Project “Skill Boost: Tech Upskilling Initiative”

Job description: The Union of ICT Employers of Armenia is looking for a consultant or a company to carry need assessment for producing an SME inventory, revealing their needs in digital technologies, and identifying the widespread skills mismatches – the gap between an individual’s job skills and the demands of the job market

About the Company:  The Union of Employers of Information and Communication Technology was established in 2015 in Armenia by Unicomp, Viva-MTS, Synopsys Armenia, IntellCors and a number of other large ICT companies. The Union is the only one in Armenia with the ICT-oriented educational institutions of RA as members of the union. The Union represents major ICT and tech sector companies and brings a collective experience of high-tech education, data management, e-governance and telecommunication.

The goals of the Union are:

• Protect the interests of union members
• Promote trainings of staff per the requirements of ICT and related areas
• Assist the programs aimed at approach and fusion of science and production
• Raise awareness of Armenia in the international arena
• Implement programs promoting the growth of local and foreign investments in the sphere
• Business and legal consultation

About the Project:

Union of Employers of ICT of Armenia has offered partnership and expertise to the RECONOMY program of Eastern Partnership and Western Balkans in the implementation of RECONOMY strategy in Armenia. Current proposal aims to generate and enhance economic opportunities for the disadvantaged groups in Armenia with a special focus on women and youth.

Specific objectives include:

1. Address skill mismatch in the economy through research and skillbuilding actions;
2. Support ecosystem development by incubating a cohort of startups in priority economic directions;
3. Build a conducive ecosystem for the sustainability of impact through advocacy and public awareness actions.

In order to address the objectives, UEICT has designed a set of interventions. These include a deep dive research into the context and needs on the ground, as well as upskilling and reskilling actions aiming to address the skill mismatch in the growing industries in the target sectors of Armenia (hospitality, agriculture, manufacturing, etc), digital upgrade for SMEs and public awareness campaign.

Scope of work

• To produce an SME Inventory, reflecting the post-covid situation in the economy
• To identify the needs of main target industries/SMEs and ensure that all the voices are heard and reflected in future interventions of the project
• To identify the needs of SMEs in digital solutions to facilitate access to markets
• To produce a gender-disaggregated analysis on how to apply tailored approaches to each specific industry in the future
• To identify the main needs and skills needed in the market.
• To publish 1 knowledge product/publication depicting typology of SMEs and recommendations on how to address existing gaps.

Expected deliverables of the consultancy: 

• Inception report prior to initiating the study, to be submitted electronically.
• Needs assessment study approach (analytical framework, data collection strategy and methodologies, tools, criteria etc.).
• Work plan for the needs assessment study including data collection processes
• Draft needs assessment report after data collection, summarizing the methodology of the study and specifying any limitations / complications and changes to the initial design.
• The final need assessment report with concrete conclusions and recommendations
• 1 publication for public consumption including SME mapping and recommendations for policy intervention.

Required qualifications and skills

• Experience: Master’s degree in Economics, Law, Social Sciences or equivalent (for individual consultants) or demonstrated prior track record (for companies) in the related field.
• 5 years of experience working in social science research, SME development and policy advocacy.
• Language Requirements: English and Armenian as a working language
• Ability to communicate recommendations to policy makers and wider stakeholder groups.

Deadline and Application Procedure

Interested candidates/companies who meet the above-mentioned requirements and eager to join the UEICT are welcome to send required documents mentioned below to email: Info@ueict.org, and cc lusine.tangyan@ueict.org. Please indicate “Consultancy for Need Assessment” in the subject line of the email.

• Certificate of Registration of the Company or the CVs of experts being involved in the assignment outlining relevant qualifications and experience
• A summarized description of the scope of work and the intended methodology to be used as well as a tentative work plan including activities and time frames.
• Itemized financial proposal.

UEICT invites interested candidates to submit the following documents by 12/07/2022, 24:00hrs.

 

If an expert or the company does not meet the minimum requirements for qualification and skills and professional experience, the application will not be shortlisted. Only shortlisted applicants will be invited for interview.