Digital Skills in TVET International Consultant, Vientiane, Laos, Office based, 1 Year, (Open Only for International Consultants) Req#594800

Contract Duration- 12 Months

Working arrangement: Office Based

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TERMS OF REFERENCE

Purpose of Activity/Assignment

Under the partnership among UNICEF, the European Union (EU) and the Ministry of Education and Sports (MoES) in Lao PDR, a new project called ‘Digital Skills and Digital Literacy for Lao Adolescent Employability’ will be launched from September 2026 for three years. The project will aim to achieve: 1) Improved digital skills and digital literacy among Technical, Vocational Education and Training (TVET) teachers and students; 2) Enhanced availability and quality of career guidance and digital entrepreneurship support for improved TVET enrolment and school-to-work transitions; and 3) Increased awareness of the importance of digital skills and digital literacy among the target young people and wider communities. The project primarily targets TVET sector and selected TVET institutions, but it will also cover lower secondary education/schools in the same catchment areas as the target TVET Institutions to facilitate school-to-work transitions.

The project is guided by and aligned to the key government policies and strategies, including MoES’ 10‑Year Digital Education Strategy (2025–2035) and MoES Digital Education Action Plan, DEAP (2026-2030) under the overall national frameworks of the National Digital Economy Development Vision 2040 (2021–2040) and the Digital Economy Strategy (2021–2030). It will also directly contribute to the 10th Education, Sports and Science Sector Development Plan (ESSSDP) 2026–2030. All of these guiding documents set a coherent strategic foundation for digital transformation in Lao PDR’s education sector and its linkage to improved digital skills of teachers and students, leading to improved employability of the graduates for them to better meet the needs of the labour market and to promote green and sustainable economic development. The project is built on the EU–Lao PDR Partnership for Education and Skills for Inclusive and Green Growth (PESIG) that aims to strengthen inclusive education and skills systems to improve youth employability, especially in the green and digital transition, alongside the UNICEF-Government of Lao PDR Country Programme 2022-2026 and 2027-2031, that contributes to the 10th National Socio-Economic Development Plan, UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework for Lao PDR 2027-2031 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The project will help enhance the capacity of the government, particularly TVET managers and teachers, lower secondary teachers and other duty bearers to enhance digital and employability skills development of adolescents. This would include engagement and empowerment of TVET and lower secondary students, adolescents as well as parents and communities. Whilst the MoES is the lead Ministry of the project, the work will also be undertaken in close coordination with other line Ministries and government institutions, both at the national and sub-national levels. The project will also engage various partners, including other UN agencies and bilateral and multilateral organizations, NGOs, and private sectors. On the ground, UNICEF will engage mass organizations (such as Lao Youth) and reaches out to schools and communities, including those in remote and most disadvantaged.

Whilst the project will be further refined and concretized in detail in consultation with MoES and other partners during the inception phase of the project, the proposed indicative project framework is as follows:

Expected result 1: Improved digital skills and digital literacy among TVET teachers and students

• Teacher Digital Competency Development (including AI and online safety)
• Monitoring and Mentoring Support to Trained TVET Teachers for Continuous Professional Development (CPD)
• Peer-to-Peer Networks and Support among TVET Institutions and Teachers
• Digital Skills and Digital Literacy Development for Students

Expected Result 2: Improved availability and quality of career guidance and digital entrepreneurship support addressing school-to-work transitions

• Career Guidance
• Transferrable-Employability Skills Development for TVET Students
• Digital Entrepreneurship Programmes

Expected Result 3: Increased awareness of the importance of digital skills and digital literacy among the target young people and wider communities

• Youth Consultations to inform Policy Dialogue and Decision-Making Processes
• Thematic Forums to inform DEAP Mid-Term Review

To operationalize the project with MoES, UNICEF Lao PDR is engaging an international consultant to provide technical assistance to the above-mentioned technical areas within the specified timelines.

Scope of Work:

As part of the UNICEF Lao PDR Education Team, the purpose of this consultancy is to provide dedicated technical assistance to MoES across all activities outlined in the proposed (and to be updated) project framework and the updated detailed work plan.

Key responsibilities:

1. Inception Planning

• Initial desk review of key government policies, regulations, guidelines and other technical documents already available with line departments and development partners relevant to the project.

• Lead kick-off meetings and consultations with MoES, EU, UNICEF and other stakeholders to review the originally proposed project framework and confirm more in detail the scope, key activities, roles, responsibilities, and methodologies of the project. Building on the originally proposed project framework, this exercise will further refine and update the overall project framework, including (as appropriate) updated logical framework, key activities, procurement plans, assumptions and risk management table and an updated action plan. This will also review and/or update the existing partners mapping to inform the project design and engagement strategy to avoid duplications and ensure complementarity with other relevant activities and partners’ assistance.

• Support confirming the implementation structure of the project, including in particular to help develop Terms of Reference for the Steering Committee and Implementation Committee that will be led by MoES.
• Provide substantive technical input and take the lead in consolidating and preparing the integrated Inception Report, covering the elements mentioned above.

1. Research Design and Baseline Survey

• Based on the updated overall project framework, that will come with an update logical framework with relevant indicators, provide leading technical support to MoES for the development of the research design for the baseline and endline survey to measure the progress and impact of the project. This will include sampling and analytical methodology, and school-level data collection instruments. Field-test the data collection instruments and based on the field-testing result, finalize the instruments.
• Take the technical lead in undertaking the baseline survey with MoES and prepare the baseline report (that could be included as part of the inception report, or a stand-alone baseline report).

1. Project Implementation: Preparatory Phase

• Based on the agreed, finalized project framework, take the technical lead in undertaking the necessary ground work in line with the project outlines and planned activities, under the areas of: 1) Expected result 1: Improved digital skills and digital literacy among TVET teachers and students; 2) Expected Result 2: Improved availability and quality of career guidance and digital entrepreneurship support addressing school-to-work transitions; and 3) Expected Result 3: Increased awareness of the importance of digital skills and digital literacy among the target young people and wider communities. (Result areas might be modified depending on the finalized project framework). Those preparatory work will need to be completed on time for a full-scale implementation of the planned activities during the 2027-2028 (and 2028-2029) school year.

• The preparatory phase will entail robust and more detailed desk review and consultations with MoES and other stakeholders about relevant policies, standards, systems as well as technical materials, resources and instruments available, and adaptation of those as appropriate for the use by the project, with a view for institutionalization in a long run.

• The preparatory phase will also include determination of a more specific implementation strategy and accompanying detailed work plan, as well as the associated documentation plan for each activity (as applicable), including implementing partners arrangements as applicable as well as co-creation approach to some of the student-led activities.
• Based on the desk reviews and consultations as above, prepare an elaborated, specific implementation strategy and the detailed work plan along with the accompanying documentation plan (as applicable) for each activity to be agreed with MoES.
• Based on the agreed implementation strategy and the work plan, provide substantive technical support (yet led by the MoES as the main implementing partner) to start implementing pre-school-year activities, such as training of trainers (ToTs), co-creation exercise with students and school communities for selected activities, etc., which will lead to the actual activity implementation at school level during the 2027-2028 (and 2028-2029) school year.

If you would like to know more about this consultancy, please review the complete Terms of Reference here: Terms of Reference TMC0004687.pdf

Minimum requirements:

Education:

Advanced university degree in relevant fields, such as education, information technology, or others relevant. In lieu of a specific academic degree, relevant experience may be considered to meet this requirement.

Work Experience:

At least 7 years of professional work experience in any relevant field including ICT in education, digital pedagogy and digital learning, teaching and teacher development.

Experience in the education sector in Laos/Southeast Asia is a strong asset.

Language Requirements:

Fluency in English is a requirement. Knowledge of Lao language or Thai language is a strong asset.

Knowledge/Expertise/Skills:

Knowledge of the Lao PDR’s education sector, TVET, the broader digital landscape and the related policies, strategies, actions plans, etc as a strong asset.

Knowledge and experience in skills development for adolescents, including digital and employability skills development is a strong asset.

Desirables:

Prior work experience with UNICEF or other UN organizations is an asset

For every Child, you demonstrate...

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Qualified candidates are invited to submit the following documents via the online recruitment portal, TMS (Talent Management System):

• An up-to-date TMS profile and curriculum vitae (CV)
• Cover letter
• A separate financial proposal (only acceptable in the format of the linked template) Financial Proposal TMC0004687.xlsx

Remarks:

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