POSITION TITLE: TVET Specialist

POSITION LOCATION: Batticaloa, Sri Lanka with occasional travel to Colomo, and frequent field visits

REPORTS TO: Senior Project Manager

CONTRACT TERM: 2 Years with possibility of renewal

APPLICATION DEADLINE: Open until filled

Background:

World University Service of Canada (WUSC) is a leading Canadian international development organization that works with and through its southern partners to promote sustainable development. Founded in 1957 and currently working in more than 20 countries worldwide with an annual budget of approximately $45 million, WUSC fosters youth-centered solutions for improved education, economic, and empowerment opportunities to overcome inequality and exclusion. We believe youth have the potential to provide for their families, build strong communities, and create positive social change for future generations. Globally, WUSC has a network of higher education institutions, civil society organizations, private sector partners, professionals, students, volunteers, faculty, and community leaders that can be leveraged to support our work.

WUSC’s members are Canada’s most globally engaged post-secondary institutions. WUSC offers a dynamic international work environment with a diverse intercultural workforce. We offer employees exciting opportunities to apply their skills and gain experience all while making a difference for youth around the world. Employees at WUSC work hard to create lasting change in education, employment and empowerment.

Strengthening TVET Resilience and Inclusive Vocational Employment (STRIVE) project

STRIVE is an ambitious new initiative designed to transform the economic prospects of young people—especially young women—in Sri Lanka’s Northern and Eastern Provinces. Over the next five years, the programme seeks to reduce poverty, boost regional competitiveness, and propel sustainable economic growth, giving specific attention to advancing gender equality and strengthening resilience to climate and economic shocks.

Using a collaborative approach, STRIVE will drive gender-responsive, environmentally sustainable, collective action among actors in the technical and vocational education and training (TVET) ecosystem. These actors will be supported to increase participation of young people, particularly young women, in enhanced TVET that leads to increased, gender equitable employment and self-employment in key sectors facing current and future skills gaps, with emphasis on the green economy.

The STRIVE project will focus on two key pillars:

1. improved participation of young people, particularly young women, in gender-responsive, environmentally sustainable and market-relevant TVET in the Northern and Eastern Provinces of Sri Lanka
2. Enhanced gender equitable transition to employment, including green jobs for young people, particularly young women, in the Northern and Eastern Provinces of Sri Lanka.

NATURE AND SCOPE

The TVET Specialist will support the Project in achieving its objectives, contributing in the development of national occupational standards and curricula related to sectors and its adjacent trades identified by the project labour market analysis. The specialist will ensure delivery of effective capacity strengthening services to partners and the training and professional development of individuals, networks or organizations within the TVET sector. The TVET Specialist will lead the development of training frameworks , the selection of training providers, training preparation and delivery. The specialist will ensure that results reporting and learning regarding programme interventions are backed up by reliable data, well documented and visualized and contribute to the monitoring & evaluation of the STRIVE Project in collaboration with the SPM and Project Director.

Responsibilities:

Specifically, the TVET Specialist is responsible for the following:

• In collaboration with the STRIVE Project colleagues (and under the supervision of the Senior Project Manager) plan, design, prepare, organize, coordinate and implement interventions and activities that support capacity development of TVET providers and other system actors.
• Support the identification of consultants and trainers, drafting of ToRs and oversee and monitor the quality control and degree of goal achievement of the performance of national and international consultants.
• Provide strategic, operational and other technical support to stakeholders and partners on all levels, specifically regarding, but not limited to, improvements to training design, industry linkages and employment/entrepreneurship transitions for young people;.
• Assist and monitor the development and implementation of operational plans and activities in close consultation with counterparts to ensure quality and suggest necessary changes, improvements and initiatives.
• Support the development of curricula and National occupational standards related to TVET in high growth sub-sectors
• Develop and implement instruments to raise awareness of employment and entrepreneurship opportunities in the agriculture sector.
• Facilitate partnerships between the private sector and training institutions to ensure demand oriented skills development with specific focus on sectors such as tourism, care and adjacent sectors.
• Support key training partners to design and deliver short-term training, ensuring integration of relevant soft and entrepreneurship skills.
• Participate in field research work/primary data collection for market systems analysis and skills gap analysis to assist in identification of priority sectors and adjacent subsectors and inform curriculum development.
• Support and take responsibility for the achievement of any other task as needed and assigned by the management.
• Identify synergies and promote as well as coordinate activities with stakeholders and partners;
• Ensure that all program interventions and activities support gender equality and social inclusion and apply a climate lens.

Knowledge Management:

• Document and adequately label all relevant files for future use.
• Prepare appropriate input for various project reports including annual reports, presentations and contribute to the other reports required by the project
• Work closely with the MERL team to ensure targets are set, and results are being monitored according to the project’s MERL framework, as well as identifying and highlighting any unintended results
• Stay abreast of policies, innovations and other contextual changes that impact specific sector related training and transition to work for young people.
• Ensure that contextual changes and learning are taken into account in ongoing program management, including adaptations to the design when appropriate.
• Assess and analyze existing interventions in the country to support strategic decision-making and advisory services for partners.

General Management:

• Assist in preparing, conducting and documenting internal meetings.
• Assist in preparing, conducting and documenting meetings with partners.
• Assist in keeping track of processes and actions required.
• May be assigned other tasks as required.

Qualifications:

• Master’s Degree or MBA (or B.Sc. plus equivalent work experience) in Economics or in a similar area.
• Minimum 7 years of relevant progressive experience with national and international organizations, private sector companies or government institutions in the field of TVET.

Experience and competencies:

• Experience in the Sri Lankan TVET sector and/or Tourism training sector
• Work experience in the field of vocational training, employment promotion or career guidance is an asset.
• Experience working with INGOs and various implementation partners, governmental and civil society.
• Computing skills in office applications, including Word, Excel.
• Ability to perform diverse and complex work.
• Ability to work in a participatory manner within an international team.
• Experience in various types of reporting
• Ability to think systematically and strategically while setting goals and planning priorities
• Demonstrate commitment to gender equality and belief in women empowerment and youth development
• Proven experience working with a multi-disciplinary and international team;

Applications:

WUSC offers a dynamic international work environment with a diverse intercultural workforce. We offer our personnel exciting opportunities to apply their skills and gain experience all while making a difference for youth around the world. Personnel at WUSC works hard to create impactful change through education and economic outcomes for young people.

WUSC is an equal opportunity employer. Female candidates and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. No telephone calls please.

How to Apply:

If you are interested, please apply here on our portal.