International Consultant – EFE Retour vers les opportunités

Project Title:  SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MODEL FOR CAREER CENTERS FOR BETTER EMPLOYABILITY OF TUNISIAN YOUTH

About the Project :

In the framework of the USAID Jobs, Opportunities & Business Successs (JOBS) project, and with support from lead implementer Chemonics, Education for Employment (EFE-Tunisie) seeks to select an international consultant to design and pilot a sustainable business model for career centers in Tunisia. This mission would support the objectives of component 2 “Workforce Development” of the USAID JOBS Project.

Background:

The Tunisian Government has engaged in a strategic reform plan for the higher education system with the aim to enhance employability of Tunisian university graduates. In fact, the unemployment rate is the highest among university graduates and averages 25% for men and more than 30% for women. In this regard, MHESR created in 2013 a network of career centers (Centres de Carrière et de Certification de Competences or 4C — see www.4C.tn) with the objective to boost the connection between university and the business environment and to prepare university graduates to enter the job market. To date MHESR created more than 130 career centers throughout the country in different higher education institutions, but these career centers are staffed by volunteer university academic and administrate staff, not financially sustainable, and need to offer attractive services that connect university students and graduates with the relevant business environment to ensure better employability of university graduates.

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is currently working with the Tunisian Government and other stakeholders on a five-year initiative – the JOBS project – to create sustainable employment opportunities for Tunisians throughout the country. This includes improving the employability and skills of Tunisian job-seekers based on demand-driven enhancements to Tunisia’s university and vocational training systems.

Objective:

This project has the objective to:

• Design a sustainable career center business model, which is based on good practices in other countries and is  adapted to the local context, taking into account the situation of existing career centers in Tunisia. This business model should be built on a strong value proposition, including close engagement with both students and private sector companies, and strong governance and management principles.
• Pilot and implement the validated business model with 5 selected Career Centers, delivering a capacity-building and coaching program targeting the staff of the selected pilot career centers in order to ensure the successful implementation of the business model.

Tasks:

The project main activities are the following:

1°) Comprehensive desk review and analysis of global experience in building career centers, including models funded by the private sector as well as good practices and lessons learned from any similar USAID investments around the world that involved partial or full private sector funding.

2°) In-depth study with 5 selected pilot career centers through desk research and field visits, interviews and focus groups with relevant stakeholders including career center directors and staff, private sector representatives [CEOs, HR Directors], current university students and graduates).

The international consultant would investigate these questions:

• What type of business model could be implemented in these career centers using models of existing international best practices?
• What types of services could be provided to private sector companies?
• What type of organizational structure and governance model for the career centers would be appropriate and feasible?
• What would be the regulatory/organizational obstacles to these changes and options/solutions that could be implemented?

3°) Development of a sustainable career center business model for Tunisian 4Cs, including workshops to present and validate the proposed model to key stakeholders in MHESR and private sector:

4°) Piloting and implementation of the validated business model with 5 selected Career Centers:

After validating the suggested business, the international consultant should pilot and implement the suggested business model with five pilot career centers.

He/She should suggest an approach for the selection of the pilot career centers.

The implementation will include:

• establishment of the adequate governance and organizational system
• establishment of a business plan with target objectives to ensure financial sustainability of the career center,
• the development of the value proposition and services offering (revenue generating activities with a marketing plan),
• the launch of activities with targeted customers: employers and students.

(5) deliver a capacity building and coaching program targeting the staff of the selected pilot career centers in order to ensure the successful implementation of the business model.

The capacity-building program should cover all the needed skills to enable the pilot 4C staff to perform and succeed in launching the activities and to reach the targeted objectives for financial sustainability.

The business model will answer the following questions:

• How will the career centers be managed?
• What is the strategy for corporate outreach – prospecting potential employers/partners?
• What is the 4C’s sales and marketing strategy and action plan?
• Specifically which recruitment services will the 4C offer to companies?
• How will the 4C attract and engage students?
• How will the 4C raise funds and ensure financial sustainability?

Deliverables : 

The main deliverables for the project include:

• a detailed workplan and Gant Chart, tailored to each 4C;
• Expected sub-deliverables linked to the main tasks are listed below:

Engagement: Expectations and Level of Commitment

The international consultant will engage with project stakeholders: MHESR, the private sector, and student associations and coordinate with a graduate study team from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) to achieve project objectives and deliverables according to the agreed workplan.

• The consultant will provide weekly written progress reports to EFE-Tunisie.
• The mission duration should not exceed 115 days