Individual Consultancy Services Palestinian IT Labor Market

Terms of Reference

Individual Consultancy Services – Palestinian IT Labor Market
Needs Assessment

Introduction
An-Najah National University has received a grant from the Quality Improvement Fund’s (QIF) Education to Work Transition Project in partnership with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education and funded by the World Bank for the project entitled: Linking with the private IT sector: IT faculty curriculum reform. This project is designed to improve the learning opportunities for IT students by incorporating more experiential learning. ANU will redesign 8 upper-level courses from the Computer Information System curriculum plan in collaboration with the Palestinian Information Technology Association (PITA), The CIS Department, and The Center of Excellence for Learning and Teaching (CELT).

This project will integrate actual private sector projects into the curriculum and address the needs of the IT companies in the national market. Accordingly, An-Najah National University seeks the selection and employment of an IT Labor Market Needs Assessment Consultant.

Assignment Objective
An-Najah National University is now considering the selection of a professional and qualified expert
consultant who will identify the gaps between the current skill set of IT graduates and the actual skills needed by Palestinian IT companies. This study will factor in other important elements such as current global and local IT market trends. The outcomes of this assignment will help in selecting the appropriate CIS courses for curriculum reform.

Main Tasks and Responsibilities

The Needs Assessment Consultant will be responsible for the following tasks:
-Develop, design, and implement an effective methodology and implementation plan to conduct a
comprehensive needs assessment study for Palestinian IT Labor Market Needs.
-Design, implement, and manage all activities to analyze and identify IT markets needs and requirements.
-Carry out consultations with key IT sector stakeholders to define expected graduate competencies
and practical skills using the proper tools, such as focus groups, structured interviews, questionnaires, workshops, etc.
-Assess the acquired competencies and skills of current An-Najah CIS program students and graduates.
-Based on the findings from the tasks above, conduct a comprehensive Gap Analysis Study to identify the gap between the current competencies and skill set of IT graduates and the actual needs recognized by Palestinian IT sector stakeholders.
-Suggest a plan of action to bridge any gaps identified.
-Participate in meetings and workshops with project staff to discuss results and findings.
-Present main findings and recommendations in the final workshop.
-Prepare and submit a final report showing all implemented activities, their results, and recommendations.

Deliverables:
1-Approved proper Methodology and Implementation Plan to conduct the assignment.
2-Relevant Data Collection Tools.
3-Competencies Gap Analysis Report.
4-Final Comprehensive Report documenting all the studies conducted, including but not limited to:
implemented activities, results, findings, recommendations, proposed actions, current needs of the IT market, and lessons learned.

Essential Required Qualifications:
-A Master’s or Ph.D. degree in IT, Business, Engineering, or a related discipline from a recognized
university. Qualified candidates with relevant professional certificates are also eligible to apply.
-At least 5 years of work experience
-Experience conducting at least 2 similar assignments.
-Excellent skills in gathering and analyzing qualitative and quantitative data.
-Fluency in English and Arabic.
-Excellent writing skills.
-Excellent computer skills.
-Strong communication skills.
-Ability to work under pressure.

Contract Type: Lump Sum Contract.
Duration work time is one month.

Interested consultants/researchers must submit their CV or resume along with relevant
competences and comprehensive experience record to [email protected] by 2:00 pm,
Monday, 30-12-2013. The assignment is expected to start on Wednesday, 15-1-2013.
All candidates shall be provided with further details of the assignment, the selection process, and
criteria (in accordance with the procedure World Bank recruiting policies).

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