TVET Advisor, INVEST Project - World University Service 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 22 countries worldwide with an annual budget of approximately $45 million dollars, WUSC’s mission is to foster human development and global understanding through education and training. Our internationally recognized programs support youth, women and other marginalized populations, focusing on three thematic areas of education, employment and empowerment. Globally, WUSC works with 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.

The INVEST Project:

The Innovation in Non-Traditional Vocational Education and Skills Training (INVEST) is a 5 year (2020 -2025) initiative funded by Global Affairs Canada (GAC). The project will build sustainable pathways to enhanced economic empowerment, well-being and inclusive growth for 5,000 urban poor young women in Accra, Kumasi, and Sekondi-Takoradi, Ghana. Working in high growth sectors, the initiative will test and scale innovative, sustainable models to improve the enabling environment for and reduce gender-specific barriers to women’s economic participation. The project will ultimately enhance access to decent work for marginalized women in non-traditional sectors within the Ghanaian economy.   

Nature and Scope:

The INVEST project seeks to hire a TVET Advisor to provide guidance on strategic directions and implementation of the project as it relates to the TVET sector, capacity development of the stakeholder institutions and delivery of market-driven, gender sensitive vocational training to approximately 5,000 urban poor young women in Ghana. The Advisor will liaise and consult on an ongoing basis with the main project partners, including government institutions, technical & vocational training institutions and women’s rights organisations.

The TVET Advisor will report to the Project Director, and will work closely with the INVEST team in Accra, Kumasi and Sekondi-Takoradi. The TVET Advisor will also work closely with International TVET Advisors, notably Canadian trade schools who are partners on the project, and TVET Institutions who will be providing guidance and support on international best practices for the design and roll out of the project.

Key areas of Responsibility:

Working closely with the INVEST Project Direct, INVEST team and partners, the TVET Advisor will:

• Advise and guide the Management Committee and INVEST staff on how INVEST can best feed into and contribute to the TVET sector in Ghana with a special emphasis on work with the private sector, job creation and sectors of priority for skills training
• Review the proposed strategy developed by the INVEST team that highlights some of the main entry points and opportunities for INVEST to contribute to, and strengthen, the TVET sector.
• Provide technical inputs on the development and implementation of a rapid market assessment in the project locations, including on sectors that are suitable and accessible to women
• Provide technical input and guidance in the development and implementation of a capacity assessment of Technical and Vocational Training Institutes in the project target locations.
• Assess the training needs of TVET instructors in terms of CBT, technical skills, and soft skills with respect to specific curriculum (to be identified)
• Advise on the development of new curricula, in consultation with partners, and revision of existing curricula in consultation with the relevant stakeholders and international experts that may be involved in the process
• Advise on the design and development of training curricula and the development of an internship program aimed at private and public sector employers.
• Advise the INVEST team on annual planning for the timely integration of cohorts in TVET in order for target numbers can be reached
• Provide briefings and design & deliver short training's for INVEST staff and partners on TVET related issues, as deemed relevant  

Qualifications:

• 10 years technical experience in the general TVET sector
• Knowledge of international agencies involved in the development of Vocational Training Education such as UNEVOC-UNESCO, ILO etc.
• Understanding of issues challenging TVET sector in Ghana
• Familiar with the market systems approach
• Strong communication and writing skills