Consulting Services for Preparation of Program for Provision of Grants and Support In

Ministry of Education and Science
Macedonia
SKILLS DEVELOPMENT AND INNOVATION SUPPORT PROJECT (SDISP)
TERMS OF REFERENCE
for

Consulting services for preparation of program for provision of grants and support in development of implementation legal proceduresfor school-industry collaborationfor secondary TVET

1. Background of the Project

The Skills Development and Innovation Support Project (SDISP) project’s development objective (PDO) is to improve transparency of resource allocation and promote accountability in higher education, enhance the relevance of secondary technical vocational education, and support innovation capacity in Macedonia.
The overall project will support the Government of the Republic of Macedonia’s (MOES) initiatives geared to:

• increase graduates’ competitiveness on a regional and international level;
• increase labor market relevance of graduates’ skills;
• make innovation a source of productivity improvement, competitiveness, increased exportability of goods, and sustained economic growth; and
• Increase universities and private enterprises engagement in, and their benefit from, R&D efforts and technology adoption opportunities.

The Project will support interventions which foster education and skills relevant to the job market, and enhance the innovation capacity and activity of firms in Macedonia. It will also address key missing elements of the Macedonian innovation system and ailing aspects of the research sector that are likely to be vital for improving the competitiveness of the enterprise sector and Macedonia’s longer term economic growth prospects. It will also help improve absorption of EU funds earmarked for innovation activities.

The Project’s direct beneficiaries include students, teaching and management staff from technical vocational education and training institutions who would receive a new curriculum and practical training facilities, as well as training on management, planning, and process improvement capacity; students and staff of universities, research institutions and enterprises will benefit from: (i) the implementation of quality assurance mechanisms and financing reform in higher education (HE);(ii) grants promoting R&D and innovation; and (iii) technology commercialization, global know-how absorption, and industry- university collaboration fostered by the National Technology Transfer Office (NTTO).

Specific information/background regarding the assignment

The Skills Development and Innovation Support Project is comprised of four components, with one of them, Component 2,focused on Modernization of Secondary Technical Vocational Education and Training, whichinitself integrates a sub-component for grants for school-industry collaboration. The sub-component is aimed at supporting school-business collaboration and identifying successful models for engaging enterprises in practical vocational training.

The activities of this sub-component will be focused on:

(i) designing and implementing a grant program to support TVET activities including preparation of Operational Manual and all related documents for awarding grants on a competitive basis; and

(ii)provision of School Grants to selected TVET schools to finance activities to improve the labor market relevance of the vocational education and training including involving companies into the practical training delivery.

2. Objective of the assignment

The overall objective of this assignment is to provide technical assistance to the Government of Macedonia and the Ministry of Education and Science (MOES) to prepare program for provision of grants including support in development of relatedlegal procedures, develop efficient methods and instruments for the complete cycle of grants process for school-industry collaboration, develop models for partnership arrangements for school - industry collaboration, prepare a manual containing all the necessary steps, scenarios and documents for the implementation of the grant scheme, program for training of schools staff for preparation of project proposals and set up monitoring and evaluation frameworkof thegrant program.

Contact between schools and industry is becoming an increasingly common practice since education professionals are interested in having pupils see what business, research and manufacturing are like in the real world, and learn why school subjects are important for their future. Business professionals would also like a closer relationship with schools in order to help foster the acquisition of job-oriented skills and knowledge at school level.

The consultant should focus on developing a program that addresses the issues that all parties involved in such collaboration may face (ethical, legal and practical issues around health and safety, mutual respect, branding, data protection), and provide a set of principles, guidelines and checklists that should allow anyone involved in setting up school-industry collaboration to do so as safely, smoothly and securely as possible.

3. Scope of work and timeline
The consultant should perform the following activities:

• Preparatory activities - the Consultant shouldreview all documentation related to the assignment, including the Vocational Education and Training Strategy (2013), Enhancing Lifelong Learning through modernizing the Vocational Education and Training and Adult Education Systems,Occupational and safety standards of Macedonia, as well as and other related reports delivered through EU/IPA. The consultant shall also review the National classification of occupations, Trade registry and analyze the companies' structure in Macedonia-potential grant beneficiaries (by location, main business activity, number of employees, market share, potential growth, etc.). Assess the need for interaction with the secondary schools, VET center, Chambers of Commerce, State Statistical Office, National Employment Agency of Macedonia,Organizations of employers and all other involved parties.
• Set up program for grant assignment for schools and industry, which should foresee development of process flow, tools and documents for the application process, eligibility, budgeting, award process, and legal procedures as well asnecessary facilities standards, safety standards, instruments for evaluation and monitoring of the project and other relevant issues.
• Prepare a comprehensive structural and functional manual for school-industry collaboration, giving both sides a shared set of principles and guidelines to put in practice. The manual should:
• encompass completely the whole process and process flow for school-industry collaboration and define the legal framework, procedures, process for assignment of grants (complete process for grants).
• define eligibility criteria for schools and companies to establish a project for school-industry collaboration, eligible and ineligible activities to be financed , the allocation formula for grant award limits and implementation and reporting arrangements.
• Propose unified template/s for project description to include:(i) market potential analysis for this school-industry collaboration related to starting up a new product, new business idea, new investment, and/or outsourcing part of the existing business process, or description of the model for engagements of the firms in practical vocational training (ii) comprehensive analysis of environment forces, market trends, entry barriers, competition, risks, opportunities and the company’s and school’s resources and constraints (iii) budgeting.
• define: (i) required facilities standards, (ii) safety standards, (iii) instruments for evaluation and monitoring of the project (iv) other relevant areas for school – industry collaboration.
• definestructure for practical and efficient application process,application process flow and related procedures;
• define structure of an efficient selectionprocess,prepare evaluation template/s, ranking system and award process;
• define and prepare model/s of partnership agreement (MoES/School/Company) which should not be limited to, but should include: procedures, methods and timing of funds transfer between the MoES and the newly formed entity, project activities covered by the collaboration; definition of the distribution of the capital investment amongst the partners ( the partners; arrangements for maintenance and repair; assignment of operational costssuch as utilities and materials used; assignments for staffing and supervision; access by the partners and hours of operation; and/or assignments for safety and security; rights and obligations of involved parties; share of the cost and profit; etc.
• Propose the pedagogical and other preparation for vocational teachers (from schools) and vocational trainers (from companies) in workplaces, adapting the level of preparation to the nature of the workplace on which the learning is provided. If necessary propose vocational teachers to spend time in industry to update their knowledge, and vocational trainers from companies spend some time in VET institutions to enhance their pedagogical skills.
• Set up monitoring and evaluation framework which should be essential guide of the monitoring and evaluation of the project. The framework should assist in understanding and analyzing the program, develop monitoring and evaluation plans and implementation of monitoring and evaluation activities, articulate program goals and measurable short, medium and long-term objectives, define relationships among inputs, activities, outputs, outcomes and impacts, etc.

It is expected that the selected consultant will start his/her work by August 2015. The work should be completed by December 2015. The estimated number of consultant staff-days is 100.

4. Reporting obligations and deliverables
Expected deliverables:

1. Inception report outlining the findings of the documentation and contextual review;
2. Program for grant assignment consisting of tools and documents for the application process, eligibility, budget, award process, ranking system, legal procedures, facilities standards, safety standards, instruments for evaluation and monitoring of the project and other relevant issues;
3. Operational manual describing the processes and procedures for the grants for school - industry collaboration process in all its stages including all pertinent forms and documents;
4. Report for potential collaboration areas between schools and potential partner companies addressing market of the companies and growths potentials;
5. Monitoring and evaluation framework;
6. Final report after WB approval of the manual/procedures.

All deliverables shall be prepared in English and Macedonian and will be reviewed and approved by the SDIS Project Director.

The consultant must have the following background/experience:

Qualifications and skills:

• University degreein the field of social or technical sciences, or equivalent general professional experience of five (5) years above the minimum general professional experience requested below.
• MBA, or doctoral degree would be considered as an asset

General professional experience:

• Minimum of 10 years of general professional experience in the field of secondary school education, vocational education and training, academia – business collaboration
• Experience in working with high school students and/or university students would be considered as an asset.

Specific professional experience:

• Experience in at least two (2) project as an expert in the field of cooperation between business sector and educational sector;
• Experience in the field of vocational education and training;
• Knowledge and experience of TVET developments and trends in the European Union and OECD countries would be considered an asset;
• Experience in development of links between academia and business sector and bridging the gap between labor market needs and student competenceswould be considered an asset
• Experience the production or evaluation of business planswould be considered an assetKnowledge of the business and start up environment in Macedonia would be considered an asset

5.SELECTION AND CONTRACT ARRANGEMENTS

The selection method will be Selection of Individual Consultant in accordance with “Guidelines: Selection and Employment of Consultants under IBRD Loans and IDA Credits & Grants by the World Bank Borrowers” January 2011.

The contract will be time-based. Payments will be based on agreed daily rates of the expert, named in the contract and on reimbursable items using actual expenses and/or agreed unit ratesin line with the terms and conditions stipulated in the contract.