Background and justification

The ACCEL Africa Project has the overarching goal to accelerate the elimination of child labour in Africa, through targeted actions in selected supply chains. It adopts an innovative systems-approach to tackling child labour that moves away from project-based downstream interventions towards strengthening existing systems that are critical to tackle root causes of child labour.
Poverty and lack of economic opportunities for families is not only one of the root causes of child labour but often also a result. Children affected by child labour. When children work to contribute to the family income, this can perpetuate a cycle of poverty by limiting access to education and vocational training opportunities. It prevents young people from developing the skills they need to access decent jobs in the future. ACCEL Africa aims to address combat both child labour and promote productive and decent jobs opportunities for young people. Improving labour market outcomes for young people includes the development and implementation of policies and programmes that both capacity young people to take up productive work and support an enabling ecosystem for businesses that will result in increased demand for skilled labour.
In Kenya, ACCEL Africa will help eliminate child labour in the tea and coffee supply chains. According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), 8.5 per cent of children in Kenya (1.3 million) are engaged in child labour. The highest rates of child labour in Kenya are reported in arid and semi-arid land (ASAL) counties (above 30 per cent). Child labour in Kenya primarily occurs in informal production, specifically in the agricultural sector. Kenya is the world’s leading exporter of tea and the third largest producer, after China and India. The tea industry makes an important contribution to the Kenyan economy, with an export value of USD 1.2 billion in 2019, and supports about 5 million people directly and indirectly. An estimated 650,000 small-scale farmers depend on tea, making the industry one of the leading sources of livelihood in the country. Coffee is also a major agricultural export for Kenya and is primarily grown by smallholder farmers. Agriculture is one of the largest contributors to child labour in Kenya, including in the production of tea and coffee. Tea and coffee from Kenya are included on USDOL’s List of Goods Produced with Child Labour. Thus, there is need to focus innovative interventions on addressing child labour in agriculture value chains for greater impact against child labour.
The government of Kenya is committed to the elimination of child labour and took measures to reinvigorate its National Steering Committee on Child Labour (NSCCL), reinstituted county-level child labour committees, and increased the number of prosecutions for worst forms of child labour.
Kenya’s 2019 census also revealed a predominantly youthful population, with 75.1 per cent below 35 years and 68.9 per cent residing in rural areas. The lack of decent and productive jobs remain the single biggest labour market challenge for young people in Kenya. In Kericho country, young people face interlinked challenges: (I) an unemployment rate which is notably high in Kericho, mirroring a broader national trend where young people struggle more than adults to find jobs, (ii) lack of the necessary technical, business and soft skills as well as financial resources and other assets to start their own businesses (iii) educational and skills mismatch making difficulties for graduates to secure
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wage employment, (iv) economic instability and budget cuts by companies lead to job insecurity, even for those who managed to secure employment. Promoting decent jobs for young people is a key priority for the Government of Kenya, including a focus on TVET and skills development as the underpinning enablers for realising the country’s Vision 2030.
To promote decent jobs for youth in Kericho, the County Government of Kericho has developed an initiative to put in place a Common User Facility (CUF) in collaboration with the KCB Bank Foundation targeting 7,000 youth through vocational trainings in 5 broad areas (automative mechanics, clothing and textile/tailoring, metalwork/welding and fabrication, woodwork/carpentry and joinery, food and beverage). These facilities will serve as incubator spaces, providing a vital platform for young entrepreneurs to transition smoothly from their educational experiences into decent and sustainable employment.
The County Government requested the technical support of ILO to conceptualize and plan the establishment of the CUF. In this context, the project is recruiting a consultant to assess the ecosystem around the Common User Facility (CUF) initiative at the County of Kericho.

Purpose

The overall objective of the assignment is to inform the County Government and the ILO about the potential of the CUF initiative and provide practical recommendations on how to implement the initiative.
Specific objectives of the assignment are:

• Carry out a rapid labour market assessment in Kericho county to assess the wage and self- employment opportunities for young people in the following sectors: automotive mechanics, tailoring, metalwork, woodwork, and food and beverage.
• Conduct a situational analysis of the Common User Facility (CUF) initiative, identifying opportunities and bottlenecks for implementation.
• Develop a business model for the CUF to ensure its effectiveness, inclusiveness and sustainability.

Scope of Works

The assignment’s scope of work is as follows:
(1) Develop an inception report that proposes a workplan for the assignment, including a refinement of the methodology.

Deliverable 1: The inception report is submitted to the ILO.

(2) Carry out a rapid labour market assessment in Kericho county to assess the wage and self- employment opportunities for young people, including:

• Select up to five sectors for in-depth analysis from the following automotive mechanics, tailoring, metalwork, woodwork, and food and beverage based on initial (rapid) consultations with government representatives, workers and employers’ representatives and other stakeholders.
• Assess the employment potential in selected sector for young people, including a description of the type of occupations for each sector, the required skills profile and the state of the sector in Kericho country based on secondary data as well as interviews with stakeholders including businesses and young people
• Distinguish between self-employment (entrepreneurship) and wage-employment opportunities and analyse the constraints young people face in accessing them.

Deliverable 2: A rapid labour market assessment (report of 10-15 pages + summary of findings in PowerPoint Presentation).

(3) Conduct a situational analysis of the Common User Facility (CUF) initiative, identifying opportunities and bottlenecks for implementation, including:

• Map training institutions in Kericho (focus on TVET providers) that provide relevant skills to young people and conduct a qualitative gap analysis
• Review of the existing support systems provided by the County governorate in the selected sectors with a focus on the support for business development service providers, market systems administrative and procurement processes
• Review current support mechanisms directly available to young people for accessing decent work in the selected sectors, notably: training (building on the mapping of TVET institutions), mentoring/coaching, access to finance
• Evaluate of the accessibility, usage, and impact of common user facilities on existing and new youth businesses (gaps, challenges, and opportunities)

Deliverable 3: A situational analysis of the CUF is available (Presentation format) and discussed with ILO and key stakeholders in Kericho county.

(4) Develop a business model proposal for the CUF in the selected sectors to ensure its effectiveness, inclusiveness and sustainability, including:

• Describing the institutional set-up of the CUF model (actors, roles and responsibilities)
• Describing the value addition of the CUF to its users (young people) and its attractiveness for partner organisations (e.g. county government, private sector) to collaborate with and invest in it
• Develop a detailed roadmap on how CUF could be established, including administrative, logistical and financial aspects

Deliverable 4: Business model proposal for the CUF is available (max 15 pages + annex such as budget).

Methodology

The methodology consists of the following steps which should be refined and detailed by the applicant:
Desk review: to gather and analyse existing reports, studies, and data to understand the current landscape, challenges, and opportunities related to youth entrepreneurship. This step helps to establish a foundational knowledge base, identify gaps in existing information, and inform the subsequent steps of the assessment.
Stakeholder interviews: to gather qualitative insights from key individuals and groups directly involved in or affected by the existing support systems. This step aims to understand their experiences, challenges, and suggestions, providing a comprehensive view of the effectiveness and impact of these systems from various perspectives. It is important to engage with key stakeholders, including the government officials (Governorate, Ministries, etc.), private sector (KCB Bank Foundation, SMEs, etc.), worker representatives, TVETs, young job seekers, young entrepreneurs, facility managers and other relevant stakeholders.

Field visits: to gather on-ground insights by observing and interacting with youth entrepreneurs and facility managers. This step aims to understand the practical usage, accessibility, and effectiveness of support systems and common user facilities, providing a real-world perspective that complements the data collected through desk reviews and stakeholder interviews.
Data analysis: to systematically examine the qualitative and quantitative data collected from desk reviews, stakeholder interviews, and field visits. This step aims to identify trends, patterns, and insights that will inform the final recommendations. By synthesizing the data, we can uncover key findings and develop actionable strategies to improve the support systems for youth entrepreneurship.
Develop recommendations: Based on the analysis, develop actionable recommendations to establish the CUF and propose business models to ensure its effectiveness, inclusiveness and sustainability.

Duration

The assignment will take place from May to June 2025.

Deliverables and estimated level of effort

1. Deliverable 1: The inception report is submitted to the ILO – 2 Working Days
2. Deliverable 2: A rapid labour market assessment (report of 10-15 pages + summary of findings in PowerPoint Presentation) – 10 Working Days, including 5-day field visit
3. Deliverable 3: A situational analysis of the CUF is available (Presentation format) and discussed with ILO and key stakeholders in Kericho county – 10 Working Days, including 5-day field visit
4. Deliverable 4: Business model proposal for the CUF is available (max 15 pages + annex such as budget) – 13 Working Days

NB: The estimated level of effort is tentative, and applicant may choose to differ in the proposal if an explanation is provided. Should the assignment be carried out by more than one consultant a description on roles and responsibilities is required for each deliverable.

Payment Schedule

1. First payment of 30% upon receipt of the inception report (Deliverable 1).
2. Second and final payment of 70% upon receipt of the final report to the satisfaction of the ILO (Deliverables 2, 3 and 4).

Place

The assignment will take place at the County of Kericho (field visits) and can otherwise be carried out remotely. The consultant is expected to be available for meetings with the ILO on a bi-weekly basis or as required.

Required qualifications

1. At least 5 years’ experience in conducting research and studies on development, youth employment, enterprises or other related fields.
2. Excellent understanding of the (youth) labour market, skills development and key value chain development in Kenya.
3. Good understanding of challenges and opportunities in Kericho.
4. Knowledge of key gender concepts to be applied to the analysis.
5. Good understanding of entrepreneurship concepts, particularly as applied to agriculture and related sub-sectors.
6. Excellent analytical, communication, writing and teamwork skills.
7. Experiences with ILO and/or other UN agencies.

How to Apply:

Application

All applications (CV, Technical and financial offers detailing methodology/planning, financial offer consistent with technical offer) should be sent to the following e-mail address: nboprocurement@ilo.org no later than 22 April 2025 under reference ACCEL AFRICA-Rapid