Soft Skills Training Program at the East Jerusalem Career Ad...

Terms of Reference

Consultancy for Soft Skills Training Program at the East Jerusalem Career Advancement Center

Date: October 18, 2022

Purchase Request Number: 188

Serial Number: RFQ-22-113

Project title: Career Advancement for East Jerusalem TVET Students.

Organizational Background: The East Jerusalem Young Men's Christian Association (EJ-YMCA) founded in 1948, is a vibrant and integral part of the Palestinian social movement and a leader among Palestinian Non-Governmental Organizations. It is an Arab, independent, neutral and professional organization, affiliated with the global YMCA movement. As a member of the World Alliance of YMCAs, the EJ-YMCA is committed to a unique vision of community, based on the universal values of human dignity, peace, and justice. 

Driven by its mission “to develop and empower youth and communities to reach their full potential in mind, body and spirit based on Christian values” and after decades of work, the EJ-YMCA has become deeply rooted in the Palestinian society through running a variety of programs based on local priorities in areas of: athletics, employment, rehabilitation, advocacy, youth participation, and women empowerment.

The EJ –YMCA runs three Community Centers in East Jerusalem, Beit Sahour, and Ramallah. These centers work on enhancing physical health of their members, through providing access of sports facilities and activities; the revenues of the community centers contribute to the service provision of EJ-YMCA overall programs targeting youth, women and children.

In addition to the community center, the EJ-YMCA also runs a Vocational Training Center in Jericho, a Rehabilitation Center in Beit Sahour, the Women Development Program in Ramallah, and the Joint Advocacy Initiative, these programs have a wide reach to the different Palestinian cities and village. In addition, the EJ-YMCA runs a Career Advancement Center in Jerusalem, with focus on empowering youth of the Holy City and upskill them to access the labour market.

Project Background/Description:  Within the framework of the “Support to Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in East Jerusalem” implemented by UNDP/PAPP and funded by the Government of Norway, the EJ-YMCA is partnering with UNDP for supporting TVET education in East Jerusalem for a duration of 8 months (October 2022 to May 2023). The project is built on the long experience of the EJ-YMCA in youth development programs, sports activities, and career advancement, while introducing a renewed approach of equipping youth with trainings to enhance their employability opportunity and accessibility to the labour market. For this purpose, the EJ-YMCA will partner with the JDoE TVET Schools in East Jerusalem to extend complementary upskilling services to the targeted students towards providing a comprehensive learning spectrum, through utilizing the newly established department at EJ-YMCA – the Career Advancement Center (CAC) that located at the heart of the Jerusalem, and offering adequate spaces for stakeholder’s engagement, training and other relevant activities.

The EJ-YMCA CAC will upskill the young population with supportive life and soft skills trainings and awareness that build on their technical education and expertise and improve their opportunities to access the workforce, this also includes increasing their basic understanding of labour law and regulations valid in East Jerusalem, business management within a complex business environment in East Jerusalem, and upgrading their Hebrew and English languages knowledge. And finally, the intervention will also contribute to enhancing a healthy lifestyle for the youth by providing them with an attractive package of membership to the EJ-YMCA sports facilities. This holistic intervention will eventually contribute to enhancing the resilience of the Palestinians living in East Jerusalem, as they will be better able to improve their social and economic conditions, enjoy a positive development process, and safeguard youth from being driven to vandalism and violence.

Purpose of the Consultancy:

For the purpose of the project described above, the EJ-YMCA seeks to recruit experienced Soft and Life Skills Trainers to deliver Soft and Life Skills training at the partner TVET Schools in Jerusalem, with the aim to enhance their skills and build on their technical education and improve their opportunities to access the labour force.

 Submission of proposals:

• Closing date for submission of proposals is no later than Monday October 24th 2022, 12:00 pm.
• Proposals must be submitted in a sealed and stamped envelope, addressed to: East Jerusalem Young Men’s Christian Association YMCA, Jerusalem HQ office.

Submission Requirements:

Interested applicants who meet the above qualifications are encouraged to download the file through the EJ-YMCA portal https://ej-ymca.org/links/RFQ-22-113.pdf

• Financial part: the offer must be submitted in USD dollars and must be valid up to 90 days after the submission date. The financial proposal should indicate the rate per hour. The total cost should be "all-inclusive" and cover all the consultant's expenses, supplies, and any required insurance and taxes. The service provider must be able to submit a valid Deduction at Source Certificate and a tax invoice, otherwise, EJ-YMCA will deduct income tax rate and submit to Income tax department on behalf of the service provider.
  • The cost for developing the training toolkit should be presented separately, indicating estimated number of working days, and reflecting this in the work plan.
• Technical part: Interested applicants must submit a curriculum vita (as an individual or as a company) – with proven track record of similar consultancies. The CV should also include references from previous clients with valid contact details.
• The Soft Skills Trainer should propose his/her work plan based on the project timeframe mentioned above.

Important Notes:

• EJ-YMCA reserves the right to reject all bids, and to decide not to pursue this procurement.
• EJ-YMCA reserves the right to split the bid.
• EJ-YMCA is not obliged to procure the lowest priced offer, when the lowest price does not offer the best overall value and all other factors considered.
• EJ-YMCA has the right to cancel or re-tender this TOR without explaining the reasons.
• EJ-YMCA reserves the right to interview candidates, request supporting documentation for experience and expertise, and/or request additional information or documentation that could facilitate the selection. Should EJ-YMCA determine interviews are needed, only shortlisted applicants shall be contacted for an interview.
• In addition to reviewing the financial and technical applications, EJ-YMCA will review the qualifications of the specific individual(s) wishing to fulfill the role.
• EJ-YMCA may select more than one consultant to complete the full scope of this TOR.
• All Documents must be submitted signed and stamped.