Education and training services

Tender description

The UK's Department for International Development (DFID) is considering fulfilling a new requirement in 2018/19 where we will be seeking partners/suppliers to implement Phase 3 of the International Citizen Service (ICS) programme, which provides opportunities for young people across the UK and the global south. This programme contributes to development by deploying youth volunteers from the UK and overseas to work with local organisations on sustainable poverty reduction projects in developing countries. (Geographical footprint: 5-10 DFID priority countries with anticipated duration December 2019 — August 2024). The current ICS programme is open to all young people from the UK aged between 18 and 25, regardless of their background or specific skills. Volunteers are deployed overseas on 12 week placements, where they reside in host homes and live and work side by side with in-country volunteers on community development projects in more than 20 countries. Over 3 000 volunteers have participated in ICS since it began in 2011. Building on this success, Phase 3 of ICS will continue to adopt an international youth volunteering model to contribute to the following priority impact areas: (i) Poverty reduction and sustainable development overseas; (ii) Positive inclusion outcomes in developing countries, particularly on disability; (iii) Personal and social development of UK and overseas volunteers; (iv) Creation of long term active citizens committed to International Development in UK and beyond. 3 key shifts will be made from Phase 2, strengthening: — social inclusion and disability outcomes for both beneficiary communities and ICS volunteers, — development impact and sustainability for beneficiary communities including a shift in thematic focal areas, — safeguarding and security for UK and overseas volunteers, and the communities they serve. Under phase 3 we will narrow the geographical scope of the programme, focusing on up to 10 stable low and middle income countries, in line with DFID priority countries. The main programme activities will include: — recruitment, selection, training and pre-placement support to a diverse range of UK volunteers that are broadly representative of the UK population, including performance against diversity markers such as gender, region, socioeconomic background, ethnic background and disability, — recruitment, selection, training and pre-placement support to in-country volunteers, — identification of host communities/projects which can benefit from the unique contribution of young people, — in-placement support and engagement of young people from the UK and overseas, — post-placement support and engagement of young people from the UK and overseas including “Action at Home” activities and support to alumni networks in the UK and overseas, — management and coordination of projects on the ground, sharing lessons and expertise across the full portfolio, — evaluation and lesson learning to support iterative improvements to programme delivery and strengthen the weak evidence base on international youth volunteering to benefit the programme, DFID and the wider sector.