Vocational training services

Tender description

A Supplier will be contracted by the Department for International Development (DFID) to manage a flexible fund of up to 13 000 000 GBP over the period through which a number of services supporting Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) reform will be provided in Jordan. These services could include, but are not limited to: technical assistance, scholarships (or other student financing options), public private partnerships (PPPs), developing/ supporting technical and vocational qualifications frameworks (TVQFs) and sector skills councils (SSCs). The fund will support the Government of Jordan to reform its TVET sector so it better provides the skills that Jordanian youth and the Jordanian market need for economic growth and individual economic opportunities. It will do this primarily through supporting reforms that put the private sector at the heart of TVET development and provision. DFID will contract through a competitive tender for a supplier to design and implement DFID's vocational training programme. Procurement will take place through the EU OJEU system. DFID has already undertaken some market engagement, but will conduct further market engagement in the UK and Jordan prior to the start of the procurement. DFID encourages interest and participation from national suppliers with the appropriate capability and capacity. Project delivery details will be worked out during the design phase. The TVET Fund will conduct a number of activities to support private sector led TVET reform in Jordan and provide access to TVET to vulnerable Jordanian youth. Activities that the fund will be expected to undertake include (not an exhaustive list): — Supporting the development of sector skills councils or similar models that bring the private sector into TVET development and provision. SSCs are a UK model that brings together the private sector in a particular field(e.g. construction, renewable energy) to work with government and training providers to improve the relevance and appeal of vocational training courses and curricula. — Providing scholarships (or other more creative financing options) to help place vulnerable youths in high quality TVET, linked to employment. — Supporting the implementation of a Technical and Vocational Qualifications Framework (TVQF). A TVQF identifies how different qualifications relate to each other, providing a ladder for graduates to follow through out their careers and a framework for the private sector to understand and compare skills of potential new employees, including internationally. The TVQF would be developed in partnership with other donors and the Jordanian Centre for Accreditation and Quality Assurance (CAQA). — Developing and/or financing Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) at the institutional level, combining Government, donor and private sector expertise to develop high quality vocational training facilities — Interventions to change mind sets of Jordanian youth and parents, towards vocational training and technical occupations, especially promoting opportunities for women, and challenging gender based cultural norms. — Flexible Technical Assistance to support the Government of Jordan to implement TVET reform. The TVET Fund will deliver assistance to recipients & beneficiaries through several mechanisms: — Arranging the provision of national and international expert advice to the GoJ to support TVET reform. — Setting up a mechanism to provide vulnerable youths access to high quality TVET, linked to employment. This may mean administering the granting of scholarships, or other creative financing approaches. — Supporting the development of private and public private partnerships with supporting finance, where appropriate. The supplier will work with a wide range of stakeholders across the public, private and NGO sectors, and with other donors. The supplier is expected to participate in donor coordination activities to ensure that technical assistance iswell coordinated and in line with priorities agreed by national governments and donors. The supplier will consider gender and inclusion, and encourage women's participation in relevant areas and seek to reduce gender inequality. While testing of innovative delivery models is encouraged there will be a heavy emphasis on ensuring that successful approaches are sustainable and saleable.