81283890-Digitalization of core processes and development of blended learning formats for the TVET system in Ethiopia

Description

Ethiopia is Africa"s second-most populous country, with approx. 112 million people. Economic growth of around 9% was achieved in 2019 and 6% in 2020 despite the global pandemic. The country"s education system faces the challenge of providing students with practical training that is appropriate to the labour market. Young Ethiopians face a high rate of unemployment, which further exacerbates social inequality and is accompanied by the potential for conflict. Offering training courses and studies that are geared more strongly towards employment is a key prerequisite for job creation and improved income generation. The education, private and health sectors have to cooperate in order to align training, study and further education courses with the needs of the private sector. The Ethiopian Government recognises the importance of closer cooperation between the education and private sectors, and focuses on this in various policy strategies. Nevertheless, efforts to involve the private sector in developing and implementing training courses at vocational schools and technical colleges, as well as measures aimed at developing employment-oriented skills, have failed to produce the desired results to date. The employability of graduates therefore remains too low. There is a lack of skilled workers that meet the requirements of a private sector characterised by increasing specialisation, mechanisation and internationalisation. On behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), GIZ is implementing the Sustainable Training and Education Programme in Ethiopia. Germany is supporting the Ethiopian Government in improving the income and employment situation, especially for young people, through demand-driven training courses. Training models based on demand and needs in the Ethiopian economy and the health sector are developed and implemented together with the private sector. The aim of the project is to improve the employability of the target groups: vocational school and technical college students and graduates, young adult job seekers and the self-employed in the informal sector. The project is also aimed at teaching staff and managers in vocational training institutions and technical colleges, trainers within companies, and technical and managerial staff in partner ministries and subordinate authorities. Gender equality provides a framework for action for all interventions through the project and is a consistent element of the dialogue with partners. The ministries responsible and their subordinate authorities face the challenge of ensuring the necessary general conditions and resources and permanently mainstreaming employment-oriented approaches. 42 per cent of the graduates of the vocational schools that have received support have so far found employment relevant to their training (figures correct as of March 2021). In addition to these employment impacts, the cooperation has already contributed to improved training quality and increased employment prospects. The greater orientation towards the growing Ethiopian economy is contributing indirectly to productivity increases and to the country"s economic development in general. The Capacity Building in the Education Sector Project aims to support the continued institutionalisation of these interventions. The project is operating at various levels to achieve this. Firstly, advice is provided to partner institutions at national level in order to improve the training of vocational school teachers, among other things. At the same time, training measures for various target groups are being piloted together with the relevant national and regional authorities in Adama, Bahir Dar, Hawassa and in Addis Ababa. The focus is on the private sector, with the intention of actively and permanently involving companies as well as employers" associations and chambers. Lot 1: The main objective of the assignment is to improve the capacities for the implementation of digitalized TVET through the development of three blended learning formats in three supported economic sectors and the digitalization of three core processes of the TVET system. Output 5 of the STEP Programme aims to strengthen capacities to implement digitalized TVET. Digital teaching and learning opportunities at the learning venues as well as digitalized core processes of technical and vocational education and training not only align the TVET system with the new technological requirements of the economy, but also strengthen its resilience and offer growth and employment potential through the development of a digitally competent skilled workforce. Several blended learning initiatives and offers, including learning management systems like Moodle, do already exist, and a digital examination system has been already introduced for selected regions and sectors, but not in any of the 5 economic sectors promoted by the project. For the digital transformation of education and training, however, the digital infrastructure must be further expanded to enable the implementation of digital teaching and learning offers at the learning locations as well as the application of digital core processes by public and private stakeholders and beneficiaries of TVET. To this end, Output 5 is closely interlinked with Output 2. Output 2 aims to strengthen the capacity of UAS and TVET staff in the public and private sectors to implement demand-driven UAS education and TVET. Strengthening the management and leadership competences of UAS, TVET and education management staff as well as the technical, pedagogical and didactic training of educational and in-company training staff as well as UAS lecturers are essential approaches to improve the quality of TVET and study programmes and thus to contribute to an increased employability of graduates. In line with this output, under this assignment TVET personnel shall be, among others, enabled to implement digital solutions and blended learning methods in their teaching and training. The services shall be provided in the following work packages: Work package 1: Development of three blended learning formats The contractor is responsible to support partners in the developing of three blended learning formats priorly identified by GIZ and its partners. Work package 2: Further training on the use and development of blended learning methodologies in teaching and training The contractor shall capacitate the project partners to implement the developed blended learning formats and to generally use blended learning methods in their teaching and training. Specifically, the contractor shall enable the institute responsible for the national TVET teachers training to capacitate master trainers to run teacher trainers. Work package 3: Digitalizing three core processes of the TVET system The contractor is responsible for digitalizing three core processes in one economic sector priorly identified by GIZ and its partners from the public and the private sector planned for Q2 and Q3 of 2022. The identification of core processes to be digitalized is based on parameters jointly agreed upon by GIZ and its partners, such as: - Partner demands on digital processes - Available infrastructure in pilot institutions - Feasibility and with a promising outlook - Already existing digitalized core processes as well as gaps. Based on preliminary discussions with the relevant key stakeholders, the core processes to be digitalized will most probably be the following: 1) digital examination/assessment procedures, 2) registration/enrolment procedures, and 3) digital processes for career guidance and matching. The core processes described in these ToR might be subject to change depending on political and partner priorities.