Position: Senior Advisor for Placements and Self-Employment
Duty Station: Lahore, Pakistan (with extensive travel in South Punjab)
Duration: Short-term
Start Date: September 2018
Background and Objectives:
Louis Berger seeks a Senior Advisor for Placement and Self-Employment for a USAID-funded ‘Punjab Youth Workforce Development (PYWD) Project, that will work with both the public and private sector to improve the provision of skills development followed by placements or self-employment. The programme will enhance the ability of Pakistani workforce to find better jobs domestically and internationally with a focus on the following key sectors: ICT, Hospitality/Tourism, Agriculture, Light Industry, Construction and manufacturing.
Role:
The Senior Advisor will be responsible for sector development around employable TVET trainings, ensuring public private partnerships and adequate market linkages for placement and enterprise development programs. S/he will support the implementation of practice- and demand-oriented training programs in selected districts of South Punjab including Multan, Muzaffargarh, Bahawalpur and Lodhran, with the aim of increasing accessibility and quality of vocational training offers (through public and private sector TVET providers) in order to enhance skills and knowledge for the wellbeing and employment of disadvantaged youth.
Key Tasks:
The key responsibilities of the Senior Advisor for placemements and self-employment:
- Advice and support vocational training projects abroad with strategic guidance, portfolio development, institution building, capacity development and knowledge sharing at relevant interfaces within the organization
- Assess, analyze, propose and implement PPP models for delivery of demand-driven skills training working in partnership with prospective employers/anchor firms and public- and private- sector TVET providers
- Provide thematic advice to project teams, partners and clients and contribute to professional and global network discussions by representing PYWD project
- Advice on developing local level business plans for PYWD graduated youth for creating self-sustainable micro and small enterprises as per according to the skills trades.
- Lead advisory mandates for external clients (development agencies, foundations, NGOs, etc.)
- Assist in the development of education tools and guidelines, contribute to the development of advocacy positions and of the skills and education sector in Pakistan
- Help mentor and train PYWD staff in the selected districts on the approach to skills development, wage and self-employment
- Support analytic work on:
- Improved diagnostic approaches to private sector needs and engagement in skills development
- Tools and systems to guide project and program delivery and innovative approaches to skills needs at the firm, sector and national levels
- An innovative indicator-led approach to private sector engagement in skills that leverages the Doing Business methodology.
- Value chain assessment of the targeted districts around selected trades of the PYWD graduated youth.
- Enterprise development and self-employment of PYWD trained resource pool, based on the market demand and results of the value chain assessment in the targeted districts of South Punjab
- Strengthen organisational capacity and the capacity of PYWD and Government of Pakistan staff to provide affordable planning, coordination and oversight services to the TVET sector
- Provide structured and intentional capacity development opportunities for PYWD and Government of Pakistan and other stakeholders to enable them to assume responsibility for leading TVET planning
- Ensure quality assurance principles guide the timely collection, preparation and submission of TVET sector and Enterprise Development performance data
- Work closely with private sector and TVET training prviders to develop tri-partitie arrangements for administering demand-driven skills training with commitments for placement through risk-sharing arrangements facilitated under the PYWD project.
Minimum Qualifications
- Masters degree in any of the following: Business Studies, Financial Management, Human Resource Management, Education, Engineering or Vocational Training (TVET) or related subjects
- Thorough understanding of the TVET sector; especially in the establishment of public private partnerships through working closely with employers; TVET providers (private and public) and other players in the workforce development ecosystem
- Thorough understanding of Enterprise Development and Value chain approach with prior experience of advising on setting up micro and small enterprises at grass root level.
- Specific experience working on skills development and placement programmes in one or more of the following sectors: ICT, Hospitality/Tourism, Agriculture, Light Industry, Construction, and Hydropower sectors
- Transactional orientation and proven experience forging risk sharing models that facilitate skills training and upgradation with permanent placement in growth sectors working alongside prospective employers and TVET providers
- Knowledge of market development approach and M4P principles
- Excellent communication skills (written and verbal) in English
Reporting
Candidate will report to the Chief of Party of PYWD project
Please note that we reserve the right to cancel one or all applications. This position will be on rolling basis and remain open until the position is filled with suitable candidate. We are an equal-opportunity employer and value diversity in its workforce. We welcome people from diverse backgrounds, culture and experience. Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for interview.