Young Futuremakers Malaysia: Call for proposals: National Consultancy on Situation Analysis on Youth Employment in Malaysia

Background

In Malaysia, the COVID-19 crisis has negatively impacted the labour market prospects of youth through disruptions to education and training, job disruptions through reduced working hours and unemployment, and disruptions in transitioning from school to work. These disruptions also risked exacerbating pre-existing inequalities, especially related to gender. Even before the crisis, young women in Malaysia were in a vulnerable labour market situation and encountered a rapidly changing world of work with changes in technology and skills demanded by employers, in addition to persisting gender disparities in the labour market and skills development.

In response to these challenges, the ILO collaborates with Standard Chartered Foundation to implement the “Young Futuremakers Malaysia” project (2022-2023) with a focus on promoting the employability of young women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in Malaysia. The project takes an integrated approach in supporting the employability of young workers as well as technical vocational education and training (TVET) trainees and graduates. It aims at (i) providing up/reskilling training opportunities, especially for young women, with a focus on industry demand-driven tech-oriented STEM and core skills towards their career advancement and (ii) supporting TVET graduates’ labour market transition through awareness raising on up/reskilling and career opportunities as well as strengthened post-training employment services.

Anchored in the UN Global Initiative on Decent Jobs for Youth, the project takes a genderresponsive, systemic and inclusive approach to strengthening existing labour market structures, services and institutional capacities, while building linkages between government, training centres, employment offices, the private sector and young people. The project is well aligned with objectives of the Twelfth Malaysia Plan (2021-2025, 12 MP), the Malaysia United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework 2021-2025 (UNSDCF) and the Malaysia Decent Work Country Programme 2019-2025 (DWCP). The 12 MP recognizes the need for developing future talent, accelerating technology adoption, and improving the TVET system, while tackling inefficiencies in the labour market, gender disparities in labour force participation, and the impact of COVID-19 on youth employment. 

Objective

The objective of the assignment is to conduct a comprehensive situation analysis on youth employment in Malaysia with sectoral and sub-national focus (as stated in tentative sectoral focus) and develop programmatic recommendations for the implementation of the ILO Young Futuremakers Malaysia project. In particular, the situation analysis aims to:

2.1 Provide a concise overview on Malaysian TVET ecosystem including issues, challenges, and gaps in the implementation of policies and programmes.

2.2 Identify key labour market trends and labour market entry challenges encountered by youth in Malaysia particularly young women at national and sub-national level.

2.3 Identify sector readiness in promoting the career progression of young women and provide strategic advice on the geographical and sectoral focus of the Young Futuremakers Malaysia project.

2.4 Identify training needs of youth and the digital, STEM and core skills required by employers and occupations in demand in STEM-related fields in identified sector(s) and state.

2.5 Develop stakeholder map with the aim to: • explore opportunities for collaboration at national and sub-national level with project stakeholders, • Identify existing and potential interventions that could be leveraged to enhance the implementation of Young Futuremakers Malaysia towards gender-responsive career progression of youth, including young women, • explore opportunities for post-training support systems and employment services to support the transition of underprivileged female TVET graduates/trainees and young workers to STEM-related employment opportunities at national and sub-national level.

2.6 Develop practical recommendations to inform Young Futuremakers Malaysia’s approach for the design and delivery of: • a pilot micro-credential training course that is gender responsive and in line with industry needs. • an integrated, gender-responsive and inclusive labour market transition support

2.7 Provide the basis for a shared understanding among key stakeholders of the project through a validation workshop.