Recruitment of an External Collaborator for the Promotion of Gender Mainstreaming in the TVET System in Lebanon

Women face a number of challenges in accessing and completing quality education and training, and, subsequently, in transitioning to decent employment. They are more likely to be in vulnerable employment, such as informal employment and in unpaid family work. Occupational segregation remains a predominant feature of training and labour markets, limiting women choices and confining them to lower-paid and lower-status jobs. All these factors further contribute to their social and economic marginalization.

Demand-driven technical and vocational education and training (TVET), flexible to respond to the changing needs of the market, is recognised as an effective route to skills development and employment. If TVET is combined with business education, it can also be an effective strategy to help people create jobs and generate employment, rather than only seeking jobs in a limited economy. However, TVET is often considered a second-best choice for students, behind general education. It is not common for business training to be routinely offered as part of TVET training, even though many of the skills development courses are well suited to lead to self-employment.

Technical and vocational education and training (TVET) has the potential to promote the productive participation of women in the labour market, equipping them with the necessary skills to undertake the jobs of the future. However, this potential remains largely unfulfilled in certain occupational sectors, particularly those requiring training in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Young women in the education system often do not take optimum advantage of TVET and usually because of social norms, tend to shy away from ‘male trades’ and limit their options to more ‘traditional’ skills such as beauty care, or those that are less likely to lead to profitable, decent work, such as sewing and embroidery.  There is high degree of gender-based occupational segregation that correspond to social norms. Lack of gender-mainstreamed career guidance and role models perpetuate gender stereotyping in TVET. Older women, rarely return to or take up education or training, once the first chance has been missed, even though they might have more pressing economic needs or face fewer barriers.

International development partners, including the ILO, are engaged with the government to reform the TVET system to be better aligned with and responsive to the dynamics of the Lebanese labour market. The National Strategic Framework for TVET (2024-2028) is currently under finalization putting gender-sensitive and inclusive education as key strategic reform. This provides an ideal opportunity to focus on skills development for women; to ensure that skills development programmes respond to the needs and expectations of women, to design programmes that eliminate gender stereotypes and support women reach higher levels of employment, and to understand how skills development and employment impact women’s empowerment more generally within the family and in their communities.

The ILO seeks to support its constituents address the major problems and barriers that disproportionately hinder female workforce in Lebanon from equitably and productively participating in the labour market in a sustainable and resilient manner. The ILO aims to work with relevant stakeholders, e.g. government, employers, workers organizations, training and BDS providers in strengthening their capacities for gender mainstreaming; in particular to train and employ more women in selected economic value chains with wider scope for women’s employment, and with particular focus on digital solutions, green and unconventional jobs. Recently, the ILO conducted a Participatory Gender Audit with four Lebanon social partners (ALI, CGTL, LLWB, FENASOL) in order to support them promoting organizational learning and assess the extent to which policies have been institutionalized at the level of the individual, operational unit, and organization. An action plan is put in place for each partner to support them in further achieving gender equality and taking into consideration good practices and identified critical gaps.

As a first step, the ILO intends to conduct a study to map current initiatives, and assess practices, achievements and gaps, including an institutional capacity assessment and SWOT analysis, in achieving gender equality targets and gender mainstreaming in TVET/skills development system (formal and non-formal, public and private, informal skills training offered by NGOs) and in TVET/skills training practices of public and private technical institutes, NGOs, social partners and other ministries/departments engaged in skills development training. The assessment will also look into the additional barriers faced by women with disabilities and refugee women in accessing TVET programems and skills development opportunities in the labour market. The study will be based on secondary sources and up to six (6) Focus Group Discussions with TVET institutes (primary in urban regions) and key stakeholders, and up to 20 key informant interviews with other stakeholders to collect evidence on gender discrimination and potential good practices for replication. This assessment will be coordinated with MEHE-DGTVET, MoL, National Commission for Lebanese Women and other relevant ministries, stakeholders, and key NGOs working in the TVET sector to contribute to the development of required actions at national and local level to minimize gender gaps in TVET/ skills development system, improve practices, and design appropriate skills training and gender mainstreaming interventions that ILO would implement between 2023 and 2025.

1. Objective

The International Labour Organization is currently seeking to hire a local expert to conduct the study in coordination with relevant entities such as UN Women, National Commission for Lebanese women, MEHE-DGTVET, and social partners.

The consultant will be achieving the following objectives: 

• Identify the gender gaps and gender based occupational segregation in TVET system
• Analyze the gaps and barriers creating these gaps and causes preventing or impeding the achievement of the gender equality in skills/TVET systems, and targets set in SDGs goal and national strategies.
• Assess any additional barriers faced by women with disabilities and refugee women in accessing TVET programmes and skills training opportunities
• Map existing initiatives that are addressing these gaps, document best practices, and lessons learned and identify interventions with potential upscaling.
• Identify opportunities for ILO to address sector-specific gender gaps that would ensure effective and efficient inclusiveness in TVET for women of different categories/status.
• Provide recommendations on relevant policy actions, strategy, systems and mechanisms, capacity development measures needed, and plan of actions necessary for key stakeholders and ILO to undertake in order to address identified gaps and barriers.

1. Key Deliverables

• Mapping of existing interventions, best practices, lessons learned
• Analysis and recommendations study report with inclusive-disaggregated data listed above
• Proposal for ILO interventions including potential partners and institutional capacity needs

1. Eligibility

A prerequisite for selection: a registered institution with a non-profit nature

• A post-graduate degree in the relevant field (Gender Studies/Public Policy or any other relevant field of Social Science).
• An extensive knowledge and experience of conducting gender analysis, review of policies and strategies using gender lens and developing gender equality strategies and action plans. Professional experience of minimum 7 years in home and abroad will be preferable.
• Adequate professional experience on TVET, skills development and employment, digital skills and green jobs as applicable to the scope of work.
• Experience of working with the Government of Lebanon, employers’ organizations, development partners/ UN agencies/ NGOs on gender relates issues is required.
• Experience on project proposal, budgeting, SWOT analysis, and conducting institutional capacity assessment or stakeholders’ analysis.
• Proven track record in delivering good quality report (sample of previous consultancy report soft/hard copies or hyperlink
• Other competencies highlighted in the enclosed TOR