The Raedat Activity Leg-Up Internship Coaching Program

 

Raedat is a five-year activity designed to empower and uplift women from diverse backgrounds and nurture their leadership skills by equipping them with the necessary tools, resources, and support for success. Raedat endeavors to create an environment where women can thrive and contribute significantly to society through strategic partnerships and targeted interventions.

 

The Raedat Activity is being implemented by Global Communities with funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

 

1. Enhancing Women's Representation and Leadership Capabilities: Supporting women in vulnerable communities with economic opportunities and leadership training, providing a response to gender-based violence (GBV), connecting university and professional women to networks, fostering women-led initiatives, and embedding training modules in educational institutions and civil society organizations.
2. Improving Equitable and Safe Enabling Environments: Working with the private sector and civil society organizations to adopt and implement gender equality policies, providing technical assistance and tailored economic opportunities, and offering professional internship opportunities to women.
3. Promoting Inclusive Social Norms and Change Agents: Utilizing a comprehensive social and behavior change communication approach, engaging male allies and role models, and raising awareness about Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI).

 

Raedat adopts a comprehensive, inclusive, and participatory approach tailored to the needs of individual women, aiming to empower Palestinian women from various backgrounds. The initiative addresses four main barriers to women's empowerment: deficiencies in resources and services, social norms, low awareness of women's rights, and gaps in laws and policies.

 

Raedat recognizes the diverse experiences of women and has categorized them into three cohorts:

1. Grassroots Pioneers: Marginalized women in vulnerable communities who are provided with skills, confidence, and access to start businesses or lead in governance.
2. Rising Pioneers: Women in the middle of the spectrum, such as university students and mid-level professionals, receive tailored interventions to enhance their capabilities.
3. Trailblazer Pioneers: Female leaders in various sectors who are supported in advancing their social capital and network building to achieve pathways to leadership.

 

Raedat Activity catalyzes change by empowering women to overcome barriers and become agents of positive transformation in their communities. Through collaborative efforts and sustained commitment, the activity aims to achieve gender equality and foster inclusive, transformative development for Palestinian women.

The Leg-Up Internship initiative, a collaborative endeavor under the Raedat Activity, empowers female graduates and senior university students. This initiative, which was developed through participatory methods, has seen extensive engagement with the community, including community-based consultations (CBC), individual meetings with service providers, focus groups with unemployed female graduates, and discussions with private sector representatives. Participants' invaluable contributions have been critical in identifying the barriers to female unemployment and the impacts of gender and social norms and pinpointing opportunities to facilitate women's entry into the workforce.

During the preparation phase, the Raedat team consulted with Palestinian universities adopting the German Dual Studies (DS) approach introduced by GIZ. Palestine Polytechnic University and Al Quds University established Dual Studies colleges in specific fields identified through market studies. Al Quds University was the first to launch a DS college and has since begun graduating students. After four years, these students have accumulated two years of practical experience, enhanced their employability, and increased their chances of being hired by the companies where they trained.

Another innovative model introduced by the Raedat Activity is the Finance for Jobs Consulting Services Approach(F4J-CS). This approach, a testament to Raedat's unwavering commitment to reducing female unemployment, involves a crucial partnership with a private company managing the first Palestinian youth employment Development Impact Bond (DIB). The program targets explicitly female graduates trained by service providers like Education for Employment (EFE) and PalVision. Provided training aims to prepare targeted female beneficiaries to enter the labor market; training includes employability skills, including communication, teamwork, leadership, time management, and others, as well as life skill sets that help beneficiaries manage and maintain positive attitudes at the workplace.

These pilot initiatives underscore Raedat's unwavering commitment to reducing female unemployment. They are about meeting immediate employment needs and establishing long-term career paths by examining abilities and skills in a workplace setting and identifying improvement needs, which allow beneficiaries to create a career plan. Female employment seekers must experience a workplace environment to gain the needed experience in a learning-by-doing approach. By leveraging past successes and the Market Systems Development approach, the internship program is strategically designed to foster sustainable changes that persist beyond the internship duration. This approach enhances the sector's sustainability and fosters a culture of continuous improvement and innovation. Ultimately, this strategic effort aims to create inclusive opportunities that reflect female graduates' actual needs and potentials, providing a reassuring outlook for the future and instilling a sense of optimism.

Objectives 

1. Strengthen Collaboration: Forge a robust partnership with Academic Institutes & Service Providers to enhance the internship program's focus on gender sensitivity and negotiate effectively with the private sector. 
2. Enhanced Capacity Building and Professional Development: Integrate comprehensive on-the-job coaching to elevate interns' technical skills and increase employment opportunities.
3. Expand interns' networks and exposure, facilitating connections with industry professionals and opportunities for real-world experience.  
4. Private Sector Engagement: Advise Private Sector companies, provide Safe work environments, and build the capacities of Private sector company hosts in Gender Principles.
5. Examine the quality of interventions by service providers and academic institutions to design future internship activities using the Raedat Activity.

The Raedat Activity decided to partner with Education for Employment- Palestine (EFE-P), PalVision, and Al-Quds University who offered employability readiness capacity-building interventions to unemployed graduates and senior year students to prepare them for work and historically registered a promising %70+ employment rate among trainees.

The Raedat Activity will offer three months of practical paid on-the-job training with a monthly stipend of $300 to 56 female university graduates who concluded the training but were not offered an internship or employment opportunity starting July 2024. 

The Raedat Activity has embraced a Pathway to Leadership approach, seamlessly integrating classroom training with hands-on experience, coaching, mentoring, and networking opportunities. This holistic and inclusive capacity-building strategy is meticulously crafted to better prepare beneficiaries for their professional journeys. It strongly emphasizes enrollment, employment, career progression, and competitiveness.

 

This initiative requires a dedicated focus on individual development, encompassing technical skills, personal competencies, and life skills. By offering personalized attention, Raedat ensures that participants are adeptly equipped to navigate the complexities of the modern workplace, fostering their professional growth and personal development.

 

The Raedat Activity seeks to engage coaching experts to cultivate a pool of coaches from diverse localities, including those from private sector companies that host interns and freelancers. These experts will be responsible for preparing this cadre of coaches to provide one-on-one coaching to interns throughout their internship period. Additionally, the coaches should be capable of extending their services in the future, thereby supporting successive batches of interns and pioneers. This initiative aims to ensure a sustained and high-quality coaching experience that significantly enhances interns' professional development over the long term.

Raedat defines job coaching as a personalized support service designed to assist individuals in achieving their employment goals and thriving in the workplace. It involves one-on-one guidance from a job coach who aids in career development and workplace adaptation. Key components of job coaching include:

1. Skill Development: Enhancing the skills necessary for the job, including technical, soft, and life skills.
2. Goal Setting & Planning: Assisting clients in setting realistic career goals and devising a structured plan to achieve them.
3. Job Search Assistance: Offering support with job search strategies, resume writing, interview preparation, and networking.
4. Workplace Integration: Helping individuals adapt to the workplace, understand job expectations, and improve work-related behaviors.
5. Performance Improvement: Providing ongoing feedback and strategies to enhance job performance and productivity.
6. Problem-Solving: Assisting in resolving workplace issues, managing stress, and developing conflict resolution skills.
7. Career Advancement: This position guides individuals seeking promotions, additional training, and career development opportunities.

 

Job coaching empowers individuals to become self-sufficient and confident in their professional roles, ultimately leading to greater job satisfaction and career success.

The ideal coaching experts for this assignment should possess the following qualifications:

1. A minimum of a bachelor's degree in Humanities, Social Sciences, Capacity Building, job Coaching, Mentorship, or a related field.
2. At least three years of professional experience in job coaching, mentoring, or capacity-building roles.
3. Demonstrated expertise in developing and delivering one-on-one coaching and training programs.
4. Strong understanding of technical skills development, personal competencies, and life skills training.
5. Proven ability to work with diverse groups, including private-sector employers and freelancers.
6. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to provide personalized attention and support.
7. Experience working in capacity-building projects or programs, particularly those focused on professional development and employment readiness, is highly desirable.
8. Knowledge of gender sensitivity and inclusive practices in the workplace is an advantage.

1. Collaboration: Liaise closely with the Raedat Leadership and Capacity Building team throughout all consultancy stages to ensure alignment and effective communication.
2. Review of Existing Materials: Conduct a thorough review of all relevant reports and assessments developed by Raedat to date, ensuring that existing insights and data inform the intervention.
3. Selection Criteria Development: Develop comprehensive and objective selection criteria to identify suitable participants for the coaching program. This will ensure that the most qualified and capable individuals are chosen.
4. Capacity Building Intervention: Design and implement a robust capacity-building intervention aimed at qualifying two distinct pools of coaches:
   • Private Sector Employees: A group of 20 employees from private sector establishments that host interns, emphasizing gender balance and ensuring that at least 50% of the participants are female.
   • Female Freelancers: A group of 20 female freelancers, providing them with the necessary skills and knowledge to serve as effective coaches.

 

The assignment is expected to begin upon signing the agreement and be completed within three months.

 

The budget allocation for this consultancy includes fees presented as a daily rate and Level of effort - LOE for conducting all the needed activities as presented in the scope of work.

All information obtained during the consultancy must be handled confidentially and used solely for this assignment.

1. Designate a technical contact person from Raedat's technical team to serve as the focal point for this assignment.
2. Provide all relevant Raedat reports and assessments produced to date.
3. Promptly review and approve the selection criteria, training materials, and the selection of coach trainees.
4. Provide logistical support for implementing the training program, including securing venues, providing necessary equipment, managing branding and communication, and handling other training-related logistics.
5. Coordinate the scheduling and execution of coaching sessions with interns after training completion.

1. Provide bi-weekly progress updates to the Raedat Activity Leadership and Capacity Building Team Leader.
2. Participate in weekly meetings to discuss progress and address any challenges.
3. Submit a final narrative report upon completion of the assignment.
4. Ensure that all reports, templates, and documents are branded following USAID and Global Communities guidelines.

The total agreed amount will be disbursed in two installments:

1. First installment (50%) will be paid upon approval of the outline and formulation of the trainees.
2. Second installment (50%) will be paid upon the completion of the training.

Interested consultants are required to submit the following documents based on the evaluation criteria:

Based on the evaluation criteria, all interested Individual consultants are required to submit the following documents via email [email protected] no later than August 21, 2024. Failure to provide any of the required documents will result in disqualification.

• A detailed consultant profile highlighting training and coaching expertise.
• Curriculum vitae (CV) and a copy of the ID.
• Biodata Sheet.
• Three samples of previous similar work along with references.
• A financial proposal that includes a detailed budget breakdown.
• The SOW with signature.

If you have related experience and interested please CLICK HERE  to check the tender document