Intern to support the adolescent skills and employability initiative at UNICEF Maldives Country Office

Contract

This is a Internship contract. It usually requires 0 years of experience, depending on education. More about Internship contracts.

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, a champion.

Maldives has made considerable progress in improving access to education with gender parity (at primary and lower secondary level) over the last decades.However, nationwide, 25 per cent of males and 30 per cent of females (aged 15–24 years) are not in employment, education, or training, compared to 33 per cent of males and 35 per cent of females in the atolls. Challenges include the lack of career guidance and work-readiness programmes, and insufficient resource allocation for developing labour market-relevant skills, including technical and vocational training and skills for a green and blue economy. Social norms influencing gender roles impact the skills and employability of girls and young women. While formal labour force participation among women has declined in recent decades, informal labour force participation is significantly higher among women than men.

To address the situation of adolescent skills and employability, UNICEF Maldives Country Office is in the process of formulating Adolescent Skills and Employability (ASE) programs in collaboration with UNICEF Regional Office, Government and Civil Society partners. To implement the skills and employability initiative, UNICEF Maldives Country Office wishes to work closely with young people and provide opportunities for young people to contribute to designing the interventions. Also, to provide opportunities for young people that can contribute to UNICEF’s programme and are willing to strengthen their soft skills for their future professional development and employability.

Purpose of the internship

1. To provide young undergraduates between 18-24 years, the opportunity to work as interns with the UNICEF ASE team and gain skills required for life and employment.
2. To test/demonstrate how job placement and internships in the UN/UNICEF can contribute to building skills in young people that can increase their employability.

Duty station: The interns will work with UNICEF Maldives Country team.

Supervisor: Program Specialist, Education, supported by UNICEF Regional Office and UNICEF Office of Innovation.

Major tasks to be undertaken by the intern and deliverables

1. Support the UNICEF team to implement UNICEF’s key flagship initiatives; UPSHIFT and Imagen Youth Challenge.
2. Support the implementation of bootcamps with young people (including logistics).
3. Support the UNICEF ASE team to organize consultations with young people and stakeholders.
4. Promotion of gender equality and empowerment of girls, as well as opportunities for developing labour market relevant skills sets
5. Promotion of environmental sustainability and climate action; (iv) co-facilitate discussions with young people and produce draft outcome documents.
6. Develop concept notes and other required documentation for the key initiatives with guidance from the ASE team.
7. Provide administrative support to the ASE team to develop a comprehensive national strategy on building skills of adolescents to access and participate meaningfully in issues affecting them.
8. Provide support to organize engagements with adolescents on the Girl Child Day and the World Children's Day.

Deliverables: Monthly report on key contributions during the month, key learnings and the interns’ appraisal of the key competencies developed.

Competencies the intern is expected to develop under the guidance of the ASE team.

Competency

Behavioural indicator

Self-awareness

• Display sensitivity and adjust language and tone, ensuring it is not demeaning or aggressive.
• Recognize own strengths and limitations, learning from mistakes made.

Ethical awareness

• Display appropriate ethical behaviours, refraining from discriminatory language and actions

Communication

• Voice opinion in a truthful and respectful manner
• Speaks clearly and confidently about the initiatives he/she is supporting.
• Demonstrate appropriate level of writing skills

Appreciation of drive for results

• Plan and take ownership for delivering tasks initially with guidance and by end of the 4th months with minimal supervision for recurring tasks.
• Ensure the completion of tasks by the deadline
• Learn from precedence.

Embracing change

• Respond flexibly to changing circumstances, priorities and deadlines
• Display creativity, experiment with new approaches and demonstrate openness to challenges.

Works collaboratively with others

• Support the ASE team in achieving their goals.
• Address issues, conflicts and misunderstandings between self and others.
• Willingness to take suggestions from colleagues
• Encourage other young people to contribute ideas and listen without interruption

Appraisal of the intern

Appraisal of the intern will be done monthly on a regular basis and at the end of the internship (final evaluation)

Successful interns will be awarded an official recognition of completion of the internship (as per organizational policy)

The supervisor:

1. Will develop a weekly/monthly work plan with the intern to achieve the planned targets and results for the week/month and will provide support as required. The ASE team will also provide support as required.
2. will facilitate through the HR officer, within the first 5 days of the internship, an orientation for the intern on UNICEF’s core values and principles.
3. will engage with the intern on a monthly basis and provide written feedback on the performance of the intern, highlighting the strengths, evolving competencies and areas of improvement using the above indicators.
4. will establish a mentor-mentee relationship with the intern and ensure that the intern has a safe space to express grievances and address issues in a timely manner.
5. Shall ask for feedback on her/his managerial and/or mentoring skills and improve where necessary.

Estimated duration of the internship: Six months starting from 1st August 2022- 30th January 2023, with the possibility of extension if funds are available.

Official travel involved: Official travels to the field will be undertaken with the ASE team as required.

Payment: A monthly allowance of MVR 5,000 will be paid upon submission of the monthly report.

Qualifications required

• Have a university undergraduate degree
• Good command in spoken and written English.
• A keen interest to gain 21st century work skills and experience through an internship.
• Interest in youth development or issues relevant/affecting young people.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA).

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

Remarks:

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. The candidate may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid).