made via e-mail within three business days only to the respective candidate that requested clarification. A written copy of the response (including an explanation of the query but without identifying the source of inquiry) will be placed on the same web page on which the present TORs are listed/posted.

Short-listed applicants will be contacted for further review and negotiations, as may be necessary.

VIII. Annex – the indicative List of Deliverables and related details (may be expanded by the bidding organisations as deemed appropriate, and proposed as part of the RFQ process)

 • Each Deliverable will be viewed as completed on receipt of a corresponding Report  describing in reasonable detail the process of the conducted design/planning and implementation activities and the achieved result and anticipated impact

Note: Please refer to the attached revised TOR.