Digital online work consultant
Introduction
World University Service of Canada (WUSC) is a Canadian non-profit
organization working to create a better world for all young people. We
bring together a diverse network of students, volunteers, schools,
government, and businesses who share this vision. Together, we foster
youth-centered solutions for improved education, economic, and
empowerment opportunities to overcome inequality and exclusion in over
15 countries around the world. WUSC believes that if youth have access
to and benefit from inclusive, quality education opportunities from
primary to post-secondary, then they will develop the knowledge, skills,
and capacities they need to secure a better quality of life. WUSC has
been active in the education sector for several decades, with a strong
focus on improving education access and quality in conflict-affected and
fragile contexts to ensure that even the most marginalized youth can
change their lives through education.
WUSC is currently implementing the Learning through Education and Access
to Skills for Employment Project (LEAP) with a grant of $12.4 million
(CAD) from Global Affairs Canada (GAC). Launched in 2019, LEAP is
enhancing education opportunities for adolescent girls and provide
access to gender-responsive and market-based skills training for young
women with the ultimate goal of increasing the empowerment of female
youth in Kalobeyei Settlement, Kakuma Refugee Camp, and the surrounding
host communities in Turkana County in northern Kenya.
WUSC is seeking an implementing partner to support the implementation of
project activities that relate to increasing girls’ access to safe,
quality, gender-sensitive education, and generating community support
and driving behavior change to enhance female empowerment through
digital skills and access to employment opportunities.
Background of the LEAP Project
LEAP is designed to address gender, social, cultural, and economic
barriers that affect adolescent girls’ and young women’s ability to
access education and employment opportunities and make critical
decisions about things that affect their lives. The project specifically
targets two of the most critical moments in a girls’ educational
journey: 1) upper primary grades and the transition to secondary school,
when girls are most at risk of dropping out of the education system;
and, 2) the transition from basic education to post-secondary education
or employment. Consisting of a large range of interventions, including
teacher training, life skills education, financial assistance through
cash transfers, media campaigns, community outreach and engagement for
behavior change, psychosocial support, mentorship programs, market-based
technical vocational skills training, and training in digital skills,
LEAP not only support girls and young women directly but also aims to
address the root causes of inequality by challenging and helping to
transform structural barriers and entrenched social norms, attitudes,
and power relations that impact girls’ ability to thrive.
LEAP was launched in 2019, and will run until 2024, and aims to reach
a total of 40,000 adolescent girls and young women. To give a brief
overview of the scope of the activities under LEAP, the project
components can be broadly categorized into activities to support
education, activities to support employment opportunities, and
activities to support community behavior change:
Context
One of the major goals of LEAP is to increase the equitable participation of young women in the formal and informal workforce.The digital online skills and Vocational skills training are therefore integral components of the program, with the objective of supporting at least 475 young women in Kalobeyei, Kakuma, and surrounding host communities to obtain training in digital skills and 735 young women to undertake vocational skills training and subsequently obtain sustainable work. WUSC is seeking to hire an experienced, skilled, and results-oriented Digital online work consultant to provide online work linkages to the trained YW and participate in developing a mentorship model; and support strategies that will transition trained YW to access wage and/or self employment opportunities and earn dignified income.
Role of the online work consultant
- Aligned with this purpose, the consultant will play the following roles:
- Mentorship
- Review mentorship curriculum and strategies in place.
- Together with the livelihood officer and Solidarity Initiative for Refugees (SIR) mentor/trainers co create a curriculum to fit the trainee and job market needs.
- Build the capacity of trainers/Mentors of the partner organization (SIR) to be able to deliver the curriculum in an effective manner.
- Provide online work linkages to trained AGYW
- Support the young women in bidding for online work and offer assistance when required.
- Watch out on trends on the online platforms and advise the program team on ways to align implementation.
Training
- Train selected members of 2 BPOs to be able to outsource digital work
- Support the BPOs in developing bids and proposals for digital work
- Work closely with the partner trainers and mentors in training and assessing participants before onboarding to work platforms.
Sustainability
- Work closely with the digital skills implementing partner to establish and build capacity of 2 business processing units, ensure a good governance structure of the units is in place and support linkages to digital online work and financial services.
- Provide information to trained AGYW on entrepreneurship pathways, and support the implementing partner with financial literacy training.
- In collaboration with the livelihood officer, support graduates to open bank accounts with credible financial institutions and access to affordable loan services
- Support the design of exit strategies for the LEAP implementing partners
Quality Control and Impact Measurement
- Collaborate with the WUSC MERL and Digital Hub Coordinator teams to monitor the Training, mentorship and transition to work opportunities using a result-based monitoring system.
- Participate in the weekly feedback sessions and provide a progress report based on the week's performance.
Safeguarding Adherence
WUSC recognises that safeguarding children, young people and vulnerable
adults is everyone’s responsibility and we must collectively stay
vigilant and immediately respond to potentially any kind of abuse or
exploitation or harmful situations without exceptions. The LEAP project
recognizes that online harassment, bullying, sexual exploitation and
other digital safeguarding risks can affect anyone, but is most likely
to affect women, girls and LGBTQI+ individuals. These groups face an
increased risk of violence through digital technology, which can be
considered a form of Gender-Based Violence. LEAP staff, partners,
representatives and others working with the project should be aware of
common perpetrators and acts of such violence. Any individual can raise a
concern/complaint to WUSC about an incident they have experienced,
witnessed, or heard about concerning a LEAP staff member or partner
(suppliers, partners, contractor, etc.) without fear of retribution.
Candidate Qualifications
- University degree in Education, Computer Science, Business IT, Community Development or other related fields
- Minimum of 3-years’ working experience with humanitarian programs in the field of livelihoods with at least 1-year experience engaging with refugees, asylum seekers, migrants and/or other vulnerable populations in economic strengthening interventions.
- Excellent command of common methodologies used to identify, assess and monitor livelihood activities, with a proven record of achievements on digital work.
- Experience working online and bidding for online jobs
- Experience in digital skills training will be an added advantage.
- Excellent interpersonal, written and verbal communication skills.
- Strong analysis skills (qualitative and qualitative)
- Strong cultural awareness and sensitivity.
- Good understanding of complex emergencies and crisis contexts
- Flexible and creative.
- Strong organizational and logistical skills.
- Goal oriented with ability to work under pressure, independently and with limited supervision.
- Ability and willingness to work and live in challenging conditions.
- Excellent computer Skills.
How to apply
WUSC’s activities seek to balance inequities and create sustainable development around the globe; the work ethic of our staff, volunteers,, representatives, and partners shall correspond to the values and mission of the organization. WUSC promotes responsibility, respect, honesty, and professional excellence and we will not tolerate harassment, coercion and sexual exploitation, or abuse of any form.
Qualified applicants should submit their applications with a cover letter and detailed curriculum vitae on or before 30th April 2023. Please follow this link to apply
Only those applicants selected for an interview will be contacted.
Residents from the host communities are strongly encouraged to apply