Consultancy: Technical support and coordination of the work of the ISCED Committee

Contract

This is a Consultancy contract. More about Consultancy contracts.

**OVERVIEW** ------------ Parent Sector : UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) Duty Station: Montreal Classification of duty station: \[\[filter12\]\] Standard Duration of Assignement : \[\[filter13\]\] Job Family: Education Type of contract : Non Staff Duration of contract : From 7 to 11 months Recruitment open to : External candidates Application Deadline (Midnight Paris Time) : 31-MAY-2023 UNESCO Core Values: Commitment to the Organization, Integrity, Respect for Diversity, Professionalism **OVERVIEW OF THE FUNCTIONS OF THE POST** ----------------------------------------- **Background** The UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) produces data to fuel the policies and investments needed to transform lives and propel the world towards its development goals. Providing statistical and technical inputs for global, regional and funding mechanisms for education, the UIS enables the work of the UN Transforming Education Summit, the Global Education Cooperation Mechanism (GCM), G7, G20, etc. The UIS meets data needs for emerging priorities, for example, most recently, tracking and monitoring impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education worldwide. The UIS maintains the most comprehensive education statistics database in the world – the official source of data of the UN system, used for various purposes, including for the SDG monitoring. Established in 1999, the UIS serves as UNESCO’s statistical agency. The UIS is focused on delivering cross-nationally comparable data for global, regional and development agendas, covering the fields of education, science, culture, and communication and information. The UIS assures the technical support for Member States to produce transformative data based on the 3 pillars (Standards and methodologies; Data production; Brokerage and outreach). The UIS vision, described in its 2022-2029 Medium Term strategy, is to serve the needs of Member States, ensuring that their policies and decision-making are informed by sound statistical information, that they can benchmark progress towards national and international goals, and learn from the experience of others. **Objectives** The objectives of this consultancy is to provide the necessary technical support to assist UIS Management in the functioning of the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) Committee , which will advise UIS regarding the classification of national programmes and qualifications, review the current version of ISCED 2011 and ISCED Fields of Education and Training 2013, and identify potential areas for further development of the classifications. Long Description ---------------- **Key Tasks** Under the overall authority of the Director of the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, and under the direct supervision of the Head of Education Standards Unit, the Contractor shall perform the following tasks: • Prepare the working documents necessary for the work of ISCED Committee, including the issues compiled by the UIS from the implementation of ISCED 2011 and ISECD-F 2013 over the past ten years; • Provide technical support to the ISCED Committee, including research work on new developments to education systems worldwide, options for addressing issues identified during the implementation of the classifications, options for improving the overall strategy of the classifications and related manuals and questionnaires if required, and eventually potential areas for further developments of ISCED 2011 and ISCED-F 2013; • Prepare the draft and final versions of the three Committee reports, reflecting discussions/decisions and recommendations by the Committee, and feedback from UIS and others reviewers on the reports; • Prepare the summary report of the ISCED Committee work, reflecting the final recommendations, next steps and roadmap for their implementation. These key tasks are aligned with the following timeline and expected outputs for the ISCED Committee: • May-June 2023: ISCED Committee established. • July 2023: Documents and necessary materials for the work of the Committee provided. • July 2023: First Committee meeting: Objectives, timeline, working methods and road map discussed and agreed. • September 2023: First report of the Committee, including initial feedback on the classifications overall strategy as outlined in the Committee mandate. • October 2023: Second Committee meeting: First report reviewed and eventual areas for further research on the classifications identified and agreed. • December 2023: second report of the Committee, reflecting feedback on the first report, discussions during the 2nd Committee meeting, findings from any research carried out, and including draft recommendations. • January 2024: Third Committee meeting: second report and draft recommendations reviewed and discussed. • March 2024: Third report of the Committee reflecting feedback on the 2nd report, discussions at the third Committee meeting, and overall recommendations as outlined in the Committee mandate. • April 2024: Forth Committee meeting: Third report and recommendations reviewed and finalised. Long Description ---------------- Scenario A: a revision of the classifications is recommended • May 2024: Summary report, including potential areas for further developments of the classifications, guidance and indicative timeframe for the revision of the classifications provided. Scenario B: an immediate revision of the classifications is not recommended • May 2024: Summary report including the following recommendations and next steps: o Recommendations following the review of existing quality assurance mechanisms for application of the classifications. o Recommendations about the classification of problematic national education programmes and related qualifications. o Recommendations about a mechanism for peer review and validation of national ISCED mappings. o Recommendations about necessary amendments to the current operational manual of ISCED 2011 . o Recommendations about necessary modifications to the fields of education and training (and related descriptions) in ISCED-F 2013 . Long Description ---------------- **Deliverables and timeline** The Contractor will submit the following deliverables to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics: a. End June 2023: Inception report with work plan and complete draft of the working documents necessary for the work of ISCED Committee. b. Mid-July 2023: Final version of the working documents of the ISCED Committee reflecting comments from UIS. c. Mid-September 2023: First report following the 1st Committee meeting and including initial feedback of the Committee on the classifications overall strategy. d. Mid-November 2023: Second report following the 2nd Committee meeting, and reflecting feedback on the first report, discussions during the 2nd Committee meeting, findings from eventual research carried out, and including draft recommendations. e. Mid-February 2024: Third report following the 3rd Committee meeting, and reflecting feedback on the 2nd report, discussions at the third Committee meeting, and overall recommendations. f. End April 2024: Summary report following the 4th Committee meeting, and reflecting feedback on the 3rd report, comments and suggestions from reviewers (UIS and others), discussions/decisions and overall recommendations by the Committee. In case the Committee recommends a revision of the classifications, the summary report must also include the potential areas for further developments of the classifications, guidance and indicative timeframe for this revision, and the related draft ToRs and revision tasks. In case an immediate revision of the classifications is not recommended, the summary report must also include the following recommendations and next steps: o Recommendations following the review of existing quality assurance mechanisms for application of the classifications. o Recommendations about the classification of problematic national education programmes and related qualifications. o Recommendations about a mechanism for peer review and validation of national ISCED mappings. o Recommendations about necessary amendments to the current operational manual of ISCED 2011. o Recommendations about necessary modifications to the fields of education and training (and related descriptions) in ISCED-F 2013 . **COMPETENCIES (Core / Managerial)** ------------------------------------ Accountability (C) Communication (C) Innovation (C) Knowledge sharing and continuous improvement (C) Planning and organizing (C) Results focus (C) Teamwork (C) Professionalism (C) **-** ----- For detailed information, please consult the [UNESCO Competency Framework](https://en.unesco.org/sites/default/files/competency_framework_e.pdf). **REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS** --------------------------- **Education** - Advanced university degree (master or PhD degree or equivalent) in statistics, economics, demography, education or social sciences. **Experience & Skills** - At least 10 years working experience with ISCED classifications (especially ISCED 2011 and ISCED-F 2013) and experience in their application. - Excellent knowledge of education systems worldwide, national education programmes, fields of education, qualifications, and related statistics. - At least 10 years working experience in an international organisation, government agency, or academic institution. - Ability to work effectively through email and other means of remote communications. **Language** - Strong communication and writing skills in English. **DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS** ---------------------------- **Cost and technical arrangements** ----------------------------------- The total cost of the consultancy will be agreed in advance. All payments under the contract will be made against deliverables, as shown below. Deliverable & Payment - Inception report with work plan and complete draft of the working documents of the ISCED Committee 10% - Final version of the working documents of the ISCED Committee 10% - First report 15% - Second report 15% - Third report 15% - Summary report 35% The consultant is accountable for the quality of the work and full delivery of the assignment within the agreed timeframe and at no extra cost to the UIS, other than the amount specified in the Consultant’s contract. All documents compiled by the Consultant for support to the work of the ISCED Committee will be submitted to the UIS. The work will be carried out remotely. Meetings with the ISCED Committee, UIS, and the consultant providing secretarial support will be organized virtually (e.g. via MS Teams or Zoom). The Consultant will be in regular communication with UIS staff via email, audio or video conferencing. **SELECTION AND RECRUITMENT PROCESS** ------------------------------------- Interested and suitable candidates for the consultancy should submit the following documents: • Cover letter describing the candidate’s interest and qualifications, availability, and proposed consultancy fee for the work • Up-to-date CV • Brief description of why the individual considers him/herself as the most suitable for the assignment, and a methodology, if applicable, on how they will approach and complete the assignment. • Financial Proposal that indicates the all-inclusive fixed total contract price, supported by a breakdown of costs. **References** - UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS). 2012. International Standard Classification of Education: ISCED 2011. Montreal: UIS. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000219109. - UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS). 2014. ISCED Fields of Education and Training 2013 (ISCED-F 2013). Montreal: UIS. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000228085. - Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Eurostat, and UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS). 2015. ISCED 2011 Operational Manual: Guidelines for Classifying National Education Programmes and Related Qualifications. Paris: OECD Publishing. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000232343. - UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS). 2015. International Standard Classification of Education: Fields of Education and Training 2013 (ISCED-F 2013) - Detailed Field Descriptions. Montreal: UIS. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000235049. **Footer** ---------- UNESCO recalls that paramount consideration in the appointment of staff members shall be the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, technical competence and integrity. UNESCO applies a zero-tolerance policy against all forms of harassment. UNESCO is committed to achieving and sustaining equitable and diverse geographical distribution, as well as gender parity among its staff members in all categories and at all grades. Furthermore, UNESCO is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Candidates from non- and under-represented Member States ([last update here](https://en.unesco.org/careers/geographicaldistribution)) are particularly welcome and strongly encouraged to apply. Individuals from minority groups and indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the highest level of confidentiality. Worldwide mobility is required for staff members appointed to international posts. UNESCO does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process.