Youth Employability Consultant

Contract

This is a Consultancy contract. More about Consultancy contracts.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all qualified candidates, irrespective of nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, gender identity and sexual orientation, as well as persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization. UNICEF’s office is accessible to a certain extent, and employees are entitled to reasonable accommodations that are needed for ensuring equitable working conditions.

UNICEF in Serbia is seeking a senior expert to provide part-time support to the implementation of the Youth Employability Programme and provide technical expertise in this area.

The economic growth and stability that Serbia has reached in previous years has improved the position of young people, but some challenges remain. As per the latest Labour Force Survey, youth unemployment rate was 27.5% in 2019 and their inactivity rate was 70.4%. Young people in Serbia are facing worse prospects on the labour market than their peers in the EU, where in 2018 the youth unemployment rate was 15.2%. The situation is the most challenging for 122,000 young people living in Serbia who are not in education, employment, or training (NEET), and in particular for young people from vulnerable groups, including young people with disabilities.

Addressing youth inactivity and unemployment requires capacity building and partnerships between public, private and other local and international stakeholders to holistically create comprehensive and sustainable employment and skills development opportunities, with special focus on social inclusion and outreach to vulnerable young people who are NEET. Promoting the employability of young people through internships is one of the strategic ways to create opportunities for young people, develop skills and increase their employability.

The Youth Employability Programme aims to provide young people with more possibilities for skills building through internship practices. It will also raise awareness of the hands-on approach, entrepreneurial spirit and lifelong learning. The program is implemented in partnership with the National Employment Service (NES). To reach the planned programme targets, UNICEF is seeking an expert support to support the NES with the implementation of the internship programme through conducting analyses of the existing legal and policy frameworks, how the programme can be further scaled-up in the future, including through the Youth Guarantee scheme, programme design to meet the needs of young people, development of capacity of the NES staff, communication and visibility, development of youth-friendly communication and outreach materials, and more.

Work Assignment Overview:

In close cooperation with a wide range of programme partners, the consultant is expected to support the implementation of the Youth Employability Programme and provide technical expertise to UNICEF, Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs (MoLEVSA) and NES. Under the direct supervision of the UNICEF Youth & Adolescent Development Specialist, the incumbent will be responsible for reviewing the existing employment policies and mechanisms and developing recommendations.

Duration of the assignment: November 2021 – December 2022 (up to 70 workdays)

Detailed task description:

1. Using approaches and lessons learned during the Youth Employability Program implementation, review the existing and propose new active labour market policies in line with relevant national and EU strategies.
2. Propose sustainability of the program intervention through programme implementation and connecting existing partnership of UNICEF and NES with the development of the Youth Guarantee Scheme.
3. Contribute to the partnership between labour market institutions and facilitate the cooperation between stakeholders such as NES, MoLEVSA, the private sector and CSOs involving youth to express positive support towards innovative internship programme implementation.
4. Support the introduction of online services and self-help tools for young people and matchmaking opportunities between youth and job providers.
5. Suggest topics and modalities for the capacity building of NES staff for the strengthening of the capacity of labour counsellors to serve the needs of NEET young people.
6. Provide technical expertise on engagement of young people and design of programs.
7. Assist in the developing of modern, youth-friendly, local information channels and outreach schemes for awareness-raising activities.
8. Support M&E and reporting of results.

Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required:

• University degree in social, legal, human, economics or other related sciences.
• At least 8 years of work experience in a relevant field.
• Extensive experience in providing support and technical advice to national institutions on employment related issues.
• Experience in working with national and international stakeholders (civil society, public administration, social partners, local organizations, etc.).
• Experience with strategic, legal and institutional framework of youth employment, with a focus on different types of employment (work practices, internships, volunteering, etc.) will be considered an advantage.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Good analytical, writing and reporting skills.
• Excellent knowledge of both Serbian and English.

How to apply:

The application must include a financial proposal in RSD as a separate document, providing the following information:

1. Daily rate (all costs included, e.g. usage of mobile phone),
2. Daily travel allowance for an overnight stay in Serbia (including accommodation),
3. Transportation costs per km (for travel within Serbia).

Important notes:

Incomplete applications will not be taken into consideration.

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

For every child, you must demonstrate UNICEF's core values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability.

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, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.