Job vacancy Terms of Reference – Environment and Climate Change Consultancy Accelerating Change Through InnoVation in Agricultural TVET (ACTIVATE)

Company Profile

WUSC (World University Service of Canada) 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, governments, and businesses who share this vision. Together, we develop solutions in education, economic opportunities, and empowerment to overcome inequality and exclusion for youth around the world, particularly young women and young refugees. WUSC currently works in 25 countries across Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America, with an annual budget of approximately CAD $40 million. We have over 90 staff in our Ottawa office, and over 200 people overseas implementing 16 development projects in collaboration with donors such as Global Affairs Canada, the UK Department for International Development (DFID), the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the Mastercard Foundation and the African Development Bank.

Terms of Reference 
Environment and Climate Change Consultancy Accelerating Change Through InnoVation in Agricultural TVET (ACTIVATE)

 

Location

Ghana with frequent travel to the field

Duration of Contract

35 Days

Reports to

Environment and Climate Change Advisor

Application Deadline

May 10, 2024

Expected Start Date

May, 2024

 

ACTIVATE BackgroundAccelerating Change Through InnoVation in Agricultural TVET (ACTIVATE) is a 5-year initiative that aims to improve the well-being and resilience of young women and men by strengthening an industry-led, demand-driven Agriculture Technical and Vocational Education and Training (ATVET) system in Ghana. The program is national in scope, blending education and skills training while building collaboration and linkages among key stakeholders, such as public and private actors, academia, and agriculture sector actors. Together with these stakeholders, ACTIVATE will respond to key challenges facing the Agriculture and Adjacent sectors, including:i) low quality of ATVET instruction, curriculum and equipment/infrastructure; ii) non-alignment of new TVET policies and reforms across ministries; iii) lack of ATVET engagement with industry to understand their human resource needs; iv) poor business skills among young people and insufficient entrepreneurship support to the diverse needs of agripreneurs; and v) insufficient management capacity of ATVET facilitation bodies. The program’s proposed interventions prioritize elevating the voice and aspirations of youth and integrating a strong inclusivity lens with respect to gender and disability, in particular.
 Over 5 years, ACTIVATE will reach a total of over 80,340 individuals, including approximately 79,360 youth (aged 15-35). These individuals will be reached through high quality, market-relevant skills training in specific agricultural sub-sectors/value chains with opportunities for young men and young women, such as agro processing, horticulture, livestock, and agribusiness, and adjacent sectors such as transportation, logistics and IT, which will be confirmed following an in-depth market assessment process. Out of the 79,360, 65% (51,200) will participate in modular and/or short courses using non-formal & informal training (improved apprenticeship, On-Farm/On-the-job training) and Recognition of Prior Learning approaches. They will also receive entrepreneurship training and support. The remaining youth (28,160) will be reached through formal training in the ATVET institutions, including job readiness training and employment referral support, career and guidance counseling, and facilitation of workplace experience learning. The program interventions will result in over 68,289 employed Youth (in wage employment or self-employment) or approximately 85% of all youth participants. ACTIVATE targets a minimum of 70% (55,552) of those supported youth to be young women. By working to create an ATVET system that is stronger, more gender-responsive, inclusive, and market-relevant, and delivering enhanced, market-relevant training, ACTIVATE will have a lasting impact on the ability of young people in Ghana to thrive beyond the life of the program.Agriculture and its allied sectors significantly contribute to climate change through poor agricultural practices. The impacts of climate change consequently affect food security and the livelihoods of young people and women. In recognition of this, ACTIVATE aims to work with ATVET institutions to integrate climate-smart agriculture practices in training delivery for youth. In addition, ACTIVATE aims to reduce the carbon footprint of ATVET and TVET institutions and to enhance the capacity for partners to be resilient to environmental and climate risks. In recognition of this, ACTIVATE aims to reduce the carbon footprint of Ghana’s ATVET sector and to enhance resilient capacity for partners in relation to environmental and climate risks. The project will consequently mainstream environment responses to programming, measure the results/impacts and contribute to sharing and learning within WUSC Ghana, WUSC Canada, MasterCard Foundation and with external stakeholders.
Purpose of the Technical AssistanceWUSC is seeking to engage an Environment and Climate Change (ECC) consultant for the ACTIVATE project. The purpose of the consultancy will be to provide technical support to the design and implementation of ACTIVATE’s ECC strategy, initially to conduct a green capacity gap assessment of ATVET institutions and industries.
Work PackageThe scope of work is as follows;

Analyze and assess the current green and agripreneurship capacity of the training institutions (staff, systems, infrastructure, tools etc.) and tutor’s/training provider’s qualification, specialized knowledge etc.) on agripreneurship and climate change and resiliency. This will help tailor institutional and staff capacity building towards green skills in the ATVET training institutions.

Assessment of current Environmental compliance practices by industries.

Assessment of adaptation solutions for current and future climate change impacts of ATVET industries.

Level of Effort, expected outputs/deliverables and indicative timelines

Estimated contributions expected in working days will be determined in consultation with the selected candidate. The following proposed schedule will be revised in consultation with the successful candidate during the inception phase.

NoTaskDeliverableNumber of days Date to be completed1Participate in Inception MeetingInception Report2May 282Review Labour Market Assessment (LMA) from Environment and Climate Change (ECC) perspective.

Feedback on LMA from the ECC perspective

3June 73Develop methodology data collectionData collection tools10June 20244

Initial green and agripreneurship skills capacity gap assessment of ATVET training institutions and industries

Initial Environmental and Climate adaptation solutions for climate change impacts of ATVET industries and the financial feasibility/modeling of the adaptation solutions.Assessment report20June - August, 2024

Education Required: Master’s Degree

10 May, 2024 (6 days left)